PASTELES - PERNIL - ARROZ CON GANDULES
For those of you, that were brought up in a typical Puerto Rican house hold like I was. Remember what it was like especially during the holiday season, when it came time to make the pasteles and the ritual that the head of the kitchen made you go through whether it was your Mom, Grand Ma, your Titi or even your Dad. They always seemed to have this secret recipe and you all had to follow the letter to the line.
Well at home we all have a job to do. Someone peels the yautia ( Tanier )someone else is elected to peel the quineos verde (green bananas) and someone else gets to peel the platanos (green plantains). Now most of the time, whom ever finishes his or her part first usually pitches in to help the rest of the slow pokes so that we can get the show on the road.
Mom lets us peel and grate the vegetables, and in the past two years or so she allows us to use the blender. I remember a time that if one of us mentioned using a blender to make la masa (vegetable mixture) she would ask if we were getting lazy. And then remind us what it was like in Puerto Rico when she would help my Grand Mother. In those days everything was done by hand, as it still is in some house holds.
Bulletin: Mom Let us use the food processor this year. This is a break through in making the masa, it worked great.
One of my duties was, and still is, is to put the large pot we use to boil the pasteles on the stove with water and salt. We do this as an excuse to test the first ones that are wrapped and ready to cook. Every one that has worked on the project has to make sure that they are just right, but we usually end up having company after all the work is done. And Mom never lets anyone leave her kitchen without letting them have a pastel.
Now the only thing no one was allowed to prepare was the meat filling, that was and still is Mom's baby. The meat has to be cut a certain way and the seasoning must be just right. And believe me when it comes to Mom's kitchen she is still the BOSS.
OK for those of you that have sent us e-mail requesting the recipe for pasteles, here it is. I hope that you take the time to make them and enjoy them with your Holiday meal.
PASTELES
Ingredients for the filling
1 - 3 to 4 pound piece of fresh pork cali. If you are lucky enough to find a Spanish speaking butcher tell him that you want it for pasteles he will know exactly what you need. ( Ask your butcher to bone it for you and to cut it in half )
1-1/2 Pounds of cooking ham (hamon de cocinar) or ham steak
4- Tablespoons of olive oil
1/4; to 1/2 cup of sofrito. ( you can find the recipe for sofrito on the Foundation Page)
Salt and pepper to taste.
1 or 2 Tablespoons of oregano.
1 - 8 oz. Can of tomato sauce.
1 - Can of garbanzos (chick peas) including the water it is packed in.
1- small jar of green olives
2- Small box of raisins (optional)
3- 1-1/2 to 2 cups of cold water.
Ingredients for La masa
3 pounds of green bananas.
3 pounds of yautia.
3 Large plantains. ( The ratio should be one plantain for each combined pound of the above vegetables)
1 Large potato.
1 quart of milk
1 can of pork lard or shortening.
6 to 8 Tablespoons of achote.
Salt and pepper to taste ( Optional you may not need this because the mixture should get enough seasoning from the filling and the salt that is put in the boiling water when you cook the pasteles. )
Wrapping
2 - Rolls of papel de pastel ( Pastel paper ) You can find this paper in most Spanish Bodegas or where you by the vegetables for the masa.
1 - Roll of string for pasteles. ( You can also find this in the same place that you purchase the paper)
1 - Package of plantain leaves. (Optional this is for those of you that like the taste of the leaf )
The filling
1 - Rinse meat and bone under cold water and pat dry, set bone aside.
2 - Cut meat in small bite size pieces about one inch cubes. If the meat came with a skin cut that up to.
3 - Place cut meat in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste and place covered in the refrigerator for about 1/2; hour or more.
4 - Cut cooking ham as you did the pork meat and set aside.
5 - Take a large pot large enough to hold all the ingredients for the filling. Make sure that there will be enough room so that you can stir the pot with out having it run over on you.
6 - Add four tablespoons of olive oil and bring up to heat.
7 - When the pot is hot enough add the pork meat and allow to brown lightly making sure to turn from the bottom to the top.
8 - Stir in the sofrito making sure that it blends well with the meat mixture.
9 - Add the bone.
10 - Add the cooking ham.
11 - Add the can of garbanzos along with its liquid.
12 - Add the olives also with its liquid.
13 - Stir in the can of tomato sauce
14 - Add oregano.
15 - Add salt and pepper to taste.
16 - Stir in water.
17 - Bring to a boil and then lower heat so that you can allow the mixture to simmer slowly.
18 - Cover the pot and stir occasionally.
19 - Check mixture to make sure that there is enough liquid in the pot. ( About mid level)
20 - Taste for seasonings, if you feel that it should be adjusted this is the time to add more sofrito or salt and pepper or oregano.
21 - Let mixture cook for about 1-1/2 hours under low heat.
Note: If wish to raisins to the filling you can add them at the last 15 minutes of the cooking time.
22 - When you feel that the meat is completely cooked turn off the burner and leave covered. Remember that the cubes of meat should be solid in texture, not shredded.
La masa
Knowing how pressed for time you are going to be. I think that you should use the blender for this. Hey if anyone out there decides that you want to use the hand grater I salute you.
The main thing to keep in mind is that the final product cannot be in to liquid a form. We are looking for a nice thick creamy texture, and so with that in mind let's start.
a- In a large pot or bowl add cold water with 1/2; teaspoon of salt and set aside.
b- Peel the yautia and cut into pieces small enough to fit into a blender, and place into water.
c- Peel plantains and cut the same way you cut the yautia, and place into the water.
d- Peel the green bananas and to the same to them.
Note: A good trick used to peel the plantains and the green bananas is to cut the ends off. And then to make a slit all the way down the vegetable being careful not to cut into the meat of the vegetable.
Place in a large pot or roaster with hot water from the faucet. Allow to bath for a few minutes and then with your two thumbs just peel the skin back. Keep moving up the shaft until the skin is completely off.
1 - Place in a blender as much as will fit of the green banana, plantain and tanier.
2 - Start on the grate speed if the blender locks up raise to a higher speed until it start to run.
3 - If you find that the vegetables are not blending add a little milk until it starts mixing. Once you have completed a batch, pour the mixture into a large bowl or pot.
Note: Be careful not to over do it remember we are looking for a thick creamy mixture.
4 - Continue this procedure until you have used up all the vegetables.
5 - Once you have all mixture in a bowl or pot stir in a cooking spoon of the meat broth at a time until you have a thick creamy consistency. Now cover and set aside.
6 - In a small pot place about two cooking spoons of lard or shortening and allow to melt under low heat. Once the lard has meted add the achote making sure not to burn the lard, we are looking for a reddish orange color that is all. Once you have reached that color turn the burner off.
Wrapping the pasteles
1 - Unroll the pastele paper notice that they come in individual sheets measuring about 18 inches wide by 12 inches high. This will be the main outer wrapping for each pastel.
2 - You can make four inner layers from one sheet by folding in half and in half again and cutting four sheets that will measure 9 inches wide by 6 inches high.
3 - spread a full sheet of paper on a clean table or flat surface.
4 - place the smaller sheet in the center of the larger sheet of paper.
5 - with a basting brush put a light coating of the acohte lard do not add any of the achote.
6 - For those of you that prefer to use the plantain leaf use the leaf instead of the small sheet of paper.
7 - Spread about a cooking spoon and a half of the masa on the smaller sheet of paper of the plantain leaf.
8 - Add about a half a cooking spoon of the meat filling on top of the masa.
9 - Fold the outer sheet length wise and then fold again. We are looking to make a rectangular shape. Now fold in the edges about one inch on either side, and then fold in until you have a rectangle that should measure about six inches by about two and half inches high. If it comes out a little larger don't worry remember practice makes perfect.
10 - continue this process and pack two pastels together. Make sure that the folds face each other before you tie them.
11 - Once you have finished wrapping and tying the pasteles you can freeze them if you don't plan to cook them right away.
12 - To cook the pasteles place into a pot of boiling water with a little salt added and allow to cook for at least an hour and a half.
13 - To serve remove from pot one pair at a time cut the string and unfold the paper and allow the pastel to slide on to a dish if it sticks to the paper you can ease it off with a spatula or a kitchen knife.
Note: Pasteles should eaten hot right out of the pot, try not to let them stand to long.
I know that if you follow the above you will enjoy this dish, it is always a Holiday favorite in many Puerto Rican house holds around this time of the year.
Pernil al horno - Roast fresh ham
Here is a delicious Meat dish that not only all Puerto Rican households cherish, but any pork loving individual will really enjoy. And you can take that to the bank.
If you have access to a Weber Kettle you can roast it over charcoal and I'll explain how to do it that way, or you can use your oven .
1 - One Fresh Ham or Cali ( size depending on how many people you are going to feed ) Tell your Butcher and let him suggest how big it should be.
Have it boned and tied this will make it easier to season and also cut down on the cooking time. You can save the bone and freeze it and use it in the future to help flavor a spaghetti sauce.
2 - One teaspoon of adobo per pound. ( Check the foundations page )
3 - One teaspoon of olive oil for every four teaspoons of adobo.
4 - One teaspoon of white vinegar for every for teaspoons of olive oil.
A - Rinse roast in cold water and pat dry with a clean towel or paper towel.
B - Cut deep pockets about two inches deep into the roast approximately three to four inches apart.
C- Combine adobo, olive oil and vinegar in a bowl making sure to blend all ingredients well. This would be a good time to taste for salt and pepper, if you feel that it needs more seasoning add more adobo.
D - Place the roast in a roasting pan and fill the pockets with the seasoning rub the remaining seasoning all over the roast, wrap roast it plastic wrapping paper and place in refrigerator over night.
E - Pre heat oven at 350 degrees, place roast on a roasting pan with a rack and pour a cup of cold water into the bottom of the pan.
F - Place pan in oven. ( there are two ways to time the roasting 1- you can use a meat thermometer stuck into the roast and when it reaches 180 degrees it should be done, or check your cook book's roasting chart it should call for about 35 minutes for each pound, but that will have to be adjusted to maybe 25 to 30 minutes because the roast has been boned. You can use the juices in the pan to based the roast every 30 minutes.
G - To cook the roast over an open fire which is something we do a lot during the summer.
Make sure that all the vents on the bottom of the kettle are open.
Place an aluminum foil roasting pan in the bottom center of your kettle. Place a wire divider on either side of the pan. ( These wire deviders are used for cooking with indirect fire and you should be able to find them where they sell out door cooking devices) replace the top grill rack.
Start off with 25 pieces of charcoal briquettes on either side of the dividers and light the coals. When you see that the coals have taken and have a nice white ash on them, place the roast on a roasting rack in the center of the kettle, making sure that the meat thermometer is placed deep into the roast.
Place the cover on the kettle making sure that the vents are open. Add ten briquettes on either side every 45 minutes until the roast is done. You can prepare a mixture of mojo ( Check the foundation page ) and olive oil to use for basting the roast.
Once the roast is done remove from heat and let rest in a pan for at least 15 minutes before slicing
If you followed my instructions your roast should come out a nice golden brown and the skin should be nice and crispy.
You can eat this with our famous rice and beans, a salad or boiled green bananas. Try drizzling some mojo over the meat, I think you'll enjoy it.
Arroz con gandules Stewed rice with pigeon peas
I can't remember a Christmas that Mom did not have Arroz con gandules on the table. I believe that many of you know what I am talking about. After all that's the main staple that goes with everything else on the Christmas dinner table.
The nice thing about this dish, is that if you are a vegetarian leave out the meat. I promise that you will have a wonderful tasteful experience.
Ingredients
1 to 2 Ounces of salt pork ( Washed under cold water and diced)
2 to 4 ounces of cooking ham or ham steak (Washed under cold water and diced}
2 to 4 Tablespoons of sofrito (You can find the recipe for sofrito on the foundation page of the main menu)
1 Can of gandules (They can also be found frozen or fresh in many produce stores)
3 Tablespoons of olive oil.
1 Tablespoon of oregano
1 Teaspoon of salt
1 Dash of black pepper.
3 Tablespoons of tomato paste.
4 Cups of long grain white rice. (washed in cold water and drained)
5 cups of cold water
2 plantain leafs.
1 - Fry salt pork salt pork to a nice light golden brown.
2 - Remove salt pork and allow to drain on a paper towel.
3 - Drain and wash frying pan ( use hot water only do not use soap)
4 - Return frying to stove add 1 tablespoon of olive oil bring up to heat and add the cooking ham.
5 - Lightly brown ham stirring making sure that it dose not burn or stick to the pan.
6 - Remove ham and set aside allow to drain on a paper towel.
7 - While the pan is still hot add the sofrito, there should be enough liquid from the sofrito to help you de glaze the pan. Use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan.
8 - Stir in the tomato paste and when it starts to bubble return the salt pork and cooking ham.
9 - Stir in the gandules ( If you are using from the can do not allow to cook just let them come up to temperature and then turn the burner off and set aside)
10 - If you plan to use the frozen or fresh gandules. Place them in a pot of cold lightly salted water bring to a boil and then lower heat and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes. Then drain and add them to the frying pan.
11 - In a large pot about 6 quart or larger add the ingredients from the frying pan.
12 - Bring up to heat and stir in rice. Make sure that the rice is well covered with the mixture from the frying pan. It should be a nice light red in color.
13 - raise the heat to high and then add cold water.
14 - Add black pepper and oregano taste for salt add if needed.
15 - Once it come to a boil stir once more set burner to low.
16 - Cover the rice with the plantain leafs and cover pot.
17 - allow to cook for 30 to 35 minutes ( do not remove cover) after the cooking time turn off burner and let sit for 15 minutes before you uncover the pot to serve.
If you followed this recipe to the letter you should have a perfect none sticky rice." Good luck."
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