Ingredients

SEASONING FOR BATTER

• 3 lbs. white yautia (peeled)
• 8 bags green cooking bananas (peeled)
• 2-1/2 heaping tbsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. adobo
• 2 packets Sazon

• 2 large spoonfuls FREAKIN RICAN SOFRITO
• 7-9 large spoonfuls meat juice
• 2 large spoonfuls achote
• SEASONING FOR MEAT
• 8-10 lbs. pork shoulder
• 1-1/2 lbs. smoked cooking ham with bone

• 1 package salted pork
• 1 tbsp. cumin
• 1 tbsp. oregano
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 2 tbsp. salt
• 3 packets Sazon
• ½ cup tomato sauce
• You will also need:

banana leaves (wash off with a damp washcloth)

• Spanish olives
• sliced roasted red pepper
• parchment paper

Directions

• First, dice up pork shoulder and let marinate in apple cider vinegar for about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cut off skin and dice up the smoked ham as well as the salted pork. They should be about 1-inch pieces.
• Put the meats in a dutch oven pot over a medium high flame. Add Sofrito to the pot, stir and cover.
• Now rinse off the pork shoulder with water and drain all the water.
• Add pork to the other meats.
• Add the seasoning to the meat: garlic powder, cumin oregano, salt, Sazon, tomato sauce and achote.
• Mix everything together very well. Cover and cook for 45 minutes and lower the flame.
• While that is cooking, you can prepare the batter: Chop up and grate all the yautia and green bananas. Mix very well. Then add the seasoning for the batter.
• Once the meat is cooked and the batter is made, put parchment paper down and place a banana leaf on it.
• Coat the middle of the leaf with achote.
• Then put a spoonful (a large metal mixing spoon) of batter and then some meat (without any juice) on top of the batter. Place 2 olives and 2 slices of roasted red pepper on top in one straight line.
• Take the bottom of the parchment paper and banana leaf and fold it half way up, then fold down to where you feel the batter. Flip and fold up.
• Then take the sides of your hands to crimp the sides, and then fold so ends are on the bottom of the rectangle.
• Take the string and make it so it loops at the top of the rectangle.
• Take the bottom ends of the string and pull up and through the loop at the top of the rectangle (slip knot).
• Then take ends and wrap around short sides of the rectangle twice and tie off like a shoelace.
• Put 2 Pasteles at a time into a pot of boiling water. Add a pinch of salt, and cover.
• Cook on a low-medium flame for about a ½ hour.
• Be very careful when removing Pasteles from the boiling water! Carefully remove the parchment paper, cut the string, open the banana leaf and enjoy!

our chefs

DERICK LOPEZ

Executive Chef

(929) 349-1080