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Pastelles
Monday, 26 May 2008
Description
These tasty snacks arrived in the Caribbean islands by way of South America, where they use banana leaves as a wrapper. The leaves are available, frozen, in Asian markets. To soften them for use, thaw them out and pass them over a gas flame, or place them in a bowl and pour boiling water over them.
Ingredients
At a glance
Cuisine
Caribbean
Ingredient
Pork
Cooking Method
Simmer
Heat Level
3
Chile
Habanero
Meal/Course
Appetizer/Hors d'oeuvre
Side Dish
Makes
18
For the Filling: -
½ pound ground pork -
1 large onion, minced -
1 clove garlic, crushed -
1 habanero chile, seeds removed, minced -
1 cup diced yams -
1 cup cooked black beans -
1 teaspoon minced thyme -
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar -
1 teaspoon minced basil -
2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped -
4 tablespoons capers, chopped -
4 tablespoons raisins -
3/4 cup beef stock
For the Dough:
Methods/steps
Sauté the pork in a skillet until it is browned. Add the onion, garlic, and habanero and sauté for an additional couple of minutes. Add the remaining filling ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove and cool. To make the dough, cut the shortening into the cornmeal using a pastry cutter or two forks. Stir in the oil and salt. Pour the boiling water over the cornmeal and mix well to form a smooth dough. Form the dough into 18 balls. Place a ball of the dough in the center of a banana leaf and press to form a circle 1/4-inch thick. Spread 2 tablespoons of the filling in center. Fold half of the leaf over, bringing the cornmeal with it. Flatten into a rectangle, then repeat with other half of the rectangle so that the dough encloses the meat. Fold up the leaf rectangle to make a package and tie together with string. Place in a pan of boiling salted water and simmer for 1 ½ hours. Remove and drain. Serve with your favorite Caribbean hot sauce.
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Featured Rapid Recipe
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Created by Marley84
Brazil, the largest country in South America, was colonized by the Portuguese hence the spelling empadinhas or empadas. This Bahian-style empada filling can also be made with scallops or for a variation, used in puff pastry.
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