Pasteles with Yuca and Plantains

This is a traditional holiday family meal. This recipe has been in our family for years. It is a Puerto Rican dish. It is customary to make this and give them away to all the people you love.

Preparation Details

Prep Time: 55 mins

Cook Time: 1 hr 23 mins

Total Time: 2 hrs 18 mins

Servings: 24

Ingredients

• 2 pounds yuca, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 pounds green plantains, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 pounds yautia, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 cups milk
• 1 pound lard
• 1 pound achiote seeds
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, or to taste
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 pounds pork shoulder roast, cut into small cubes
• 1 pound ham, cut into small cubes
• 2 cups garbanzo beans
• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 (5 ounce) jar pitted Spanish olives
• 1 (4 ounce) jar capers
• 3 tablespoons orange juice
• 4 sprigs cilantro, chopped
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 24 plantain leaves
• kitchen string

Steps

1. Combine yuca, green plantains, yautia, and milk in a blender; puree into a thick paste the consistency of oatmeal.
2. Combine lard and achiote seeds in a saucepan over medium-low heat; heat until lard is melted, and reddish in color, about 5 minutes. Strain out achiote seeds. Mix half of the lard into the yuca paste.
3. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and green bell pepper; cook and stir until tender, about 5 minutes. Add pork, ham, garbanzo beans, tomato sauce, olives, capers, orange juice, cilantro, oregano, salt, and garlic; cook and stir until pork is no longer pink in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Mix 2/3 of the remaining lard into the pork mixture.
5. Smear each plantain leaf with a small amount of remaining lard. Place a large spoonful of the yuca paste in the center of each one; top with a scoop of the pork mixture. Fold up the sides of each leaf to enclose the filling and create a rectangular pastel.
6. Stack 2 pasteles and tie them together with kitchen string. Repeat with remaining pasteles.
7. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasteles. Cook until filling is tender, about 1 hour. Unwrap pasteles before serving.