Name: Puerto Rican Tamales (Pasteles Puertorriqueños)
Yield: Makes 1 dozen serves 12 as an appetizer
Cuisine: Puerto Rican
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1-pound package banana leaves (see Note); 2 pounds white plus 2 pounds yellow yautia, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (see Note); 2 garlic cloves, minced; 12 pimiento-stuffed green olives; 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans; 1 tablespoon salt; ½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro; 1½ cups achiote oil; 7 green plantains, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (see Note); 1 cup warm whole milk; 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano (see Note); 1 green bell pepper, cored and diced; 1 pound pork butt, cut into ½-inch cubes; ½ cup raisins; 1 medium white onion, diced; Juice of 8 Seville oranges (about 1 cup; see Note); 2 cups Chicken Broth; 2 tablespoons capers, drained; 2 ripe tomatoes, chopped

Preparation info

Makes 1 dozen serves
12
as an appetizer

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

La Comida del Barrio

By Aarón Sánchez

Published 2003

About

Traditional holiday recipes are, of course, the most time-consuming and labor intensive. But the outcome is well worth the trouble for special-occasion meals: A variety of pasteles are sold every year at the Puerto Rican Day parade in New York City. Pasteles are also made with viandas, which are root vegetables such as yautia, yuca, and bonaito. I had the pleasure of learning a version of these pasteles from one of the servers at my restaurant, Midgi Lambo