Puerto Rican Tamales

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

Pasteles Puertorriqueños

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

Ingredients

Americas
United States
New York City
Snack
Starter
Street Food
Puerto Rico
Gluten-free

Ingredients

Method