Every now and then, I crave the flavors of pastele - whether you pronounce it with a silent "s" (local Hawaii or Puerto Rican style) or actually include the "s" (other Caribbean islands), it's all the same. Basically a banana masa (instead of corn) with pork and a host of spices wrapped and steamed to perfection. They're often sold roadside in the 50th, sometimes offered at the local supermarkets and sold in smaller local ethnic restaurants. And sometimes you just wanna make your own... and in the process break ethnic traditions...
I started with 1 & 1/2 pounds of lean ground pork (1st sacrilege) instead of chopped pork - lean ground since I just finished my shoyu pork belly made last weekend and didn't want to challenge my current dose of simvastatin (and also my arterial capacity of plaque buildup). This was browned in a couple of tablespoons of achiote oil and mortar and pestle pulverized fresh garlic, salt and oregano.
I started with 1 & 1/2 pounds of lean ground pork (1st sacrilege) instead of chopped pork - lean ground since I just finished my shoyu pork belly made last weekend and didn't want to challenge my current dose of simvastatin (and also my arterial capacity of plaque buildup). This was browned in a couple of tablespoons of achiote oil and mortar and pestle pulverized fresh garlic, salt and oregano.
Next came the fresh herbs - 2 bunches each of chopped fresh cilantro and sliced green onions along with one chopped white onion. I then added 1 can of tomato sauce and 1 can of black olives with a little water and simmered the mixture for about 45 minutes. Most recipes also call for chili pepper but I usually douse the finished product Chipotle Tabasco right before consuming so I didn't add any "heat" beforehand.
For the masa, I used plantains (2nd sacrilege since green bananas are the usual choice) since I don't have access to green bananas (in the 50th, you usually get this from a neighbor with banana trees) and Whole Foods had plantains (at $2.99 per pound, 8 plantains did cost a pretty penny). A buddy from the Dominican Republic told me plantains would make the finished product too hard. Well it was either plantains or green apple bananas so I had to go with the plantains (sorry RM). After soaking in hot water for 10 minutes, they were grated in the Magimix (hand grating is usually the most time consuming chore when making pastele). The grated plantain masa was then mixed with 1/2 cup of achiote oil and salt.
The masa and pork were then combined and scooped into a 9" x 13" pan (3rd sacrilege as individual portions are usually wrapped in banana leaves then steamed) lined with banana leaves then tightly sealed with heavy duty aluminum foil. This was then placed in a large roasting pan and hot water was poured in the roasting pan about halfway up the side of the 9" x 13" pan and this was baked at 400 for 1 & 1/2 hours.
Okay, I took several short cuts and didn't use traditional ingredients but hey, this recipe actually was demonstrated by members of The United Puerto Rican Association of Hawaii, Inc on the old Electric Kitchen show produced by Hawaiian Electric so I didn't make the recipe up... and the main thing is that it's tasty... and trust me, it is...
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