This is too much a temptation to ignore. Pasteles are one of Puerto Rico's best well known dishes & one that has no equal because of its ingredients & variety of flavors & styles throughout the world. Pasteles look like Tamales, but are quite different & only accomplished cooks can produce satsfactory results. This is not a modest affirmation, but I consider this national dish quite an accomplishment.

PASTELES DE MASA:
Serves 60 pasteles

SEASONED OIL:
3/4 cup of achiote (annato seed)
1 1/2 cups olive extra virgin oil

MEAT:
15 pounds of boneless pork meat (without fat or grease)
1 1/4 cup of a good Sofrito, including chunks of Jamon de cocinar and good cilantrillo
1 can tomatoes, processed with their juice
2 cups golden raisins
2 cans Goya chickpeas
2 7oz cans of diced pimentos
3 tb salt
1 cup sherry vinegar
4 or 5 bay leaves.
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds

GREEN BANANAS MIX:
4 lbs yautía (taro roots)
25 lbs. green bananas, peeled (racimo de guineos)
5 green plantains, peeled
3 tb salt
2 cups milk
1/2 cup of sauce from the cooked meat

8 packs of banana leaves
White paper for the pasteles
Strings, to tie the pasteles.

Pour the oil and annato in a saucepan or skillet and cook at moderate temperature, for 15 or 20 minutes. The oil will be red from the achiote. Strain the oil and discard the achiote seeds. Set the oil aside for cooling. Wash the pork, if possible, with sour orange. Cut the pork in chunks not larger than 1/2" cubes.

In a large pot, add 1/2 cup of the seasoned oil and the other ingredients included under MEAT. Mix well and cook for at least 45 minutes. Set aside. While the meat is cooking, peel the bananas, yautía and plantains (here is where a family communal effort is very important) and put them in salt water. This will prevent them from staining. Try to use rubber kitchen gloves for the peeling process.

Process the bananas, plantains and yautías. Do not process too fine, since this will ruin the mix. This can be done with the food processor or with an old-fashioned meat-grinding machine. As the mix is being ground, place the grounded portions in commercial containers. Once all items are grounded add in the milk, 1 cup of seasoned oil, salt and 1/2 cup of the sauce from the cooked meat. Mix well until all items are evenly distributed.

Clean and cut the banana leaves into approximately 12 inches rectangles. Wilt them on top of the stove, one by one. On a table, assemble the pasteles. Place the banana leaves rectangle on top of the table. Place the white pasteles paper under the banana leaf. Put 1 or 2 tb annato oil in the middle of the rectangle of first white paper covered with the banana leaf. This will prevent the mixture to ooze out while you are boiling them. On top of the oil, place about 4 tb banana mix, well spread, forming a smaller rectangle (5x8). Put 2 tb of the cooked meat mixture on top of the banana mix, spreading it down the center lengthwise. Fold in half widthwise. Fold in half once again. Fold in the end, taking care that by folding you do not apply too much pressure and the mix oozes out. Tie the pastel like a gift, so that both extremities are tied. Remember, do not apply too much pressure. By this stage, you can stop and freeze as many as you want.

Cook the pasteles in a big pot, in enough salted water to cover. Cook at moderate high, for 45 minutes to 1 hour. If they are frozen, you will have to cook them for more or less of 1 hour. Once cooked, remove promptly from the water. Remove the leaves and paper and serve.

I am going to include several additional recipes, which will follow the same principles as my previous recipe, specially, some of them on the subject of covering the pasteles with a plantain leaf and paper and tying them with a string, usually, in pairs, facing each other.

PASTELES DE ARROZ
(Rice pasteles)

3 cups rice
3 cups water
1/2 cup good Sofrito
salt and pepper to taste
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
1 onion chopped
1/2 cup tomato sauce
3 tb olive oil
5 lbs boneless chicken, pork or beef, cubed and stewed in the regular way that you do it
banana leaves (or its substitution)
strings, to tie the pasteles

Sauté the rice with the olive oil, salt and pepper, sofrito, garlic, onion and tomato sauce. You might add some chopped olives, sliced almonds and sliced and drained pimentos if desired. Add the water or chicken stock. Cook in medium high until the water evaporates and it begins to form craters. Switch off the temperature.

Cut the banana leaves in rectangles, on top of a comfortable table (to assemble the pasteles). Add a big cucharón (cooking spoon) of rice (serving spoon full of rice which is still al dente, not fully cooked) on top of the banana leaf, forming a smaller rectangle. In the center of the rice, add a serving spoon full of the stew. Then, you fold twice, very carefully, the PASTEL DE ARROZ, and tie it so that both extremities are tied. Cook the PASTELES in a salted water pot for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Once cooked, remove promptly from the water; remove the leaves and serve.

PASTELES DE YUCA
(Cassava Pasteles)

3 packages frozen ground cassava (available at Latin Markets) or process your own yuca using a little bit of the sauce from the stew to prevent dryness
2 1/2 lbs. pork meat or chicken breasts, cut in chunks, not larger than 1/2 inch cubes,
1/2 lb diced cured ham
1 cup Sofrito
15 chopped stuffed green olives
1/4 cup small capers, drained
1/4 cup raisins
1 cup tomato sauce
Olive oil
1 cup achiote oil
salt and pepper to taste

Drain carefully the ground cassava, taking out as much water as possible. Add to the cassava the salt, pepper, annato oil and more or less 1 cup of the sauce from the stewed meat. The meat should be stewed with the cured ham, sofrito, chopped olives, capers, raisins, tomato sauce, some olive oil, some annato oil for additional color, salt and pepper to taste and some wine for cooking. The resulting sauce will be used as flavoring to add to the ground cassava. For the assembling and cooking process, use a similar process as with the Pasteles de Plátano or the Pasteles de Arroz.

VARIATION:
My mother used to prepare this Pasteles de Yuca and she used big steamed or wilted cabbage leaves to cover them. She formed an envelope with the cabbage leaf, she placed the Pasteles with the opening, face down, one near the other in a greased baking dish. She covered the pasteles with a homemade Tomato Sauce (TOMATO SAUCE FOR ROPA VIEJA. Gina's wonderful recipe given at one of the Message Boards, is the one I use now always), covered them with aluminum foil and baked them in a 350 F oven, for at least 1 hour.

The results are extraordinary and the recipes are adapted to modern processes for the modern cook. Hope you will prepare them someday!