Love, that thing that make us feel like floating in the air. It makes our cheeks turn red, our tummy feels like a thousand ants are running inside and we become a mess. I was walking when I saw it. Beautiful, great shape, smelling delicious... it was a sublime moment! I felt the need to go near it, to touch it, to make it mine... and so I did! It was an out of this world experience!
The thing that made me fell, puerto rican pasteles! What? You thought I was talking about a man? Pffffrrr nope! I don't believe in love at first sight in humans but I totally believe in love at first sight with food! For all of you who never had a pasteles let me tell you, you definitely need to run to your nearest puerto rican restaurant and order one!! Let me explain what my love...erm.. pasteles are... First you have the dough, its made of a mixing of veggies, tubers and spices like green plantains, green bananas, yautia (tuber), pumpking, potato, anato powder, paprika, salt, olive oil and other stuff. You throw all that into a food processor and make a type of paste. Not everyone like that mix, some make the dough with just cassava (yuca).
Normally the filling is pork. Most of people make stewed pork, others bake the pork but when I make pasteles I stew the pork cause it taste way delicious. The stew starts with a homemade sofrito. Whats a sofrito? Its a herb and veggies mix: coriander, parsley, oregano, garlic, onion, green pepper, basil, red pepper all mix with a bit of water inside a blender until you make a watery paste. You add the sofrito, paprika, anato powder, salt, tomato sauce, red peppers, a bit of oil to the pot with the pork and stew it. Some people add chick peas, others add raisings. You add all you want. If you don't like pork you can add chicken or red meat and if you're vegetarian you can add tofu or "soy meat" stewed.
Then you take banana leaves and "burn" them a bit in the stove. You put a baking paper and put the banana leave then put a bit of the veggie/tuber paste, on top of it the pork stewed, then wrap it carefully, close the thing good and tie it up with cotton thread. Then you boil it in a pot with water and a bit of salt and for 20 minutes, then you will turn the pasteles and boil it for 20 more minutes and you're done! Some people add ketchup, others add spicy sauce. You can eat it alone or with anything. One pasteles is 800 calories... yes, not kidding here! 800 calories cause it have all inside, its a full meal with veggies, tubers, herbs and meat. So diet and pasteles is a no go and to be sincere, who the hell does diet in christmas?!
So there you go, my love... my delicious love! I made some too cause no christmas will be complete in Puerto Rico without pasteles! Wait, this is a recap post and I spent the whole time talking about food... but basically the rest will sound boring as hell after all this food talking, right?! Hope y'all a great week! Go eat pasteles, GO!!
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