Pasteles || Gracefult Kitchen

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Pasteles

Banana Bread

For Chef JJ Johnson, celebrating Noche Buena, or Christmas Eve, includes cooking pasteles with family.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons canola oil
4 (5-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 cup chicken stock or water
1/2 cup drained and rinsed canned chickpeas
1/2 cup drained pimiento-stuffed green olives, sliced
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 (0.25-ounce) package sazón with coriander and annatto (such as Goya) (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups water
2 cups peeled and chopped yuca
1 cup peeled and chopped kabocha squash
2 ripe, sweet plantains, peeled and chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 green plantains, peeled and chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 large Spanish or white onion, quartered
4 sweet green Dominican or cubanelle peppers, chopped (about 3 cups)
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped (3 cups)
6 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
2 (0.25-ounce) package sazón with coriander and annatto (such as Goya) (about 1 tablespoon)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Parchment paper, cut into 16 (12-inch) squares
Banana leaves (from 1 [1-pound] package), thawed if frozen, washed, and cut into 16 (12-inch) squares
Butcher’s twine or kitchen string

Description

Heat oil in a medium (6-quart) heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium until shimmering. Add chicken, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir chicken stock, chickpeas, olives, tomato sauce, sazón, and salt into pan, and bring to a boil over high. Cover; reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken is almost falling apart, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat; transfer chicken to a cutting board, and shred with two forks. Return chicken to chickpea mixture in saucepan; set aside.
Place 3 cups water, yuca, and kabocha squash in a large saucepan; bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to medium; cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Pour yuca mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a heatproof bowl; reserve yuca mixture and cooking liquid in separate bowls. Let cool 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, process sweet and green plantains in a food processor until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add reserved yuca mixture, onion, sweet peppers, cilantro, garlic, oregano, sazón, salt, and 1/3 cup reserved cooking liquid; process until smooth and mixture looks like a spreadable creamy puree, 4 to 5 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides of processor as needed. Transfer dough to a large bowl; set aside.
To assemble pasteles, place 1 piece of parchment paper on a work surface, and top with 1 banana leaf. Spoon 1/2 cup dough onto bottom half of banana leaf, and flatten to about 3/4-inch thickness. Spoon 1/4 cup filling down center of dough.
Fold bottom half of banana leaf and parchment paper over filling; repeat with top half so that filling is completely encased by dough and banana leaf and parchment paper are wrapped around it. Tuck ends of parchment paper and banana leaf, and tie using butcher’s twine. Repeat process with remaining parchment paper, banana leaves, dough, and filling.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high; reduce heat to medium-low. Carefully lower pasteles into water, and simmer, covered, until dough is cooked, about 30 minutes.
Carefully remove pasteles from pot using tongs. Let cool for 10 minutes before opening and serving.