If you've ever visited a Puerto Rican friend's house over the holidays, like I was lucky enough to do this year, then you know that the first thing on every table is going to be pasteles. It's the traditional dish that's served all over Puerto Rico and in households here in the U.S. The dish takes some time to prepare but, at the end of the day, you'll be rewarded with one of the best things you'll have eaten all last year and this year.
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Of course, if you ARE Puerto Rican, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. Getting family and friends together for the lengthy process of making pasteles is a rewarding time in and of itself. It's really just a happy surprise that you end up with a great meal (and, hopefully, plenty of leftovers!) after all is said and done.
There are many different pasteles recipes (like this one from About.com and the one in the video below). But the whole point is that you make a delicious stuffing (typically with pork or beef), a masa dough, and wrap it all together in banana leaves. Then, all you have to do is finish cooking them and unwrap them! What you're left with is an utterly delectable dish that everyone will want to dig into right away. Enjoy!
Embedded content: http://youtu.be/oKCsm2635mY
Image via YouTube
