Pastelle

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pack Sam Mills Gluten Free Corn Meal on sale
• ½ lb margarine
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 bouillon cube
• 7-8 cups hot water
• 5 lbs. ground beef or choice of meat.
• Minced green seasoning – ( In a food processor or blender, mince 4 bundles chive, thyme, parsley, 4 cloves garlic, 3 onions, 15 pimentos, shadon beni.)
• 1 cup Ketchup
• Few dashes of soy sauce
• Few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp. pepper sauce
• 1 lb. raisins – cleaned and washed
• 1 bottle Goya Manzanilla Stuffed Spanish Olives
• 1 bottle Goya Capers

DIRECTIONS

1. Season meat with all seasonings – minced green seasonings, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, pepper sauce and ketchup. Mix well to evenly distribute seasonings throughout meat. Refrigerate overnight or leave for at least one hour.
2. Heat about ¼ cup oil in a large heavy duty pot. Add meat, stir and let it cook on high for 10 minutes. Turn heat to medium to finish cooking, ensuring that all liquid does not dry out but that the meat remains moist.
3. Add raisins, olives and capers, mix well and set aside to cool.
4. In a very large bowl, empty package of Sam Mills Corn Meal. Add salt, sugar and margarine and work all into corn meal with your hands.
5. Dissolve bouillon cube in 1-cup hot water to be used.
6. Add hot water – 2 cups at a time and using a wooden spoon mix to soft and pliable dough.
7. Make into balls – you can use a small measuring cup to scoop the balls.

ASSEMBLY:

• 24 pieces of banana leaves (heated over open flame so leaf becomes pliable)
• Vegetable oil

• Aluminum foil, cut into 16-inch lengths (about 24 pieces)
• 1 aluminum foil square about the size of the tortilla press

For assembly:

Using an 8-inch pastelle/tortilla press, place a piece of a 16-inch long aluminum foil strip on the bottom of the press and top with a banana leaf. Lightly coat the already heated banana leaf with oil and place a dough ball on top, rolling the ball over the leaf to coat it in oil. Brush a square of aluminum foil liberally with some vegetable oil and place on top of the corn dough ball. Press the dough using the pastelle/tortilla press until it becomes a flat, round piece of dough. Set aside the top square of foil to reuse.

Remove the bottom piece of aluminum foil, banana leaf and flattened dough to a flat surface and place approximately 2 heaping tablespoons of the cooled meat filling on half of the dough, starting from the center out towards the edge, making sure to leave about a 1/2-inch rim of dough around the edge. Fold the half-moon of uncovered dough over the meat using the banana leaf and aluminum foil and press the edges together. Fold into a rectangular package, by first rolling it then sealing the ends by folding with the banana leaf and foil. Repeat until all the packages are complete.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil and place as many packages as you want in the water until fully cooked and heated through, about 20 – 30 minutes. Remove from the water with tongs and place on a tray to cool enough so you can handle it, approximately 2 minutes.

Serve right away or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

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