Embark on a culinary journey to discover the delectable flavors of Pasteles de Yuca, a traditional dish that beautifully blends the vibrant cultures of Latin America and the Caribbean. These cassava meat pies, also known as pastelitos de yuca, are a symphony of textures and flavors, featuring a crispy outer layer that yields to a soft and fluffy interior, enveloping a savory filling of seasoned ground beef, aromatic sofrito, and a touch of spice. While the core recipe remains the same, variations abound, offering unique twists on this beloved dish. From the classic Puerto Rican Pasteles de Yuca to the tantalizing Dominican Pastelitos de Yuca en Hoja, each variation carries its own story and culinary charm. Join us as we explore the diverse world of Pasteles de Yuca, providing step-by-step instructions and expert tips to guide you in recreating these culinary treasures in your own kitchen.
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PASTELES DE YUCA (CASSAVA MEAT PIE) RECIPE - (4.3/5)
Provided by jdelrio
Number Of Ingredients 31
Steps:
- 1.Shred the Yucca (Careful with the nails) and squeeze thru some cheesecloth to get some of the starch out. Peel the cassava. Cut along and make the center or heart. In units easier to grate. To facilitate this process added to the dough 1 ½ cup warm water. Now add vegetable oil and sazón.to the dough.Mix all ingridients well. Prepare broth with chicken bouillon cubes and ½ cup water. In blender put the dough in small amounts with a little chicken broth and refined a little dough. To form a smooth mixture. Do not make it to liquidy. This process will leave your body smooth and at the same time better to join dough ingredients. This is the time to check whether the dough is to your liking. If you have too much salt for your taste add cassava. Add salt if dull. Remember that the padding will be salt and water used for cooking also carries salt. Keep the dough in the refrigerator while preparing filling. Now prepare the filling. 3.Cut the ham, bacon, and pork meat into very small pieces. Mince the rest of the ingredients 4.In a large saucepan, cook all the meat along with salt, tomato, cilantro, peppers and onion until the meat is tender. (Seasonings to your taste). 5.Once everything is cooked, add the olives, ChickPeas and capers. 6.Cut the banana leaves into APPROIMATELY 10x10 squares and wilt them over low heat on the stove, 7.Wet the center of the leave with annatto oil (achiote for the ricans) and place about 5 or 6 tablespoons of the yucca mix in the center. 8.Using a spoon, form a well in the center of the mixture and place about 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture in the well. Carefully fold the leaf over, in order to cover the meat with yucca on all sides. DO NOT over stuff them. Tie them with cooking twine, 9.Repeat this procedure until all the yucca mixture has been used. You can now freeze or cook them when you are ready. How to cook the pasteles: 1.In a large, large pot, heat about 4 litres of water and add some salt. 2.Place about 12 pasteles in the water and bring them to a boil. 3.They should cook for about 45-60 minutes.
BERMUDA CASSAVA PIE
Traditional Bermudan dish served at Christmas time.
Provided by sim871
Categories World Cuisine Recipes Latin American Caribbean
Time 3h30m
Yield 12
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
- Combine eggs, salt, vanilla extract, nutmeg, and ginger in a bowl. Beat to add air and fluff up eggs. Combine sugar and butter in a separate bowl and beat together. Add egg mixture to butter mixture and combine gently.
- Place cassava in a large bowl and add egg-butter mixture. Pour into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Reduce temperature to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) and continue baking until pie is set, 2 to 2 1/2 hours more.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 770.4 calories, Carbohydrate 123 g, Cholesterol 224.7 mg, Fat 28.2 g, Fiber 3.6 g, Protein 8.4 g, SaturatedFat 16.3 g, Sodium 833.2 mg, Sugar 53.9 g
PASTELES DE YUCA
Make and share this Pasteles De Yuca recipe from Food.com.
Provided by Michelle Figueroa
Categories < 4 Hours
Time 3h
Yield 8 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 27
Steps:
- Prepare the achiote oil: In a saucepan, gently simmer the achiote seeds in the oil until the oil turns dark red. Remove from heat. Let cool. Strain the seeds from the oil and discard the seeds. Keep the cooled oil in a covered jar or other container. You can leave it out, or refrigerate it. You will use this oil in the "Masa", in the filling, and for wrapping the pasteles. (on Day 2).
- Prepare the Masa: Cut the yuca into pieces that you can comfortably handle- about the size of a stick of butter. Carefully cut each piece lengthwise to reveal a woody stalk in the center of the yuca. It's roughly the width of a toothpick, and runs the entire length. Cut it out by making a 'V' cut, and discard- we want our masa to be smooth!
- Feed the pieces a little at a time into a food processor with grating blade- any stubborn pieces that hang around will be dealt with in the next step.
- Remove the grated yuca from the processor, switch the grating blade to the regular cutting blade, add the yuca back to the machine and pulse for about 2 - 3 minutes to create a moist, finely grated mixture that is the consistency of grated parmesan cheese- just a little wetter.
- Place the masa into a strainer that is lined with a cheesecloth. (If you have a very fine strainer, you don't need the cheesecloth). Place the strainer with the masa over a bowl (to let the yuca masa to drip into), then cover with some plastic wrap, and place into the refrigerator until the next day when you are ready to finish the pasteles.
- Remove the masa from the refigerator. It will have dripped several ounces of its liquid in the bowl- discard the liquid.
- Prepare the filling: Wash the pork meat with vinegar. Cut the meat into ½ inch cubes (about the size of a small broth cube).
- In a saucepan, use 2 ounces of the achiote oil that you prepared, and simmer the 2 ounces of sofrito in it on low heat for 3 -5 minutes.
- Add the rest of the filling ingredients (except the last 3 ingredients: the olive oil, the olives and the red peppers) to the saucepan, bring to a boil, lower the flame.
- Simmer for approximately 1 - 1½ hours on low heat, covered. Take care that the water does not completely evaporate- if the sauce gets too thick, add a couple ounces of water.
- The meat should be cooked, but it should not fall apart when done, so check every 15 minutes once an hour has passed.
- When the meat is done, remove from heat and let cool. You should have some gravy left with the meat, but it shouldn't be too watery. If it looks dry, add 2 ounces of water. In either case, now add the olive oil that was part of the last 3 ingredients.
- While the meat is simmering, you can start seasoning the masa, but be sure and go back to the previous step to finish up the meat!
- Season the masa: In a medium saucepan, on medium heat, use 2 ounces of the achiote oil that you prepared, and simmer the 1 cup of sofrito in it for approximately 5 minutes. It should be sizzling slowly, not just steaming a little.
- Add the 2 ounces of water and the rest of the ingredients listed (except the masa!). Simmer another 5 minutes, then remove from heat.
- In a large saucepan, bowl, or tray, add the masa that you had removed from the regrigerator. Now add the sofrito that you just removed from the heat, and mix well.
- Add a half cup of the achiote oil to this, and mix again. Your masa should now have some color, and should have a good taste! If not, review the steps carefully- you might have missed something.
- If you haven't finished the last part of the meat, do so now. Otherwise, you're ready to wrap the pasteles!
- Wrap the pasteles: Use twenty bundles of plantain leaves.
- Note: If you can get the plantain leaf, do use it! It adds a world of a difference in taste to your pasteles!
- With a knife, remove the central ridge of the plantain leaves to give greater flexibility to the leaves. Divide leaves into pieces, about 12 inches square. Wash and clean leaves with a damp cloth and toast slightly over an open flame (such as the stove burner on low). This makes the leaf more pliable.
- You should still have about ½ cup of achiote oil left. Place 1 tsp of the achiote on the leaf, or the parchment paper. Spread it out to the size of a postcard (4" x 5"). Next, place 3 Tbsp of the masa on the leaf (or paper) and spread it out thinly over the oil that you just spread out.
- Place 1 ½ - 2 Tbsp of the meat filling in the center of the masa.
- Place 2 olive halves on top of the masa.
- Place strip of red pepper on top of the masa.
- Fold the leaf (or paper, or leaf on top of paper) one long half over towards the other. It won't actually get to the other end, but you have created a top and bottom layer of plantain leaf and enclosed the contents in it.
- Now fold both of those back towards the end that you first started from (making the crease at the far edge of the masa inside), while keeping in mind that you are sort of duplicating the shape of the rectangle of oil that you first made!
- Fold it once more, if you need to use up some paper. Then fold the right and left ends of the leaf toward the center.
- Tie the pasteles together in pairs (or alone), with a string, placing the folded edges facing each other. They should be tied from both sides, to prevent them from opening.
- This recipe yields approximately 12 -14 pasteles.
- Cook the pasteles: In Large pot, bring to a boil 5 qts of water with 1Tbsp salt. Add 12 pasteles and boil, covered, for one hour. Halfway, turn over pasteles. After the hour, remove pasteles from the water at once, and place in a strainer.
PASTELES WITH YUCA AND PLANTAINS
This is a traditional holiday family meal. This recipe has been in our family for years. It is a Puerto Rican dish. It is customary to make this and give them away to all the people you love.
Provided by Mfact
Categories World Cuisine Recipes Latin American Caribbean
Time 2h18m
Yield 24
Number Of Ingredients 22
Steps:
- Combine yuca, green plantains, yautia, and milk in a blender; puree into a thick paste the consistency of oatmeal.
- Combine lard and achiote seeds in a saucepan over medium-low heat; heat until lard is melted, and reddish in color, about 5 minutes. Strain out achiote seeds. Mix half of the lard into the yuca paste.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and green bell pepper; cook and stir until tender, about 5 minutes. Add pork, ham, garbanzo beans, tomato sauce, olives, capers, orange juice, cilantro, oregano, salt, and garlic; cook and stir until pork is no longer pink in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Mix 2/3 of the remaining lard into the pork mixture.
- Smear each plantain leaf with a small amount of remaining lard. Place a large spoonful of the yuca paste in the center of each one; top with a scoop of the pork mixture. Fold up the sides of each leaf to enclose the filling and create a rectangular pastel.
- Stack 2 pasteles and tie them together with kitchen string. Repeat with remaining pasteles.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasteles. Cook until filling is tender, about 1 hour. Unwrap pasteles before serving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 416.8 calories, Carbohydrate 31.2 g, Cholesterol 45 mg, Fat 28.2 g, Fiber 3 g, Protein 11.8 g, SaturatedFat 10.5 g, Sodium 1118.8 mg, Sugar 8.3 g
Tips:
- Prepare the cassava dough in advance: Grating and squeezing the cassava can be time-consuming, so it's a good idea to do this step ahead of time. The dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Use a meat that is flavorful and has a good amount of fat: This will help to keep the pasteles moist and juicy. Some good options include ground beef, pork, or chicken.
- Don't overcook the meat: Overcooked meat will be tough and dry. Cook the meat until it is just cooked through, then remove it from the heat and let it rest before shredding it.
- Use a flavorful sauce: The sauce is what really brings the pasteles together. Make sure to use a sauce that is flavorful and has a good balance of sweet, sour, and savory flavors.
- Don't be afraid to experiment: There are many different ways to make pasteles. Feel free to experiment with different ingredients and flavors to find a combination that you love.
Conclusion:
Pasteles de yuca are a delicious and versatile dish that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. They are perfect for a party or potluck, and they also make a great meal for a weeknight dinner. With a little planning and effort, you can easily make pasteles de yuca at home. So what are you waiting for? Give this recipe a try today!
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