Puerto Rican Pastelles

Ingredients:

For pastelles:

2 cups cornmeal

1 oz butter

2 tablespoon cooking oil

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon granulated sugar

4 cups boiling water

For beef fillings:

2 lb lean meat, finely cut or minced

6 red and green cooking peppers cut into small pieces

1 clove garlic

2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Tomato ketchup to your taste

1 lb capers

2 lb. raisins plus 2 tablespoon for chopping

3 onions chopped finely

Spanish thyme

French thyme

Basil

8 olives

Banana leaves/aluminum foil

For vegetarian fillings:

1.5 - 2 lbs lentils

1 cup breadcrumbs

2 tablespoon raisins

12 olives

2 carrots

3 pimentos

1 sprig celery

Cooking Instructions:

Put cornmeal into mixing bowl, add chopped butter, oil and seasonings. Pour in boiling water, and quickly blend using a round-edged knife. Heat oil, add garlic. When pale brown, remove garlic. Add meat and saute until light brown. .Add chopped onions, tomato ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer on low heat for about five minutes. Add herbs, chopped olives, capers, raisins, cooking peppers and simmer on low heat, until meat is tender and flavour is developed. Stock may be used at this stage and cooking continued at low heat. Filling should be tender and moist. Prepare banana leaves. Wilt in boiling water, or over a flame. Wipe leaves dry and cut in squares. Rub the leaves/foil with oil. Make sure leaves are well oiled before putting on corn. Spread a small ball of corn on the leaf. Pat down. Place a square of wet muslin over the corn mixture and roll out thinly, using a rolling pin or pastelle press. Put about a tablespoon of meat filling in the center adding some raisins, a bit of olives and capers. Fold half of leaf over, bringing with it the flattered corn mixture. Fold over the other half to cover. Now fold leaf to make a parcel. Place into another leaf of opposite grain or if using foil, omit the second leaf covering. Tightly fold over the ends, if foil is used. If leaves are used, tie and put into boiling water, with a little salt and sugar to taste. Cook for one and a half hours. Drain immediately and place pastelles on a flat surface. When pastelles are cold, they remain in whatever shape they were put.

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