came by the house.
My young uncles, too, fell in love. They dramatized their plights by getting drunk and smashing the Jeep against a huge termite mound. We took love seriously in our family.
The annual holiday season closed on New Yearâs Day at my grandfatherâs farm, where there was usually at least one female nursing a bandaged wrist, another lying in a hammock, too weak to walk as a result of having had her stomach pumped. There was usually also a young uncle on crutches, wearing a cast and looking as angry as Paul Newman in
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
We ate an epic
sancocho,
wondering whose turn it would be the following Christmas. Itâs no wonder that to this day I dread the mention of Christmas. I was well into my adulthood when I discovered that not all families celebrated the holidays the way mine had. And yet, glutton that I am, I would gladly revisit the past just to eat one of the immortal
pasteles
my aunt Emilia prepared for Nochebuena.
Pasteles
de Arroz y de
Gallina
RICE AND CHICKEN STEAMED IN PLANTAIN LEAVES
Making
pasteles
can be a community endeavor, like a quilting bee. As part of the holiday celebration, a group of women will get together to chop and prepare the ingredients. Then, sitting around the kitchen table, they wrap the
pasteles
like an assembly line, with one woman preparing the leaves, another stuffing them, a third wrapping, and a fourth tying the packets. The
pasteles
can be made weeks in advance and frozen to be cooked later. This recipe was contributed by Jaime Manriqueâs âaunt-in-law,â Jocabeth de Ardilo.
THE WRAPPERS
30 to 40 prepared plantain leaves, or cooking parchment and aluminum foil
Plantain leaves can be purchased either prepared or raw in markets where tropical produce is sold. To prepare raw leaves: Clean each leaf with a damp cloth. Using shears, cut each into 9- or 10-inch squares. Hold each leaf by the edges, with a pot holder or tongs, over a burner, turning constantly until the leaf begins to change color. Stack leaves and wrap in foil to keep warm. Leaves will get stiff and hard to work with as they cool.
The leaves impart a wonderful flavor to the stuffing inside the packets, but if you canât find them, you can substitute paper and foil. Cut cooking parchment into 6- to 8-inch squares. Then cut 8- to 10-inch squares of foil. For every plantain leaf, use a square of cooking parchment on a square of foil. Wrap so that the foil is on the outside. These little packets have to stand up to a long simmering process.
THE ACHIOTE
In a cast-iron or heavy skillet, heat ½ cup olive or vegetable oil. When very hot, add annatto seeds. Turn heat to low, continue cooking, stirring frequently, for approximately 5 minutes, until oil is a rich orange-red color. Allow to cool, then strain into a clean glass container. Set aside.
Wash the rice, drain well. In a big, heavy pot, heat the achiote oil until hot but not smoking. Add the garlic, chopped onions, and the rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until the rice becomes translucent. Add cumin, black pepper, and salt. Stir, then set aside.
Oil the bottom of a heavy skillet, and sauté the pork for 5 minutes, stirring constantly so the meat cooks evenly. Then add the peppers, scallions, and garlic, cook for 2 minutes more, then add the chicken. Stir until the chicken begins to turn white, then add the other ingredients. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes more. Vegetables will not be cooked completely at this point.
Lay a warm prepared plantain leaf flat on the table. Using a pastry brush, brush the center of one side lightly with olive oil. Place 2 heaping tablespoons of rice mixture in the center of the leaf. Top with 1 heaping tablespoon of stuffing mixture. Fold two long edges over the filling, then fold the open ends toward the center. Donât wrap too tightly, because the rice is going to expand. Cut about 1 yard of kitchen string and fold in half. Place folded string on the table with the loop
My young uncles, too, fell in love. They dramatized their plights by getting drunk and smashing the Jeep against a huge termite mound. We took love seriously in our family.
The annual holiday season closed on New Yearâs Day at my grandfatherâs farm, where there was usually at least one female nursing a bandaged wrist, another lying in a hammock, too weak to walk as a result of having had her stomach pumped. There was usually also a young uncle on crutches, wearing a cast and looking as angry as Paul Newman in
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
We ate an epic
sancocho,
wondering whose turn it would be the following Christmas. Itâs no wonder that to this day I dread the mention of Christmas. I was well into my adulthood when I discovered that not all families celebrated the holidays the way mine had. And yet, glutton that I am, I would gladly revisit the past just to eat one of the immortal
pasteles
my aunt Emilia prepared for Nochebuena.
Pasteles
de Arroz y de
Gallina
RICE AND CHICKEN STEAMED IN PLANTAIN LEAVES
Making
pasteles
can be a community endeavor, like a quilting bee. As part of the holiday celebration, a group of women will get together to chop and prepare the ingredients. Then, sitting around the kitchen table, they wrap the
pasteles
like an assembly line, with one woman preparing the leaves, another stuffing them, a third wrapping, and a fourth tying the packets. The
pasteles
can be made weeks in advance and frozen to be cooked later. This recipe was contributed by Jaime Manriqueâs âaunt-in-law,â Jocabeth de Ardilo.
THE WRAPPERS
30 to 40 prepared plantain leaves, or cooking parchment and aluminum foil
Plantain leaves can be purchased either prepared or raw in markets where tropical produce is sold. To prepare raw leaves: Clean each leaf with a damp cloth. Using shears, cut each into 9- or 10-inch squares. Hold each leaf by the edges, with a pot holder or tongs, over a burner, turning constantly until the leaf begins to change color. Stack leaves and wrap in foil to keep warm. Leaves will get stiff and hard to work with as they cool.
The leaves impart a wonderful flavor to the stuffing inside the packets, but if you canât find them, you can substitute paper and foil. Cut cooking parchment into 6- to 8-inch squares. Then cut 8- to 10-inch squares of foil. For every plantain leaf, use a square of cooking parchment on a square of foil. Wrap so that the foil is on the outside. These little packets have to stand up to a long simmering process.
THE ACHIOTE
In a cast-iron or heavy skillet, heat ½ cup olive or vegetable oil. When very hot, add annatto seeds. Turn heat to low, continue cooking, stirring frequently, for approximately 5 minutes, until oil is a rich orange-red color. Allow to cool, then strain into a clean glass container. Set aside.
Wash the rice, drain well. In a big, heavy pot, heat the achiote oil until hot but not smoking. Add the garlic, chopped onions, and the rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until the rice becomes translucent. Add cumin, black pepper, and salt. Stir, then set aside.
Oil the bottom of a heavy skillet, and sauté the pork for 5 minutes, stirring constantly so the meat cooks evenly. Then add the peppers, scallions, and garlic, cook for 2 minutes more, then add the chicken. Stir until the chicken begins to turn white, then add the other ingredients. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes more. Vegetables will not be cooked completely at this point.
Lay a warm prepared plantain leaf flat on the table. Using a pastry brush, brush the center of one side lightly with olive oil. Place 2 heaping tablespoons of rice mixture in the center of the leaf. Top with 1 heaping tablespoon of stuffing mixture. Fold two long edges over the filling, then fold the open ends toward the center. Donât wrap too tightly, because the rice is going to expand. Cut about 1 yard of kitchen string and fold in half. Place folded string on the table with the loop
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