Pasteles

—Alexis San Miguel

• 15 green bluefield or Chinese bananas*
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tsp. salt
• 30 small ti leaves*
• 1/4 cup achiote fat*
• 2 Hawaiian red peppers, crushed
• 3 3/4 cups sofrito*
• 15 pitted olives

Soak bananas in hot water for 10 minutes. Wash ti leaves; blanch. Peel bananas and soak in cold water for 10 minutes. Cut bananas into 2″ pieces. Put 4 tsp. of the water into a blender container; add 1/3 of the banana pieces and puree. Remove puree and place in bowl. Repeat process until all banana pieces are pureed. Stir salt into banana mixture.

Place 2 ti leaves side-by-side and overlap edges lengthwise. Spread achiote fat on leaves. Spread banana mixture about 1/8″ thick, over fat, leaving a 1″ space around edges. Mix peppers into sofrito mixture. Put 1/4 cup of the sofrito mixture in center of banana mixture. Place an olive in the center. Carefully fold the ti leaves lengthwise around filling, using the “drug store” style of wrapping; secure with string. Repeat until all ti leaves are used. Steam for 45 minutes or until done. Makes 15 pasteles.