Estimated Nutrition (whole recipe, rough)
Counts 18 of 20 ingredients — the other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and contribute nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume — 18 portions →
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Beef | 100g cooked | 250 |
| Pork | 100g cooked | 242 |
| Chicken | 100g cooked | 165 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Banana | 1 medium (118g) | 105 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Corn | 1/2 cup kernels (82g) | 77 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Soy Sauce | 1 tbsp (15ml) | 9 |
| Clove | 1 tsp ground (2g) | 7 |
| Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Thyme | 1 tsp dried (1.4g) | 4 |
| Olive | 1 large (4g) | 4 |
| Capers | 1 tbsp (9g) drained | 2 |
| Basil | 5 leaves fresh (2.5g) | 1 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Leaf | not in our table | 0 |
Totals for the whole recipe, adding one typical portion per ingredient — listed above. Quantities in the recipe are not counted, so this is a rough guide only — not suitable for medical or dietary planning.
Ingredients
- 2 cups ground corn flour ( this is NOT cornstarch )
- 1 ounce margarine
- 1 pot spoon oil
- 2 teasps salt
- 2 teasps sugar
- 4 cups boiling water
- Banana leaves ( you can use foil, but pastelles taste better wrapped in banana leaves)
- Filling
- 2 lbs lean meat- ground - ( this can be 1/2 beef, 1/2 pork - or only beef, or chicken)
- 6 red and green chilli peppers - cut up very small- seasoning peppers, not hot
- 1 clove garlic- grated
- 2 tsps Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablesps capers
- 2 tablesps raisins- whole
- 2 tablesps raisins- chopped
- 3 onions- minced
- 1 bunch herbs for pastelles ( Spanish thyme ( fine leaf thyme), French thyme
- ( broad leaf thyme ), basil ( remove stems), - use one teasp. of each, cut up very small
- 8 olives- cut into very small pieces
- 6 olives, cut up and added to one cup of water to make stock
- a little tomato ketchup
Directions
Put ground corn into a mixing bow
Cut margarine into small pieces and add to corn
Add oil, salt, sugar
Pour BOILING water over mixture ( use 3.5 cups at first ), then mix quickly with a round edged knife. Mixture must be smooth, but not sticky
Taste and add more sugar or salt, if needed
Heat oil, add garlic- fry until golden brown- remove garlic
Add meat and sauté until light brown
Add ketchup and Worcestershire sauce
Turn heat low and simmer for about 5 mins
Add pastelle herbs, chopped olives, capers, raisins, chilli peppers and continue simmering until meat is tender
Add stock and continue to simmer until filling is tender and moist
Taste to see if seasonings need to be added
Assembling the pastelles
Prepare banana leaves - Wilt leaves in boiling water, take out and wipe dry- then cut up into sizes to wrap pastelles in
Rub leaves with oil ( you can colour the oil with roo-coo (Anatto )by putting the seeds into a piece of muslin, tied together, then soaked in hot oil ( not boiling oil otherwise the oil will turn black)- This is optional.
Place a small ball of corn mixture on the oiled leaf, pat down
Place a piece of muslin over the patted down mixture and roll out thinly, using either a rolling pin or pastelle press
Place a tablesp of meat filling in the centre, ad a little cut raisins, olives and capers
Fold half of leaf over ( lengthways ) in such a manner that the corn mixture also folds completely over the meat filling, then bring other half of the leaf over to cover . Use a second leaf on opposite grain, tightly fold in sides and tie up with a piece of twine. At this stage, you can also use a piece of foil instead of the second leaf.
Add pastelles to boiling water to which salt and sugar to taste has been added. Cook pastelles for 1 1/2 hours. Take out and drain, then place on a flat surface.
To reheat, steam pastelles just before serving.
Category:Trinidadian Recipes
Category:Trinidadian Appetizers