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Pastele stew

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Pastele stew
Pastele stew
Alternative namesPatele stew, pastele de oya y mestura (mestura), metura[a]
TypeStew
CourseMain
Place of originPuerto Rico
Region or stateHawaii
Serving temperatureHot
Main ingredientsPork, green banana, taro, sofrito (sazón)
Ingredients generally usedAnnatto (achiote), olives, capsicum, onion, garlic, oregano, cilantro, tomato sauce (paste), chili
VariationsPastel al Horno, baked pastele

Pastele stew (or pastele de oya y mestura)[1][b] is a Hawaiian pork stew of Puerto Rican origin.[2] It is an adaptation of the dish pasteles introduced by the Puertorriqueños who came to work on the sugar plantations in the early 1900s.[3][4] Pastele making is often a laborious task reserved for special occasions and holidays such as Christmas.[5] Pastele stew was developed as a simplified everyday version.[1][6]

It remains a beloved Puerto Rican-inspired dish catered to the Hawaiian palate, but a contentious recipe for Puerto Ricans not living in Hawaii.[3] The pastele stew is found as a plate lunch item at food trucks and restaurants,[7][8] a filling for manapua,[9] and a common fundraising item.[10] As a savory dish, pastele stew pairs with plain white rice or "gandule rice" (arroz con gandules).[2]

Ingredients

Like Puerto Rico, Hawaii is an island where similar ingredients can be found, a further development and continuation of cocina criolla.[6] Like how the Native Hawaiians wrapped their laulau with ti leaves, Puertorriqueños would adapt to wrapping their pasteles with the same.[11]

The masa―commonly made with plantain or yautía that usually fills pasteles are substituted with local varieties of bananas and taro―is used as a thickening agent rather than as a distinguishable ingredient for this stewed version.[11][12][13] In one popular recipe, the bananas are separately made into pastel, dumplings akin to gnocchi, and later folded into the stew to finish.[14] In some recipes, the bananas or masa is omitted altogether.[15]

Pastele stew is partial to affordable pork cuts such as Boston butt.[15] Other meats, such as ham or chicken, can be added or substituted but are not typical.[16] Like pasteles, pastele stew is seasoned with sofrito and annatto oil. It is also not uncommon to utilize sazón packet seasoning.[17] Another characteristic of local pasteles and pastele stew is that it can be spicy, due to the Asian influence.[6]

Preparation

Puerto Rican cooking typically takes a long time to prepare compared to American dishes because of the various condiments that require prior preparation beforehand such as masa, sofrito, and annatto as well as other mise en place.[6] The preparation of pastele stew is a combination of all these condiments and ingredients.

Pork is cubed and sautéed in annatto followed by the sofrito vegetables and seasoning spices. The tomato sauce and water are added, and simmered until the pork is tender. Masa is added to the liquid to the preferred thickness.[11] The stew is garnished with the bell peppers, olives, and cilantro.[17][2]

Variations

Pastel al horno (lit. "baked pastele") may have been one of the precursors to the popularity of pastele stew. It appears in "The Electric Kitchen" recipe database of Hawaiian Electric in 1998 leading up to the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the first Puerto Ricans to Hawaii. The dish follows the typical steps in cooking pasteles. However, rather than making them into individual parcels, it is made into a casserole-like dish. The banana masa is folded into the cooked pork mixture then baked in a baking pan.[18][c]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ The Hawaiian Pidgin pronunciation of pasteles as "patele" and mestura as "metura" are the result of back-formation, the letter "S" absent from the Hawaiian alphabet
  2. ^ Its original Spanish name translates to "pastele [cooked in a] pot and mixed"; Pastel lit. "dumpling"; oya (or olla) lit. "pot for cooking stew"; mestura (or mistura) lit. "mixture"
  3. ^ The contributors, Julie Robley and Laura Martin-Robley, would later publish the same recipe in a cookbook the following year in 1999. The recipe follows a blurb (rather than as a formula) on how to make "pastele stew" which directs a person to "add water or chicken broth to the pastele meat...as much as you want...adjust seasoning if needed."[11]

Citations

  1. ^ a b Fuentes, Gabriel J. Jiménez; González, Gabriel Mejía; Haynes, Marisol Joseph (September 4, 2015). Caribbean Without Borders: Beyond the Can[n]on’s Range. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 85. ISBN 978-1-4438-8135-7. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Tabura, Lanai (August 27, 2014). "Aunty Bea Keeps It Traditional - PASTELE STEW". MidWeek. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Melendez, Richard (August 13, 2018). "Worth the drive to Waianae: Coquito's Latin Cuisine". Honolulu Magazine. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  4. ^ Kreifels, Susan (December 23, 1999). "Puerto Ricans in Hawaii begin centennial celebration". archives.starbulletin.com. Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  5. ^ Kam, Nadine (April 15, 1998). "Sofrito: The heart of a Puerto Rican meal". archives.starbulletin.com. Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d Young, Jackie M. (March 18, 2009). "Beyond Pasteles". archives.starbulletin.com. Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  7. ^ Dingemann, Robbie (May 11, 2022). "First Look: Puerto Rican Menu Twists Pop Up in Windward O'ahu". Honolulu Magazine. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  8. ^ Hoshida, Gregg (November 11, 2021). "Da Sugar Mill Serves Up Modern Twists on Plantation Dishes in Kalihi". Honolulu Magazine. Frolic Hawaii. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  9. ^ "You Voted: Here's Your Top 5 Manapua on O'ahu - Frolic Hawai'i". Honolulu Magazine. April 12, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  10. ^ Chang, Melissa (September 20, 2014). "Party pics: The Firefighters Foundation Signature Chefs Food Festival". Honolulu Magazine. Frolic Hawaii. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  11. ^ a b c d Martin-Robley, Laura B.; Garcia, George; Robley, Julie (1999). Recipes from the Heart of Hawaii's Puerto Ricans. Kearney, NE: Cookbooks by Morris Press. p. 36-37. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  12. ^ Young, Christi (June 21, 2021). "We Tried 10 Kinds of Local Bananas (Because We Could)". Honolulu Magazine. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  13. ^ Eaton, Keomai (May 3, 2015). "Did this: East Maui Taro Festival". Honolulu Magazine. Frolic Hawaii. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  14. ^ "Firehouse Pastele Stew". www.hawaiianelectric.com. Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Nakamoto, Marlene (January 17, 2019). "Pastele Stew". islandscene.com. HMSA. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  16. ^ "Puerto Rican festival offers suggestions for the holidays". archives.starbulletin.com. Honolulu Star-Bulletin. November 7, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  17. ^ a b DeCosta, Rebekah (November 15, 2022). "Pastele Stew – Foodland Super Market". foodland.com. Foodland Super Market, Ltd. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  18. ^ Robley, Julie; Robley, Laura (June 1, 1998). "Pastel Al Horno (Baked Pastele Casserole)". www.hawaiianelectric.com. Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc. Retrieved October 10, 2023.

Further reading

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