Ingredients for making “pastel” dough
4 pounds taro root
2 sets of green banana (1 set = 10-12 bananas)
1 green plantain
1 can of Chicken Broth (14 ½ ounces)
1 tbsp of annatto seeds
1 cup of oil
1 package of “Sazón” (¼ tsp) (salt, garlic, cumin, coriander, annatto)
1 tbsp “Sofrito” (green pepper, onion, cilantro, garlic, recao, sweet pepper)
Salt to taste

Procedure:

- Pour oil into frying pan and place annatto seeds in pan. Cook at medium heat.
Stir occasionally and remove pan from heat when the oil starts to bubble or turns red.
- Peel green bananas, plantain and tarro roots. Put them inside a bowl with salt and water.
- Using the grater side with the smallest openings, grate the bananas, taro roots, and
plantain. Leave the plantain for last.
- Place the grated mix on large bowl andd stir the mixture until well blended.
- Add to the mix the following ingredients: “sofrito”, “sazon”, and chicken broth.
Remove the annatto seeds from the oil and add oil to the mix.
- Mix all ingredients with a spoon untill well blended.
- Taste the mix to ensure it has enough salt. If not, add more salt to taste.

Ingredients for cooking the chicken
12 boneless skinless breasts
1 tbsp of “Adobo” (salt, cumin, garlic, black pepper, turmeric)
1 tbsp “Sofrito” (green pepper, onion, cilantro, garlic, recao, sweet peppers)
1 package of “Sazón” (¼ tsp) (salt, garlic, cumin, coriander, annatto)
2 cups of water

Procedure:

- Cut chicken into small pieces.
- Place chicken and remaining ingredientts on a pot. Cook at medium heat.
- When the meat is cooked, change temperrature to low heat.

Ingredients for making one (1) pastel
1 piece of enparchment paper cut in rectangular shape (approximately 12″ x 14″)
Banana leaf
1 piece of fine thread (36″ long)
1 tsp of cooked chicken juice
1 large spoon of the “pastel” dough
1 tsp raisins (you will need a large box for all the “pasteles”)
2-3 olives (you will need 1 big jar)
2-3 chickpeas (you will need 2 cans of chickpeas)
2-3 small pieces of pimentos (you will need a medium size jar)

Procedure:

- Place enparchment paper on flat surface. Place banana leaf on top of paper
and try to cover most of the paper.
- Using a metal spoon, pour chicken juice on middle of banana leaf and
spread to the sides covering an area of 3″ wide by 5″ long.
- Place “pastel” dough on top of banana leaf and spread to cover the area specified above.
- Place the remaining ingredients in the following order: chicken, raisins, olives,
chickpeas and pimentos.
- Fold paper by the side with the largest length to mix all the ingredients.
- Fold the remaining sides towards the inside to form a rectangle.
- Tight “pastel” with thread in such a way that all four sides of the “pastel are covered
so the mix won’t come out. See picture below.
- Repeat above steps for the remaining “pasteles”.
- Place enough “pasteles” inside large pot with water. Cook “pasteles” at medium heat for
1 hour. (Water should cover the “pasteles”)

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups water

2 cups rice, rinsed, drained (preferably short grain)

2½ teaspoons salt or Homemade Dry Adobo Seasoning

1 teaspoon cumin, ground

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons oil

3 tablespoons Basic Sofrito

1 large cooking spoon spanish style tomato sauce

1 spanish chorizo, cut in rounds

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oil in pot.
Over medium high heat add sofrito, tomato sauce, black pepper, adobo, cumin, and oregano.
Stirfry until fragrant, one or two minutes.
Add chorizo. Stirfry another two minutes.
Add rice. Thorougly mix. Stir fry until golden, another one or two minutes.
Add water. Bring to boil. Bring heat to low.
Stir rice, making sure to scrape bottom of pot. Cover.
Cook 20 minutes. Thoroughly stir rice. Do a taste test checking tenderness of rice.
If tender turn off heat otherwise leave another 5 minutes before checking for tenderness again.
BUEN PROVECHO!

1/3 cup olive oil
2 packets Goya chicken bouillon
4 packets Sazon with Annato
3/4 cup Goya (or comparable brand) Sofrito
3/4 cup Goya (or comparable brand) Recaito
2 cups dry medium grain rice
1 15oz. can small red beans, drained
2 cups water

Combine oil, bouillon, Sazon, sofrito, recaito, and rice in nonstick saucepan over medium heat until mixture is thoroughly combined with rice and rice has taken on a deep red color.

Add two cups water. Add drained can of red beans and stir well. Cover and cook on stovetop at medium heat until almost all liquid has been absorbed. Turn the rice and beans from top to bottom, reduce heat to the lowest setting possible, cover and cook 10 minutes. Turn the rice and beans from top to bottom again then cover and cook an additional 10 minutes. Remove from heat and serve. The adobo pork’s au jus makes an excellent seasoning for this side dish.

The pork freezes well, so if you have a small family, don’t let the fact that it’s a roast put you off from making it. It really is easier than it sounds, and your taste buds will thank you.

Ingredients
3 cups rice
2 1/2 cups pork blood
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cilantro or recao
2 chili peppers (chopped)
2 garlic cloves (a pilonazos)
2 yds. pork tripe (intestines or sausage casings)
Directions
Make a pot of white rice a lo Rican, but omit the oil.

Add the pork blood, salt, cilantro, chili peppers, and garlic.

Mix everything well.

Stuff the sausage casing by inserting a funnel but do not squeeze the stuffing or the sausage casings.

The casings should be a little loose and not tight.

Boil the morcilla in salted water for about 25-30 minutes.

After 25-30 minutes, drain the water from the sausage. (Morcilla)

Now you can either fry it or you can freeze it after it cools down for later use.

When you are ready to eat the morcilla, cut it in small pieces and fry it in vegetable oil on moderate heat setting until golden.

Drain the morcilla on paper towels and let it cool before you bite into it.

Instructions

Things You’ll Need
1 whole chicken, cut into parts and seasoned
Season for the chicken
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp of cumin
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp ground garlic cloves
2 tbsp garlic salt
Season the chicken and let it marinade for 15 to 20 minutes
Rice Ingredients:
1 cup of small diced onions (yellow onions if possible)
1/2 cup of small diced green peppers (cuban cooking peppers)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup of small diced red peppers
1 tbsp of chicken base (may substitute for 5 1/2 cups of chicken stock)
2 tbsp capers
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsp cumin
4 cups of rice

Steps

1- Heat the vegetable oil, brown the chicken on each side (your not cooking, just sealing the juices in). Take the chicken out of the pot and place in bowl.

2- Remove 1/2 of the cooking oil. Add onion, peppers, cumin, paprika, cilantro, capers and season with salt and pepper (don’t be afraid), cook for 2 minutes cleaning the bottom of the pan with your spoon. taste the mixture and make sure its a little salty, you are going to add a lot of water.

3- Add the rice and mix well, make sure all the rice gets that pretty yellow
color.

4- Add water or stock enough to cover over 1/2 an inch over the rice, taste the water make sure it has good strong flavor, if not you may add more salt, pepper and cumin (try not to mix the rice after the water is added). Add the chicken and make sure the rice is covered with water, if you need to add more water or stock. Raise the temp to med hi.
5- When the rice soaks up all the water, lower the temperature to low,
mix the rice and create a dome in the center on the pot, cover and cook
for 20 minutes.