This is a yummy dish that is floating around various islands like Puerto Rico, Hispanola where Dominican Republic and Haiti shares that island and also in to South America. We are going to make a real easy Puerto Rican version.
This is a yummy and tasty stew that is right up my alley because it has both meat and vegetables. I used either 1 lb or 1 kilo of beef or chicken for this dish.
I cooked the meat till it became tender on stovetop In 1 gallon or 4 liters of water and added 3 shakes of adobo and 1/2 packet of season followed by 2 tbs of sofritio. you can make or buy your own.
For sofrito recipe look at my pasteles page. Recipe link is getting posted below.
Halal Pasteles With Arroz Gandoules
After you have made your sofrito or used store bought then add it to the pot then add 1 pinch each of black pepper corns and cumin seeds and grind with mortar and pestle. Add 1 pinch of oregano. I added 2 stalks of celery chopped, 1 yutia cut in small pieces, 1 small piece of pumpkin, butternut and acorn squash is another option if you can’t find pumpkin. You only need 1 small piece of it. Add 1 small sweet potato cut in small pieces. Add 1 orange aji chili seeded and chopped. these are sold in markets that sell Peruvian groceries. My neighborhood is ethnically diverse and it is a foodie’s paradise.
Add 1 small chayote squash, 1 green banana, 1 ripe plantain, 1 green plantain, 1 yatia and 1 fresh yucca peeled and cut in tiny pieces. Add 3 tbs of tomato paste. If you do not want to peel yucca there is hope it is called frozen yucca or cassava. If using frozen 3 pieces of frozen yucca is sufficient. With yucca there is a string in the middle of both fresh and frozen cut it in half and remove it.
Add 1 potato washed peeled and cut in to small pieces and 1 ear of corn that has been husked and cut in to 3 segments. Add them all to the either beef or chicken and cook these for hour to 2 hours or until everything is tender and soft. Also there is a nice yummy stock coming from all of this and you should really use a big pot before you start because this can fill up very quickly.
Enjoy this wonderful stew with thick crusty bread or pan de agua.
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