High-Protein Pasteles en Hoja - Dominican Plantain Pockets with Seasoned Beef

• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cubanelle and cook 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add sofrito and cook 2 minutes until fragrant.
• Add ground beef and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until no pink remains - approximately 8 minutes. Drain any excess fat.
• Add tomato paste and stir to coat. Add sazon, salt, pepper, cumin, ACV, and bone broth. Stir to combine. Add olives, capers, and raisins if using.
• Simmer over medium-low heat 10-12 minutes until the liquid is mostly absorbed and the filling is moist but not wet. It should hold its shape when spooned. Taste and adjust salt. Cool completely before filling the pasteles - warm filling makes the dough slippery and difficult to work with.

INSTRUCTIONS - MAKE THE DOUGH:

• Grate the green plantains using the fine side of a box grater - or process in a food processor until the texture is fine and paste-like. This is the most labor-intensive step and the one where having another person in the kitchen matters most.
• Transfer grated plantain to a large bowl. Add annatto oil, bone broth, salt, and sazon. Mix thoroughly with your hands until a smooth, workable dough forms. The dough should be slightly tacky but not sticky. If it is too dry, add bone broth 1 tablespoon at a time. If it is too wet, add 1-2 tablespoon more grated plantain.

INSTRUCTIONS - ASSEMBLE:

• Lay a piece of parchment on a flat surface. Brush lightly with annatto oil. Place approximately 3 tablespoon of plantain dough in the center and press out into a rough oval approximately 4 inches by 5 inches, about ¼ inch thick.
• Place 2 tablespoon of cooled filling in the center of the dough oval. Fold the parchment to bring one edge of the dough over the filling, enclosing it completely. Press the edges of the dough together to seal. The dough is sticky enough to seal itself.
• Fold the parchment around the pastel like a package - fold in the sides, then roll the top and bottom. Tie with kitchen twine at both ends and in the middle. A firmly tied pastel holds its shape in the boiling water.
• Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

INSTRUCTIONS - BOIL:

• Bring a very large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Add pasteles carefully - do not crowd the pot. Work in batches of 6.
• Boil 35-40 minutes. The pasteles are done when the dough feels firm when you press the outside of the parchment package gently. Remove with tongs and let rest 5 minutes before unwrapping.
• Unwrap at the table - the presentation of unwrapping a pastel is part of the experience.