Caboverdian Pastels
Recipe Courtesy of: Domingos Fernandes
(Makes roughly 40 pastels) Dough: Cabanita Brand(This brand is found at Spanish grocery stores only; if you cannot find it, use frozen pastry bread or you can make your own pastry bread.)
Vegetables: 2 Green Bell Peppers; 1-2 Yellow Onions (You can add other vegetables that you like)
Meat: 2 Pounds of Lean Ground Beef (Also, cubed chicken, shredded pork or tuna fish may be used in place of beef)
Spices: Meat tenderizer, Marjoram, Paprika, Garlic, Parsley Flakes (You can use other spices as well; add to your liking; Domingos cautions against adding too much spice)
Instructions:Cook down ground beef, be sure to get as much grease out of the pan as possible; then add spices to taste;Sauté the vegetables, cook down and remove most of the juices, but leave a little in so the mixture will not be too dry;Mix ground beef and vegetables together in large bowl, set aside; Remove Cabanita dough from package. Using a rolling pin, flatten out the dough (i.e., rolling it out so that it is a little thinner for the frying process);
Once dough is rolled out: Add meat mixture to center of dough, and fold in half like a taco. Then, using a fork, press down hard to seal the two sides together.
Once the outside rim is sealed: Use a serrated knife and cut pastel down the middle, and seal the cut sides. You should be making two pastels per shell;Once you have stuffed, cut and sealed your pastel, it is time to fry. Fry until a golden brown.
Taste better when warm.
Have a tasty day
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