Puerto Rican Pasteles (

• 6 large tomatoes (about 3 pounds), coarsely chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper (about 6 ounces), cored, seeded, deveined, and coarsely chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion (about 8 ounces), coarsely chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled
• 20 Caribbean sweet peppers (
• ), seeded and cut in half
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
• 2 broad-leaf
• leaves
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 cup
• 8 ounces slab bacon, rind removed, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder or butt, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 pounds
• , peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 pounds green bananas, peeled and thickly sliced
• 1/2 green plantain, peeled (see Cooks' notes) and thickly sliced
• 8 ounces
• (West Indian pumpkin) or Hubbard or kabocha squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• Twenty-five 12-inch plantain leaf squares (4 to 5 packages; see Cooks' notes for how to prepare)
• 1/4 cup
• Twenty-five 42-inch pieces of kitchen twine
• 1/3 cup dark raisins
• One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed, or 2 cups cooked chickpeas
• 2 medium red bell peppers (about 6 ounces), roasted (see Cooks' notes), peeled, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
• 50 pimiento-stuffed olives, cut in half

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree. Set aside. DO AHEAD:
2. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and brown for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the pork and cook, stirring, until it begins to release its fat, about 15 minutes.
3. Stir in the
4. , reduce the heat to low, and cook, covered, for about 50 minutes, or until the pork is tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Add some chicken broth if the sauce thickens too much during cooking. When the meat is done, transfer it to a plate with a slotted spoon. Set the sauce aside. DO AHEAD:
5. Working in 2 or 3 batches, puree the milk,
6. , green bananas, green plantain, and
7. in a blender or food processor and pour into a large bowl. Add the oil and salt and mix well to color the
8. evenly. Stir in the reserved sauce. Taste for seasoning and set aside.
9. Place one plantain leaf square on a work surface with the veins perpendicular to you. Brush generously with achiote oil. Place 3 heaping tablespoons of masa in the center of the leaf and spread into a 6-inch square, leaving a 3-inch margin on all sides. Place 3 tablespoons of the diced pork on top, forming a rectangle. Garnish with 4 raisins, 4 chickpeas, a strip of red pepper, and 4 olive halves. Tie the tamal following the instructions for the
10. wrap (see Cooks' notes). Repeat with the remaining wrappers and ingredients. DO AHEAD:
11. Using two steamers (or working in batches), steam for about 1 hour (see Cooks' notes).

tomatoes, green bell pepper, yellow onion, garlic, caribbean sweet peppers, tomato sauce, cilantro, cider vinegar, oregano, bacon, pork shoulder, chicken broth, milk, green bananas, green plantain, kabocha squash, salt, plantain, kitchen twine, dark raisins, chickpeas, red bell peppers, pimiento

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/puerto-rican-pasteles-em-pasteles-puertorriquenos-em-51203630 (may not work)