Savory and Spicy: How to Master Pork Pastelle Like a Caribbean Chef

Pork pastelle is perhaps the best tasting type of pastelle you can enjoy during the Christmas season. To some, including me, a Trini Christmas isn’t a Trini Christmas without a few generous helpings of a pork pastelle or two.

pork pastelle

Prep Time: 15minutes mins

Cook Time: 50minutes mins

Total Time: 1hour hr 5minutes mins

Course: Meats

Cuisine: Caribbean/Spanish/ Hispanic

Ingredients

  • Filling:
  • 6 lb pork
  • 8 pimento peppers
  • 2 bundles fine leaf thyme
  • 5 bundles chadon beni
  • 2 bundles celery
  • 4 bundles chive
  • 2 head garlic
  • 1 hot pepper
  • 2 cups pork stock
  • 6 tbsp roucou
  • Dough:
  • 2 cups yellow cornmeal very fine
  • 3 cups lukewarm water
  • 4 tbsp. vegetable oil or coconut oil
  • ¼ lb butter
  • 1¼ tsp. salt
  • Wrapping:
  • 2-3 large fig leaves banana leaves
  • strings to tie pastelles

Instructions

  • Mince the pimento, peppers, thyme, chadon beni, celery, chive, and garlic together. Grind until fine.
  • Mix the cornmeal flour with warm water and the butter. Make a soft dough. Roll into smaller balls, about 3 inches in diameter.
  • Boil the pork in water until soft. Then finely mince the cooked pork. Mince pork. Mix the seasoning and the meat. Mix well, Stir fry the seasoned pork. Add the roucou liquid. Mix well.
  • Add salt to taste. Remove and cool.
  • Press a ball onto a greased square cut of the leaf. Spread about 2 tablespoon full of meat to the center of the flatten dough. Fold the leaf and tie with a piece of string.
  • Place a deep large pan with enough water to boil. When the water reaches its boiling point place the pastelle in and cook for about 40 minutes.

Click the link to download PDF version of this recipe.

Click here for step by step recipe with pictures.

Recipe © Simply Trini Cooking. All rights reserved

Pork Pastelle

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Meats
Cuisine: Caribbean/Spanish/ Hispanic
Calories:
Author: Felix (Simply Trini Cooking)

Ingredients

  • Filling:
  • 6 lb pork
  • 8 pimento peppers
  • 2 bundles fine leaf thyme
  • 5 bundles chadon beni
  • 2 bundles celery
  • 4 bundles chive
  • 2 head garlic
  • 1 hot pepper
  • 2 cups pork stock
  • 6 tbsp roucou
  • Dough:
  • 2 cups yellow cornmeal very fine
  • 3 cups lukewarm water
  • 4 tbsp. vegetable oil or coconut oil
  • ¼ lb butter
  • tsp. salt
  • Wrapping:
  • 2-3 large fig leaves banana leaves
  • strings to tie pastelles

Instructions

  • Mince the pimento, peppers, thyme, chadon beni, celery, chive, and garlic together. Grind until fine.
  • Mix the cornmeal flour with warm water and the butter. Make a soft dough. Roll into smaller balls, about 3 inches in diameter.
  • Boil the pork in water until soft. Then finely mince the cooked pork. Mince pork. Mix the seasoning and the meat. Mix well, Stir fry the seasoned pork. Add the roucou liquid. Mix well.
  • Add salt to taste. Remove and cool.
  • Press a ball onto a greased square cut of the leaf. Spread about 2 tablespoon full of meat to the center of the flatten dough. Fold the leaf and tie with a piece of string.
  • Place a deep large pan with enough water to boil. When the water reaches its boiling point place the pastelle in and cook for about 40 minutes.
Scroll to Top