Pastelles

Ingredients

Directions

1. Steam the chicken breasts with thyme sprigs and ginger. When cooked, remove the thyme and ginger, cool the chicken until able to handle and dice (1/4 inch).
2. Dice the beef into 1/4 inch cubes. Dice onions, potatoes and carrots into 1/4 cubes. Place oil in a large pot with a lid and add annato powder, scotch bonnet, onions, minced garlic and green seasoning.
3. Cook on medium until onions and garlic are soft and add beef and cook on high heat until no longer pink. Stir in chicken, potatoes and carrots and bouillon powder, cover and simmer on medium low heat for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are cooked. Stir in the olives and raisins. Taste and add salt if needed. Set aside to cool.
4. Mix corn meal with 4 1/2 cups warm water and 1 teaspoon salt. Make a soft but manageable dough. Form dough into balls the size of an egg. Warm vegetable oil with annato powder and lightly coat banana leaf or foil squares with colored oil. Press out each ball of dough on prepared leaf or foil. Place 2/3 cup of filling on flattened dough and fold dough around the meat filling, Fold up the leaf or foil to secure the pastelles.
5. Tie leaf packages with string, not needed for foil packages if folded tightly. If pastelles will not be eaten immediately, freeze them uncooked in freezer bags. Otherwise steam packages for 30 minutes in a covered pot.