By: Kimberley Ramkhalawan
Trinidadian contributor
There are many things that make a trini Christmas what it is to us. It’s special in every way, from our food and drink, to our music and festivities. Our traditions speak of our multicultural history all combined to make a unique season in the islands. We borrow parang, a Spanish sung carol sung to the Cuatro, a four-string guitar, with maracas shaking in the background and a bass box, and then we fuse it with our soca beats to make it Soca Parang, telling comedic stories unique to our Christmas here. Our drinks add to the festive mood as we enjoy ginger beer, sorrel, a hibiscus flower with its petals boiled with warm spices such as cinnamon, clove and ginger, and of course our take on the eggnog, ponche de crème. This is a very boozy creamy beverage made with our Forres Park Rum, a spirit so high it is contraband to leave Trinidad, but when concocted as the seasonal drink its often topped with a dash of Angostura bitters, and notes of nutmeg.
Trini Christmas foods also speak to our mixed history as roast pork is quite popular and hails from our Portuguese heritage and is commonly served with hops bread, which we also enjoy with baked ham. These are the must haves of our Christmas, and then there is the Pastelle, a savoury parcel wrapped in banana leaves, tied with string and inside bursting with meaty flavour.
Likened to polenta, its texture is similar to a cornmeal dumplin with well-seasoned cooked minced meat inside with bits of olives, capers and raisins to adorn its flavour.
In my household, it has become a tradition over the years for my family to come together during the season for what we call the pastelle production line.
And while our end-total may amount to a near four dozen, it takes that many hands to ensure it is put together, but it is so worth it at the end.
What makes pastelle making in my family so special is our time together, simply put. We chat, laugh and reminisce on past seasons, with some local Christmas tunes in the background. It has also become something I appreciate even more as I get older, savoring the time with my mother, my dad present also to assist in the pressing, and my sister involved in the wrapping. It’s become a treasured time having experienced enough in this lifetime to value our moments like these together.
Head of the production line is the matriarch of my family, mi ‘Mooma’ as I like to say, my mom.
Over the years she has perfected the art of ensuring the meats, beef or chicken, the preferred choices of meat in our household, are well seasoned and prepped for its parceling. Other versions include lamb and pork, some even combing all the meats into one.
The whole process over the years has often been an extended family affair. My mom’s sisters often join in prepping and making, to ensure the bounty is full for every family to have overflowing to share with their guests visiting homes.
This year, COVID prevents sharing such a time, but never the less my family of four have been found to come together for the challenge as we have done in times before.
Now these tiny gifts while popular in Trinidad and Tobago during Christmas time, is actually derived from some of our Spanish heritage, and similar versions can be found in neighbouring Venezuela (called hallacas) and Puerto Rico.
And while commercial varieties might be wrapped in aluminum foil, any true lover of the dish will tell you that it’s the fig leaves that add to their flavour. Versions true to the traditional type can be found for sale in areas such as Paramin and Lopinot where the annual National Parang Band Association competition are held, a festival which start in September. Pastelles are sold among other local items synonymous to the local Christmas season.
For us, preparation often starts a few days ahead of assembly time. At the cost of our fig or banana trees found in our home garden, the tree branches are cut down, where the leaves are stripped from the main vein or the branch and cut into rectangular pieces about 12 by 8 inches in length and breadth. The leaf pieces are washed and are then passed through the flame on a stove, not to burn it, but to soften its texture to make more pliable, to ensure any impurities are removed. They are also wiped to ensure a final cleaning.
While it can be done on the same day, its good to start ahead of time leaving less work on the day itself for assembly.
As I said the process is a lengthy one and our meats are prepped the Caribbean or trini way, by that I mean washed. I know this part might be up for debate, but we are keen on washing our meats right in our kitchen sinks. To this date of doing this practice no one has ever come down with a case of salmonella.
Washing the meats I believe also ensures of the flavour before adding the seasonings for marinade. In my home this can be done days before its cooking or on the morning of preparation. We usually make a batch each of beef, and chicken, as I do not eat anything outside of poultry, and by a batch I mean the three to four dozen produced.
Any Trinidadian will tell you it makes all the difference. Our mix of fresh seasonings blended up always adds that extra umph to our dishes, and our three main herbs of choice always include fresh thyme, loads of it, fresh parsley, also a tonne of it, and fresh pimentos diced fine. You can’t have that flavour of a good tasting pastelle without those ingredients and I will go a bit further to say there are no substitutes.
Cooking the meats are done after the cornmeal dough has been mixed and allowed to rest, ensuring it has absorbed the flavour of the melted butter and liquid added.
Now the meats are precooked, and while you can add some tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce to the pot where the meats are sauteed, my mom’s recipe does not cater too much for the paste, as she believes in letting the seasonings speak together with the meats. She is also keen on ensuring it is cooked to be moist, yet without any sauces when spooned out onto the cornmeal mixture to prevent any liquid melting the cornmeal.
When this is complete and the meat mixtures are allowed to cool, the cornmeal is rolled out into balls. Key to ensuring the balls are not too dry and do not crack, olive oil is used in handling and forming the balls. The Olive oil also adds a sweet flavour to the pastelle, and when wrapped in the banana leaves, the flavours combined speak to a sweet savoury flavour. And any concerns about the fat content in the recipe can be dispelled as when boiled, it often escapes but leaving the taste of the olive oil.
The coming together all happens on our long dining table, undressed and lined with parchment paper, our Production line. Critical to pressing those balls into flat circles for the wrapping is a press. While fancy contraptions are up for sale in local supermarkets, with the most recent up for patenting internationally, my family has resorted to using simply two pieces of wood folded resting on each other held together by two hinges.
This is the task we have often enrolled my dearest daddy for doing, our superman, as he presses the balls between two oiled fig leaf pieces for our ladling of meats in the centre of the flattened circle.
Be sure to oil your leaves with a dab of olive oil before flattening the balls with the press.
Now after you have placed your meat in the centre to form a rectangle, added your capers, raisins and diced olives, using the back of a buttering knife, gently bring down each side of the circle to cover and fold like an envelope, smoothening the edges. After this is complete, fold the leaf like you are wrapping a present. Tying of the parcels are usually done after we have completed wrapping all the pastelles.
Once tied with string or twine, place in a pot and fill with water covering the parcels once inch above and place to boil for 45 minutes.
When completely cool you can refrigerate, or put away in the freezer which can be stored for months after the season is over.
This is often served for our Christmas breakfast, along with our hops and ham while condiments such as Chow Chow and our pepper sauce can be on the side.
The list of ingredients and method can be seen below, and while I do hope many of you enjoy taking on the challenge to try our Pastelle recipe this season, may you enjoy a bit of a trini Christmas where ever you may be. Season’s Greetings from my kitchen to yours.
INGREDIENTS
Cornmeal balls
2lbs Cornmeal (Promasa brand)
1 ¾ cups of Melted Butter
2 ½ cups of boiling water
1tbsp salt.
½ cup Olive Oil put aside for rolling of balls
Method. Mix together dry ingredients then add melted butter along with boiling water. Using a wooden spoon bring together ingredients and combine until smooth. Kneed until smooth and still moist. Cover to rest with moist cloth and put aside. After resting, coat the palm of your hands with olive oil and roll into 1.5 inch thick balls and leave to rest covered.
Meat Mixture:
2lbs of minced meat, washed
2 finely chopped onions
3 tbsps crushed fresh garlic
3 tbsps
4 finely chopped pimentos
2 ½ tbsp chopped thyme
2 ½ tbsp chopped parsley
2 stalks of scallions chopped
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp chopped fresh scotch bonnet or habanero pepper
1/8 cup tomato paste
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced olives
½ cup washed raisins
¾ cup capers
Method:
In a hot skillet, add the seasoned mincemeat, while sautéing, add the chopped garlic, pimentos, onions, thyme, parsley and cook until dry after it has sprung its own liquid. When almost dry, add Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste. Continue cooking under low heat. Once incorporated, put aside to cool.
Assembly:
After the ball has been flattened unto a greased fig leaf piece, spread cooked meat mixture in the center of the circle in the shape of a rectangle. Add pieces of olives, capers, and a sprinkle of raisins. Fold in edges over on top of meat mixture and olives. Then wrap the leaves like a package envelope and rest aside in the pot to be boiled in. After all has been wrapped, tied and placed in the pot, fill with water for boiling up to 45 minutes then remove from heat. Your pastelles are completely cooked and ready for enjoyment.
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