Pasteles
Manolo López•Jan 23, 2025
A cherished Puerto Rican dish where seasoned masa (dough) made from green plantains and tropical root vegetables is filled with savory pulled pork, wrapped in banana leaves, and steamed. The meat filling is typically seasoned with sofrito, achiote, and traditional spices, creating a harmony of flavors and textures unique to Caribbean cuisine.
Manolo López is a Puerto Rican chef and cultural producer who shares his homeland's flavors through innovative dining experiences and community events. Through food and storytelling, he builds bridges between communities while celebrating Puerto Rican culture.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 275°F. Place the squash (3 lb) in a roasting pan or baking dish (whatever size accommodates, but a standard 2–3 quart should do the trick). Drizzle all over with olive oil (2 Tbsp), and season with salt and pepper. Scatter the cut side of the squash with brown sugar (2 Tbsp), and flip the squash to make sure it’s all skin side up.
Tuck the garlic (8 cloves) and sage (½ bunch) under and around the squash and top with butter (4 Tbsp). Place in the oven (if you’re doing the turkey legs too, they go in at the same time). Roast, without touching or flipping or turning, until all the squash is impossibly tender (you can poke it, and it should feel like it’s about to collapse), 2 ½–3 hours (approximately forever). The garlic will be jammy, the sage will be crisp, the squash will be soft, you will be happy.
Serve the squash in or out of the skins (you can eat the skin!), scattered with the garlic, sage, and browned-butter-and-brown-sugar business that’s pooled at the bottom of the dish.
Notes
SEEDS
Usually when roasting squash, I leave the seeds in, but here, I find they don’t do as well getting roasted low and slow, so I remove them. That said, I do eat them, of course. Rinse them in cold water, letting any squashy bits float to the top, and remove. Drain the seeds, pat dry on a little paper towel, and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add some paprika or chili flakes if you want. Roast at 425°F, tossing occasionally, until they’re crisped and evenly golden brown, 20–25 minutes. I grew up doing this with my dad after we’d carved pumpkins, and now I do it with all my squash. Truly a wonderful crispy-salty snack.
DO AHEAD
You can prepare your squash whenever you want, really, no need to do it ahead. But if you do, just gently rewarm in the oven in the baking dish it’s roasted in.
LEFTOVERS
There is nothing clever to do with this squash, but I like popping it back into a tiny skillet or baking dish and reheating in the oven so it regains some of its caramelization-crispy-bits stuff on the bottom. Probably also good in a microwave?
