By There is a woman at my church — Dona Mirta, seventy-three years old, from Arecibo — who makes pasteles that she claims are better than mine. She said this to my face last Sunday after Mass, standing right there in the church parking lot with her sensible shoes and her floral blouse and her audacity. Carmen, my pasteles are better than yours. She said it in front of three other women. She said it like it was a fact, like she was telling me the sky is blue or Hartford is cold.
Mi amor, I have not slept well since Sunday.
I called Ana in Bridgeport and told her. Ana laughed for five minutes. Ana said, Carmen, you have been the pasteles champion of the Hartford Puerto Rican community for twenty years, and one woman from Arecibo is going to unseat you? Make your pasteles and bring them to church and let God decide. Ana is the wisest of the Delgado sisters, which she would deny, but it is true.
So this Saturday I spent eight hours making pasteles. EIGHT HOURS. The full Abuela Consuelo method — green banana and yautia grated by hand because the texture is different when you use a food processor and I will die on this hill. The masa seasoned with achiote oil that I made myself. The filling: pork shoulder braised with sofrito and olives and capers and chickpeas. Each pastel wrapped in banana leaf, tied with kitchen string, boiled for an hour. I made twenty-four. They are in my freezer. They are perfect. They are Consuelo Ortiz pasteles, passed to Luz Maria, passed to me, and they have not been defeated in three generations and they will not be defeated by Dona Mirta from Arecibo.
Eduardo said I am overreacting. Eduardo does not understand. Eduardo is from Ponce. People from Ponce do not understand pasteles rivalries. People from Ponce understand nothing about pasteles. I told him this. He went back to his newspaper.
Sofia tried one and said it was the best she has ever had, and I know she was just being supportive but I will take it. I called Mami. I said, Mami, a woman at church says her pasteles are better than mine. There was silence. Then Mami said, Is she alive? I said yes. Mami said, Then she has not tasted yours recently. Make more. My mother, seventy-nine years old, giving tactical advice about pasteles warfare from Bayamon. I love this woman. I will make more. Dona Mirta does not know what is coming.
Now, I know what you are thinking—Carmen, you just spent this entire story talking about pasteles, and now you are giving us sweet potatoes? But listen. Every general knows you do not win a war with one weapon. These Thyme Brown Butter sweet potatoes are the dish I set next to the pasteles every single time, the one that makes people close their eyes and forget they came for anything else. Abuela Consuelo’s pasteles are the main event, yes, but this—this is the dish that makes Dona Mirta go quiet.
Thyme Brown Butter
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 1 hr | Total Time: 1 hr 15 min | Servings: N/A
Ingredients
- 3 large sweet potatoes
- Olive oil cooking spray
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 stick butter
- 2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme (or 2 teaspoons dried)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Roast the potatoes and garlic. Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with foil. Keep them in the very center of the sheet, and place the garlic cloves in between the potatoes. Spray everything with olive oil cooking spray (or drizzle with olive oil) and wrap in the foil. Place in the oven and roast until tender, about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours.
- Cool the potatoes. As the potatoes cool, prepare the browned butter.
- Brown the butter. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. When the butter has entirely melted, add in the thyme and reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue to cook until the butter turns a nutty brown, making sure not to let it burn. Remove from heat and keep warm.
- Mash the sweet potatoes. Peel the skins of the potatoes and mash the sweet potatoes using a potato masher or potato ricer. As you mash them, add in a bit of browned butter at a time, and mix. You can optionally add in some of the roasted garlic in this stage.
- Season and serve. Add salt and pepper to taste, keep warm, and serve.
Nutrition (per serving)
Not available.