It’s that time of the year when friends gather to make pastelles for the Christmas season, or am I dreaming? Do we still gather to cook? I’m not sure. I think many people order enough pastelles to last the season. It’s a dwindling tradition and a sad situation, because the commercial pastelles are a far cry from the homemade version, with many opting in the name of profit to omit the raisins, capers and olives which contribute to its identity and use a simple smear of filling, in a sometimes dry cornmeal package.

I make my own pastelles, I don’t make hundreds, a few dozen suffices me through the season, but I am particular with the taste and the ingredients. If I am making a pure chicken filling I will bone a whole chicken in order to have a good balance of dark and light meat. For full flavour, I use lots of fresh herbs, no artificial flavourings and I use butter in my cornmeal dough and some roucou to enhance colour.

I can control the quality of ingredients I use in my filling but I can’t control the quality of cornmeal for the dough. Recently I found my cornmeal dough very bland and the texture dry. Not the usual smooth texture and delicious corn flavour which I, and many others, have become accustomed to for most of our pastelle eating years. Until a friend turned me to another brand of cornmeal, not the usual brand that has become a household name on our island. I was so disappointed in that regular brand that I tried the new Donarepa brand that was recommended. And I was not disappointed.

I made corn arepas, cornbread, polenta and coo-coo, the new cornmeal brand gave me that “sweet” and smooth quality that I want. So this year I certainly will enjoy my pastelles again using the Donarepa cornmeal, which is manufactured from Columbian-grown corn in Columbia. Do you know why the other cornmeal has become so inferior in my humble opinion, in both taste and texture?

It is now made in the USA. So the lesson here is don’t be afraid to switch and try new brands. Don’t take it personally when your recipe disappoints, it’s not you, it could be the quality of your ingredients.

Cassava pastelles

1 recipe master pastelle filling (see below)

Dough or masa

2 lbs peeled raw cassava

1 tbs roucou

1 tsp salt

2 tbs coconut or olive oil

12 banana leaves 12x12 inches, passed over a flame or steamed to soften.

Grate cassava or process in food processor until mushy, place into a towel-lined strainer, leave for about one hour to remove any excess water.

Place into work bowl, add roucou and salt. Mix well with a wooden spoon or with your hands.

Section the masa/dough into 12 sections.

Place one banana leaf onto your work surface, oil the leaf.

Place the cassava masa onto leaf, place another oiled leaf over dough and smooth the dough to a 6-inch circle.

Place 2 tbs filling onto the middle of the dough. Bring the top portion of the leaf over to cover ½ the dough, press with your finger to release the dough. Repeat with the bottom half, and then the sides, making a neat package.

Fold over a few tim