Richard Pagan is 100 percent Puerto Rican. “I’m loud and proud,” the Foster Village resident jokes, borrowing a phrase from Puerto Rican actress Rosie Perez.
His four grandparents, with the surnames of Colon, Rodrigues, Pagan and Mori, were born in Puerto Rico and came here to work on the plantations. (Interesting side note: In Hawaii the plantation managers thought “Mori” was confusing, as it sounded Japanese, so the name was changed to Morris.)
Recently retired from Hawaiian Electric’s information technology department, Pagan and his wife of 42 years, Dee, are well known in the neighborhood for their home-cooked meals for the Radford basketball ohana. Pagan has served as coach and assistant coach for both the boys and girls teams for 15 years. Dee volunteers as cook.
One of their most popular offerings is their Puerto Rican pastele stew. A classic pastele is a rectangular bundle of tastiness with rich, flavorful pork stew surrounded by grated green bananas, steamed in banana leaves until solid yet tender.
The dish is a labor of love as grating the bananas is time-consuming and messy. More common is serving the filling by itself as a main dish.
“When we were growing up, we never called it pastele stew,” said Pagan. “The filling was called ‘matuda’ and the grated bananas ‘masa.’ Now everyone calls matuda pastele stew.”
Dee, who is of Hawaiian-Chinese descent, learned the family recipe from her mother-in-law. “It’s not complicated at all,” she said. “It just takes time to cut the pork into the small pieces.”
She meticulously cuts hunks of pork shoulder or pork butt into half-inch cubes and trims the fat. In batches, she sears the pork pieces.
Using a small electric chopper, she purees onions, garlic, cilantro and green onions, and adds it to the pot with the seared pork.
Other flavors for the mix: tomato sauce, salt, pepper, dried oregano, whole black olives and red pepper flakes.
The key ingredient, however, is annatto, or achiote seasoning, made from the seeds of what Hawaii folks call the lipstick plant. It colors the dish reddish-yellow and adds a distinctive favor. Dee prefers the Sazon Goya brand of achiote and cilantro flavoring. She finds it at Foodland and Sack N Save.
The pot of stew is simply heated to a boil, then simmered until the pork is tender. It’s a flexible recipe; for a soupier stew, add additional tomato sauce and water.
Pagan says the satisfying matuda is better the second day, when the slightly spicy sauce soaks into the meat. But the family usually can’t wait that long.
Dee keeps the dish economical by purchasing the pork butt, tomato sauce and olives on sale. Her source for red pepper flakes are leftover packets from pizza. “Why not?” she said.
The Pagan Family Matuda (Pastele Stew)
- 1 (5- to 8-pound) boneless pork butt or shoulder, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves
- 1 bunch green onions
- 1 large onion
- 1 large bunch cilantro
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 (6-ounce) cans pitted black olives, drained
- 2 (0.17-ounce) packets Sazon Goya coriander (cilantro) and annatto (achiote) seasonings
- 1 tablespoon dried red pepper flakes
- 5 to 6 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce, divided
- 2 (8-ounce) cans of water, divided
- Cilantro sprigs for garnish (optional)
In a large pot over high, brown pork in batches (no additional oil necessary). Discard fat.
With an electric chopper, puree garlic, green onions, onion and cilantro. Add puree and all of pork to pot and cook over medium heat. Add salt, pepper, oregano, olives, seasoning packets, pepper flakes, 5 cans tomato sauce and 1 can of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook 20 to 30 minutes until pork is tender.
Add additional can of tomato sauce and water for a soupier stew. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and serve hot with steamed rice. Alternatively, cool and refrigerate. Reheat to serve. Serves 15 or more.
Approximate nutritional information, per serving (based on 5 pounds of meat and 40 ounces tomato sauce): 300 calories, 17 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 90 mg cholesterol, 900 mg sodium, 8 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 4 g sugar, 29 g protein
More recipes
The Pagans’ recipe is among many family favorites in “Treasured Island Recipes,” a Hawaiian Electric Co. cookbook:
>> Cost: $14, to benefit Aloha United Way
>> Order online: hawaiian electric/AUW cookbook
>> Call: 543-4784
>> Pickup: Hawaiian Electric office, ASB Tower lobby, 1001 Bishop St. (save on postage and handling)
Lynette Lo Tom, author of “The Chinese Kitchen,” is fascinated by old-fashioned food. Contact her at 275-3004 or via instagram at brightlightcookery. Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.
