Hallacas

Step 1: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a large heavy pot over a medium-high heat. Brown 1 ⅛ lb pork shoulder, 1 ⅛ lb beef chuck and 1 ⅛ lb chicken thighs, boneless and skinless in batches until coloured, then set aside.

Step 2: Lower the heat to medium. Add 2 onions, 1 leek, 6 spring onions and 2 red peppers and cook for 10 minutes until soft. Add 6 cloves garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Step 3: Return the meat with 3 tomatoes, 2 tbsp capers, 1 ⅜ oz panela or dark brown sugar, ¾ cup red wine or beef stock, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring now and then, until the beef and pork are tender.

Step 4: Sprinkle in 2 tbsp masarepa (pre-cooked white cornmeal) and stir for 3 minutes until the guiso is thick enough to hold its shape on a spoon. It must be steaming hot, with the pork and chicken cooked well past 165°F.

Step 5: Cool the guiso quickly in a wide dish, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Step 6: Wipe 2 ¼ lb banana leaves clean with a damp cloth and cut them into about 24 rectangles of 30 × 35 cm, plus 24 smaller pieces of 15 × 20 cm. Pass each leaf briefly over a gas flame or through hot water so it turns glossy and flexible.

Step 7: For the dough, mix 2 tsp salt into warm 5 ½ cups chicken stock and add 2 ¼ lb masarepa (pre-cooked white cornmeal) with ½ cup annatto (achiote) oil. Knead into a soft, smooth, orange dough. Keep it covered with a damp cloth.

Step 8: Brush the centre of a large leaf with a little of 2 tbsp annatto (achiote) oil. Put a 90 g ball of dough on it and press out with oiled fingers (or under a sheet of plastic) to a thin 20 cm round.

Step 9: Spoon 2 heaped tablespoons of cold guiso into the middle and top with 2 24 green olives, a few 2 ⅛ oz raisins, 2 24 blanched almonds, a strip of 2 roasted red pepper and a ring of 1 onion.

Step 10: Fold the leaf so the edges of the dough meet over the filling and seal. Fold in the sides of the leaf to make a neat rectangle, then wrap it in a smaller leaf, seam side down.

Step 11: Tie each parcel with 1 ball kitchen string, first lengthways then twice across, like a gift. Repeat until all are made.

Step 12: Bring a very large pot of salted water to the boil. Lower in the hallacas, cover and simmer for 1 hour, keeping them under the water.

Step 13: Lift out and drain for 10 minutes. Serve hot, unwrapped at the table.

Step 14: Cool spare hallacas within 2 hours and keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days or the freezer for 3 months. Reheat in simmering water for 20 minutes (30 from frozen) until hot all the way through.