NOCHEBUENA

Christmas Eve means big gatherings, big meals, and beloved traditions for Latino families around the world.

- JJ Johnson

WHEN I WAS A CHILD, my family's Nochebuena tradition was unmatched. My maternal grandmother, Bebe Iris, and my aunts would prep for a month. Stock simmered on the stove, and yuca and plantains were mashed weeks in advance, making the kitchen aromas an intoxicating reminder that the holidays were here. When Christmas Eve arrived, we would eat all night, feasting on tender chicken and pork pasteles, arroz con gandules, rellenos de plátanos, budin de pan, and much more, all washed down with my grandmother's creamy coquito. I can still taste the food just thinking about it.

Growing up Afro Latino in Pennsylvania, Nochebuena reaffirmed the significance of my Puerto Rican heritage. Today, it continues to do so, profoundly influencing my cooking and family values. My grandmother passed away when I was eight, but she lives on every time I celebrate Nochebuena with my family, keeping her traditions and her memory alive through the food we make together (while my mom yells at me to turn down the stove). My sister makes the coquito, and my kids tie the strings on the pasteles. Nochebuena may look different today, but it still holds the same importance for me now as it did back then-a reminder of my heritage, the culinary traditions that shaped my life, and the unbreakable bond of family.

Pasteles
ACTIVE 1 HR 45 MIN; TOTAL 2 HR 55 MIN
MAKES 16 PASTELES

Pasteles are bundles of savory dough made with both soft, sweet plantains and the starchy green variety, plus yuca and kabocha squash. Chef JJ Johnson fills them with chicken cooked in a tomato sauce redolent with coriander and annatto; they're then wrapped in banana leaves and parchment paper and boiled until the dough is cooked.