Masas de Cerdo

Method

Place pork cubes in a large pot with water, salt, pepper, cumin, garlic and bay leaves, then bring to the boil and simmer for 45 minutes until the pork is very tender and beginning to fall apart. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon, reserving the cooking liquid, and shred the pork finely with two forks until it resembles stringy threads. Heat butter in a heavy-bottomed pan and sauté the onion until soft, then add the shredded pork and fry for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually add the plantain flour to the pork mixture, stirring well to combine, then slowly add 250ml of the reserved cooking liquid to create a thick, cohesive dough that pulls away from the pan sides. Form the mixture into 12 oval patties about 8cm long and 5cm wide, then either pan-fry in butter until golden and crispy on both sides, or serve at room temperature as part of a Cuban merienda.