Our cultural traditions dictate pretty much what we will eat for Christmas each year. For those of us growing up in a Puerto Rican family, it is Arroz con Gandules (rice with pigeon peas), Lechon “asao” (roast pork), and of course, the “Piece De Resistance” pasteles puertoriquenos (a kind of tamale made of green bananas stuffed with flavorful meat). Without these three staple dishes, there is no Christmas, at least,...