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Chilean pastel de choclo

· Lunch

A baked fresh-corn pie with basil over a beef-and-onion pino filling, with chicken, egg, olives and raisins.

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Chilean pastel de choclo: A baked fresh-corn pie with basil over a beef-and-onion pino filling, with chicken, egg, olives and raisins.
Photo: Gianinanicole · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia CommonsPhoto resized, converted to WebP and cropped for display.
⏱ 90 min🍽 6 servings📊 Intermediate🏷 Commonly associated
Preparation
35 min
Cooking
55 min
Waiting and resting
0 min

History

Pastel de choclo is one of the most representative dishes of central Chilean Creole cooking. It combines a fresh-corn topping with the beef-and-onion pino also used in Chilean empanadas and is often baked and served in clayware.

Ingredients

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Only numeric quantities at the start of an ingredient are adjusted. Descriptive quantities, seasoning to taste and timings remain unchanged; check them when changing servings.

Preparation

  1. 1

    Process 1.5 kg corn with 250 ml milk and 20 g basil until thick.

  2. 2

    Cook the corn mixture over medium heat for 12-15 minutes, stirring until thickened; season with part of the salt.

  3. 3

    Sauté 2 onions in 2 tablespoons oil for 8 minutes; add 500 g beef, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon paprika and the remaining salt, then cook for 10 minutes.

  4. 4

    Spread the pino in a baking dish, add 300 g chicken, 3 eggs, 12 olives and 60 g raisins, then cover with the corn mixture.

  5. 5

    Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar if using and bake at 200 °C for 25-30 minutes until golden.

Cooking tips

  • Let the pie rest for 10 minutes after baking so the corn topping sets and is easier to serve.

References to consult

References provide information about the dish, its context or a technique. Quantities in this version may differ from those in the source.

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