Pastel de Choclo
As Benjamin Sepulveda, Marcela Naveas, and Javiera Alvarez, from Santiago, Chile, taught Lindsay Sterling in Portland, Maine.
Serves: 4
Cooking time: 1 hour
Note: Easily make this dish for 8 by doubling the amounts and using a large casserole dish or two pie plates.
Ingredients
- 6-8 ears fresh corn or substitute with 4 cups frozen kernels
- 1 cup milk
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 chicken breast
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 + 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 Tbsp paprika (sweet, not spicy variety)
- 1 tsp oregano
- 3 leaves fresh basil (plus more for garnish)
- 1/2 cup black olives
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 2 Tbsp sugar
Equipment
- cutting board
- knife
- meat grinder, blender, food processor, or grater
- 2 medium pots
- 1 large pot
- measuring spoons -- or just eyeball it!
- 1 small pot
- 1 pie plate or similarly sized oven safe dish
- spatula
Instructions
1. Shuck the corn, and grind the kernels using whatever tool you have. You can grate the kernels off the cob using a grater, or you can slice the kernels off the cob with a knife and then turn them into a rough paste using a meat grinder, food processor, or blender. (To cut the kernels off the cob, turn a cob on its thick end and slice down the length of the cob, shaving the kernels off. Rotate cob and repeat until all the kernels are shaved off.)
2. Chop basil roughly or pulse it briefly with the corn in the blender or food processor. (Don't puree it in there otherwise your topping will turn slightly green, not as appealing as yellow!)
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook the ground corn and basil in a medium pot with the milk for 20-30 minutes on medium-low until the mixture thickens.
4. Hardboil the eggs, and boil the chicken. You can do this together in one pot. (Cover both with water, add 1 tsp salt, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat down so water is simmering). Once water boils, set a timer for 14 minutes.
5. Dice the onion. In large saute pan, saute the onions in 1 Tbsp oil. When the onions are soft, add ground beef, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 Tbsp paprika, and 1 tsp oregano. Saute, stirring occasionally until the ground beef loses all its pinkness.
6. When the timer goes off, remove the chicken from the broth and cut into to it to see if it's done (opaque throughout). Cover the eggs in cold water. Peel the eggs. Slice the chicken and eggs into 1/4-inch pieces.
7. Make the following layers in a deep pie dish or oven-safe baking dish: beef and onions on the bottom, then the chicken slices, then egg slices, olives, and raisins. Cover everything in the corn porridge. Sprinkle the top with sugar. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden. Broil the top for extra crispy texture.
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