Pastel de Choclo is a comforting recipe for a Chilean beef and corn casserole. With a wonderful combination of flavors and classic South American ingredients, it is the perfect dinner dish for fall and beyond. Yield: 1 (9x13) pan
Prep Time40 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr10 minutesmins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: South American
Servings: 6people
Author: Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere
Ingredients
For The Meat
2lbsground beef,85-90% lean
3onions,diced
2garlic cloves,minced
2teaspoonpaprika
2teaspooncumin
1 ½teaspoonsalt
For The Corn “Crust”
2tablespoonunsalted butter
12c (roughly 3 lbs) sweet corn, thawed if frozen
1 ¼cmilk
¼ccornmeal
2teaspoonbasil
1teaspoonsalt
Putting It Together
¾cblack olives,whole
½craisins
4hard boiled eggs,peeled and chopped
Granulated sugar(to top)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350F.
For The Meat
In an extra large skillet, saute the beef with the onions over medium high heat, until the meat is browned, 10 min.
Add the garlic, paprika, cumin, and salt. Mix well. Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, until most of the juices have reduced. Remove from the heat.
For The Corn “Crust”
Melt the butter in a gallon soup pot.
Working in batches as your blender allows, place the corn, milk, cornmeal, basil, and salt into the blender and pulse until the corn is pureed, but not smooth. Pour the pureed corn mixture into the pot with the melted butter.
Bring the corn puree mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. After 5 minutes, remove the corn from heat.
Putting It All Together
Cover the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking dish with a thin layer of the corn mixture.
Top the corn with all of the beef mixture.
Then, evenly distribute the black olives, raisins, and eggs over the beef.
Spoon the remaining corn mixture over top.
Lightly sprinkle granulated sugar over the corn.
Bake the dish for 30 minutes, until bubbly around the edges. Then, turn the heat to broil, and broil until top is golden brown.
Remove the dish from the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes before servings.