Pastel de Choclo

[kirra]

Pastel de Choclo
Beef, Chicken, & Corn Pie

This is a classic Chilean dish—a distant relative of England's cottage pie. It is usually made as a large casserole, but can also be served in individual pies.

Ingredients:

1 1⁄2 lbs. chicken pieces
4 medium yellow onions, peeled; 1 quartered, 3 chopped
2 bay leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 8 ears)
1 cup milk
6 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
3⁄4 lb. ground beef
1⁄4 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. sweet paprika
3 tbsp. roughly chopped raisins
2 hard-cooked eggs, cut into wedges
6 black olives, pitted and chopped
2 tsp. sugar

Preparation:

Place chicken, quartered onion, and 1 bay leaf in a pot. Season with salt and pepper, add water to cover, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until chicken is done, 15–20 minutes. Remove chicken. When cool, remove skin, pull meat from bones, and tear into large pieces.

Transfer quartered onion (discard cooking liquid and bay leaf) to a food processor or blender. Add corn and milk and purée until smooth. Heat 2 tbsp. of the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, add corn purée, and cook, stirring, until thick, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350°. Heat remaining 4 tbsp. oil in skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until golden, 5–7 minutes. Discard garlic. Add chopped onions and 1 1⁄4 cups water and cook over medium-high heat until liquid evaporates and onions are soft, 5–8 minutes. Add beef, breaking it up with the back of a spoon, and cook, stirring, until brown, 5–8 minutes. Add cumin, oregano, remaining bay leaf, paprika, and raisins, and season with salt and pepper. Stir in 3⁄4 cup water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until mixture is almost dry, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and discard bay leaf.

Spread beef mixture in the bottom of a 2-quart casserole or in four smaller ovenproof dishes. Add chicken, eggs, and olives, spread corn purée on top, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and preheat broiler. Brown under broiler for about 5 minutes. Serve hot. Serves 4 well.