#12 Pastel de Choclo Recipe

Pastel de choclo means "corn pie". It is Chile's favorite home-cooked meal. The soft and creamy pastel de choclo is a casserole-like pie that is also popular in Argentina and Bolivia. It consists of ground beef, black olives, onions, hard-boiled eggs, and cornflour dough called choclo.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound of ground beef

• 1 small onion, chopped

• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp. paprika

• salt and pepper to taste

• 1 hard-boiled egg

• 1/3 cup raisins

• 1/3 cup chopped black olives

For corn topping:

• 3 cups fresh or frozen corn

• 3 tbsp. butter

• 1/2 cup whole milk

• 1 tbsp. sugar

• 1 tsp. cornstarch

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a frying pan, sautee the onion until it turns translucent.

2. Add in the ground beef and cook it on medium heat.

3. Once the beef turns brown, season it with paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Set it aside.

4. For the corn topping, combine corn and milk in a blender and liquify.

5. Transfer the corn mixture into a large saucepan. Add in your butter, sugar, salt, and pepper. Cook it in medium-low heat.

6. Once the corn mixture has just started to simmer, remove about 1/3 cup of the mixture and stir in cornstarch until dissolved. Add cornstarch mixture back to the saucepan and stir until mixture thickens. Set aside.

7. In a medium-sized baking dish, layer ground beef, raisins, hard-boiled egg, and black olives. Pour corn mixture over the ground beef mixture. Bake at 400F for 20 to 30 minutes, or until corn topping is golden brown to your liking. If you prefer a brown and bubbly crust, place it under the broiler for a minute or so.

Nowadays, large raisins are sometimes incorporated into the pie, while the pie itself gets sprinkled with sugar before baking, ensuring that a caramelized crust develops on top. All that's left is to enjoy it while it's hot and consume a delicious slice of culinary history.