Pastel de choclo (corn pie)

I occasionally make the veggie version of Chilean corn pie from the Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant. This original meat-based version turns out to be very tasty as well. Actually, neither of the girls liked it much – I think the relative sweetness of the corn topping put them off. Ideally, the topping should have firmed up a bit more – I added extra milk while blitzing the topping mixture, which was probably a mistake. I made it following a recip on the Quericavida website, which I adjusted slightly.

Pastel de choclo
(serves 4)

• 3 Tb olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 500g ground beef
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 Tb paprika
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 Tb flour
• 2 cups fresh or frozen corn
• 2 Tb cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 Tb butter
• 1 Tb brown sugar
• salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir and sauté the onion until translucent. Add garlic and cook another two minutes.
3. Add ground beef and season with paprika, cumin seeds, oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Stir for 8-10 minutes until meat is  cooked through.
4. Sprinkle with flour, and stir in well, cooking for another couple of minutes. Add beef stock and bring to a boil.
5. In a food processor, blend corn, cornstarch and cornmeal until it is puréed. Gradually pour in the milk. Season with salt and pepper.
6. In a medium pot, melt butter over low heat and add the corn mixture, stirring constantly for about 8 minutes until it has thickened.
7. Place ground beef mixture in greased casserole and spread with the corn mixture. Sprinkle with brown sugar and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the top is firm and golden brown.

Family score: 6.7 out of 10

Tags: beef, corn, South American food