Pastel de Choclo

4-6 servings

INGREDIENTS

Oil                                                                  30 to 40 ml

Onion, finely chopped                                   1 each

Garlic, minced                                               2 to 3 cloves

Ground beef                                                  450 gr

Paprika                                                           7 gr

Cumin seed                                                    2 gr

Oregano                                                         2 gr

Water or stock                                               240 ml

Flour                                                              7 gr

Fresh or frozen corn                                      450 gr

Cornmeal                                                       30 gr

Cornstarch                                                     8 to 16 gr

Milk                                                               as needed

Sugar                                                             12 gr

Salt and pepper                                              to taste

Butter                                                            14 gr

Sugar                                                             25 gr

METHOD OF PREPARATION

1.         Mise en place

2.         Preheat oven to 190ºC. Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium flame. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Stir in the garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes. Add the ground beef, paprika, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper and sauté, breaking up the meat, until the beef is just cooked through, 6-8 minutes.

3.         Pour in the water or stock and bring to a simmer. Sprinkle flour over all and stir in well. Simmer for another 5-8 minutes until lightly thickened. Adjust seasoning, remove from heat and set aside.

4.         Place the corn, cornmeal, cornstarch and sugar in a food processor and process until well pureed. With the blade running, add the milk a little at a time until the corn forms a thick batter. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5.         Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a large saucepan. Add the corn puree and cook, stirring constantly, until well thickened, about 5-8 minutes. Set aside.

6.         Spread the beef mixture in a greased casserole dish. Top with the cooked corn puree and spread out evenly over the dish. Sprinkle the sugar over the corn topping.

7.         Set the dish in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until bubbling and golden brown on top.

Notes

•          Pastel de Papas, or Pastel de Mandióca: substitute boiled, mashed potatoes or yuca, mixed with 1-2 beaten eggs and some grated cheese, for the corn topping if you like. The pastel with a yuca (cassava) topping is particularly popular in Paraguay.

•          The meat filling for this recipe is called pino and is also used to fill the famous Chilean empanadas.

o          The corn (choclo) used for this dish in South America is more mature and starchier than that found in the United States. That is why this recipe calls for cornmeal and cornstarch. If you can find South American-style corn — called choclo desgranado and found in the frozen section of some Latin groceries — you can eliminate the cornmeal and cornstarch