Pastel De Choclo (beef Casserole With Corn Batter Topping)

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 2 -3 tablespoons oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 -3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 cup water or 1 cup stock
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 lb fresh or frozen corn (thaw if frozen)
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 -2 tablespoon cornstarch
• milk, as needed
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 -3 tablespoons sugar

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 375ºf. heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. add the onion and saute until translucent. stir in the garlic and saute for another 1-2 minutes. add the ground beef, paprika, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper and saute, breaking up the meat, until the beef is just cooked through, 6-8 minutes.
• 2 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. this meat mixture is called pino.
• 3 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.
• 4 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.
• 5 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.
• 6 set the dish in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until bubbling and golden brown on top.
• 7 variations:.
• 8 after placing the beef mixture in the casserole dish, top with two poached chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces, and 2-3 sliced hard-boiled eggs. then top with the corn puree.
• 9 add 1/4 cup raisins and 1/4 cup chopped black olives to the simmering beef mixture.
• 10 stir 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil into the corn puree topping.
• 11 some chileans add 1/4 cup or more sugar to the corn topping to make it quite sweet.
• 12 set the finished casserole under a hot broiler for 1 or 2 minutes to brown it well if you like.