Pastel de Choclo or Corn and Beef Pie is an iconic dish in Chile. A traditional Chilean recipe.

Corn pie is a classic during the summertime in Chile. In my family, on January 1st we make corn pie if living in the country the pie es usually cooks on a clay dish inside a wood-burning oven if residing in the city a standard oven and a baking pan is enough.
Finally, we ate a perfect corn pie made with frozen corn, I had already tried a couple of times but had never been happy with the taste or texture. In the end, I think cornstarch is what works best to thicken the corn and give it a similar feel to the Chilean dish.

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Corn and Beef Pie “Pastel de Choclo”

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Author: Pilar Hernandez
Prep Time: 1H
Cook Time: 30M
Total Time: 1H30M
Yield: 6-8

Description

The Chilean version of Sheperd’s pie with a twist corn pudding on top.

Ingredients

For the corn mixture,

•   2 tablespoons butter
•   4 bags of frozen corn or 10 cups or so (I buy sweet corn HEB)
•   1/2 cup whole milk
•   1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup cold milk or water
•   1 bunch basil, about 10 leaves, sweet basil if find
•   salt, pepper and Merkén or paprika

For the meat,

•   2 tablespoon of vegetable oil
•   1 kilo/2 pounds ground beef
•   1 cup water or beef broth
•     3 onions, diced small
•   Merkén or 1 tablespoon chili powder or paprika
•   1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
•   salt, pepper
•   2 tablespoons flour

Optional: cooked chicken and raisins

Instructions

For the meat, always do it the day before,

Heat the oil in a large pot, saute the meat until lightly browned, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, add the paprika, salt, pepper, and cumin, sauté 2 minutes more.
Add the broth and simmer 30 minutes over low heat.
Add the onion and mix well and cook over medium heat until the onion is tender, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Turn off heat and add the flour and stir well, adjust seasoning if necessary. Cool and refrigerate.

For the corn mixture,

In a large pot with a thick bottom, I use my cast iron, melt the butter over medium-high heat, add the frozen corn and occasionally stir about 8 minutes.
Add milk, basil, salt, pepper, and Merquén or paprika and continue to cook occasionally stirring for about 10 minutes longer.
With a hand blender, blend the corn trying to not to go uniform, leave some chunky parts, when happy with the consistency, add the dissolved cornstarch and continue cooking over medium heat 5 minutes, taste and adjust seasoning, it will thicken slightly.

To assemble the pie,

On a clay or baking dish, put one layer of cooked meat, add grilled chicken if you like it too on top of the meat, and raisins.
Cover with the corn mixture, sprinkle with granulated sugar and bake at 400F or 200C in a preheated oven for 45-60 minutes until bubbling and golden on top. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Corn and Beef Pie “Pastel de Choclo”

Visit our collection of Chilean recipes here.