Destination
Santiago
The story
Pastel de choclo is Chile's summer national dish: a filling of pino (the same knife-cut beef, sweet onion, raisin and olive as a Chilean empanada), topped with shredded chicken and slices of hard-boiled egg, covered with a thick blanket of blitzed sweet corn (choclo) mixed with basil and a splash of milk, and baked in a clay paila until the corn topping is golden and the sugar sprinkled on top has caramelised to a bittersweet crust. Served straight from the paila with a knife and fork.
Method
Warm the oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Sweat the onion 12 to 15 minutes until soft and sweet. Add the garlic, paprika, cumin, merkén, salt and pepper. Cook 1 minute. Add the beef and cook, stirring, until it releases its liquid. Pour in the stock and simmer 15 minutes until the beef is tender. Take off the heat and cool slightly.
Blend the corn kernels with the basil and milk in a food processor to a thick, chunky paste (not fully smooth). Melt the butter in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the corn paste, salt and pepper. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens noticeably and pulls away from the pan when stirred.
Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
Spread the pino evenly across the buttered paila. Scatter the shredded chicken on top of the beef. Arrange the sliced hard-boiled egg over the chicken. Tuck the raisins and olives evenly around.
Spoon the corn mixture over the top in an even layer, right to the edges of the paila, so it seals the filling underneath. Smooth flat with the back of a spoon.
Sprinkle the caster sugar evenly across the corn topping. Don't be shy; this becomes the caramelised crust.
Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until the corn topping is deep golden, the sugar has caramelised in patches, and the whole dish is bubbling at the edges.
Rest 10 minutes before serving so the layers hold together. Spoon straight from the paila onto plates. Traditional side: a simple salad of tomato and onion.
Tips
- Hand-cut the beef, don't mince it. Same rule as Chilean empanadas: the texture of small cubes of beef is what makes pino, pino. Minced meat gives you a slurry.
- Cook the corn topping until it thickens. This is the step home cooks often skip. The corn-basil-milk mixture needs 8 to 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring, until it pulls away from the pan. Skip and the top layer stays wet and doesn't crust.
- The sugar on top is essential. A light 2-tablespoon dusting of caster sugar caramelises into a bittersweet crust that defines the dish. Every Chilean recipe includes this. Do not skip.
- Fresh corn tastes best but frozen works. Fresh corn on the cob at the peak of summer is unbeatable; frozen sweetcorn kernels from a supermarket bag are a fine year-round substitute.
- Bake in a clay paila if you can. The paila retains heat and gives the topping a gentler bake than a metal dish, which browns too fast. Individual pailas also make excellent single-serve versions for a dinner party.
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