Recipe(tried): Pastel de Choclo (Corn Pie)

Pastel de Choclo (Corn Pie)

One of my favourite recipes using corn is a Chilean casserole topped with corn.

500g chicken breasts
6 large onions
6 tabs olive oil
750g(1 1/2 lb) topside mince
3/4 tspn ground cumin
1 1/2 tabs paprika
3/4 tspn dried oregano
1 1/2 tspns salt
1 1/2 cups of water approx
1/3 cup raisins
2 hard boiled eggs
12 black olives

Remove skin and bone from chicken , peel and chop onions coarsely. Heat olive oil in large frying pan ,fry breasts until golden brown and cooked through over a gentle heat. Lift out and reserve. Add onions to frying pan and cook until softened. Add minced beef and fry until brown and crumbly.Stir in spices, herbs and salt and sufficient water to moisten mixture but not too wet. Cook over a gentle heat for 10-15 mins. Stir in raisins.

Divide meat mixture between 6 individual casseroles or one large casserole. Cut chicken into 12 chunks. Place two pieces of chicken on top of each casserole. Peel eggs and slice . Place 2 pieces of egg and two olives on top of chicken. Cover each casserole with layer of corn topping and bake in mod oven for 40 mins or until golden brown.
Corn Topping

Cut all the corn from 8 cleaned corn cobs and puree in a blender or food processor. Melt 60g (2oz) butter in saucepan add pureed corn, 2 tabs sugar, 3 tspns salt 1 1/2 tespns dried basil and combine. If fresh corn is unavailabe use 3 cans of 440g creamed sweetcorn and omit sugar.

I usually make it in one big dish and use chicken legs instead of chunks of chicken.