Pastel de Choclo
This is by far my favorite dish from Chile. Food in Chile is usually simple as overall Chile is rather poor (except for the rich class of Santiago who are almost all foreigners). But here is a dish that combines common ingredients prepared so that the end result is rich and delicious. One notion a lot of people have about Chilean cuisine is that it is spicy and like Mexican food, that is not so. Chile has old German, French and Mediterranean influences that date back from the early 1850s, those influences are seen in the way this dish is prepared. There are three basic elements to the dish that when combined and baked make Pastel de Choclo, or Corn Pie - poached chicken, cooked corn and sauteed ground beef w/ onions. One could say it's "like" a shepherd's pie, sorta of. I never saw this dish prepared while I was in Chile but any time I had the chance I ate this in restaurants. I spent hours pouring over recipes and looking at different YouTube videos - I used to say this here years ago but now it is so much more true: the internet is a vast resource of ideas and recipes. Use them to learn and as a springboard to great recipes of your own creation. My apologies to my Chilean friends if I don't have this just right - yet I challenge any of you to try my pastel de choclo and tell me you don't love it...
Enjoy...
1 medium sized disposable roasting pan (13x10x4)
4 chicken breasts (bone in/skin on)
1 1/2 Lbs. Ground Beef (85%)
1 Large Onion (small dice)
1 Tbls chopped garlic
12-14 Large Ears Fresh Corn (or 3lbs frozen corn kernels)
1 qt while milk
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup corn oil
1 cup semolina flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 Tbls baking powder
1 Tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbls corn starch
6 eggs, separating egg yolks and whites into separate bowls
1 Cup Oil Cured Olives (pitted)
Basic Seasoning:
1 tsp. Poultry Seasoning
1 tsp. Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
1 tsp Dry Thyme
1 Tsp Cumin
1 Tsp Coriander
1 tsp seasoning salt
1 tsp celery salt
4 chicken breasts (bone in/skin ON)
Start a large pot of cold water on high flame, add the chicken breasts and bring to a boil, reduce to simmer. Skim all scum and dispose (starting with cold water helps break down and separate impurities from the chicken in the form of the scum). After skimmed add a hearty pinch of the Basic Seasoning and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. Then remove chicken to a plate with tongs, but save the stock for the other elements of the dish.
Preferably the fresh corn is available and cheap, use the frozen in winter if necessary. Husk and then cut off the corn from the cobs with a large sharp knife. Add Corn to a large pot and then add 1 Tsp Basic Seasoning and the milk a little at a time while cooking. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer, add a generous pinch of Basic Seasoning. Cook 20 minutes, stir often to avoid any corn sticking to bottom, occasionally adding ladles of the stock from the poached chicken to keep it very moist. Then puree corn in a blender or food processor in batches. Once all corn is very well pureed add the semolina, flour, sugar,corn starch, cinnamon and corn oil and cook on low heat about 5 minutes. Now let this rest and cool completely. Add the egg yolks and baking powder to the mixture. Beat the egg whites until they are quite stiff, add a little white sugar if needed. Now gently fold the egg whites into the cooled mixture. You have essentially made a corn souffle mixture of sorts as a topping for the pastel. Set aside for assembly process
Start another skillet on high heat, add olive oil and then when oil is hot add onion, saute for 2 minutes. Then reduce to medium heat and add ground beef and minced garlic and Basic Seasoning, saute until beef starts browning lightly then reduce to low and add ladles of the stock from the poached chicken always keeping the pan very moist. Continue to cook beef a total cooking time of about 15 minutes, always adding more stock to keep the pan very moist.
Assembly process. Take ground beef onion mixture and pour into an aluminum turkey roasting pan, distribute evenly. Now skin and debone chicken breasts and break chicken meat into medium sized chunks and arrange evenly over ground beef. Pit 1 Cup Oil Cured Olives and distribute between chunks of chicken meat in pans, distribure about 1/2 cup raisins over this mixture. Next ladle the cooked corn mixture over beef/chicken/olives so that all is covered. Sprinkle 4 Tbls. White Sugar over the top of the pan so when baking the top of the corn carmelizes nicely. Place pan in a preheated 400 Deg. oven and bake for 45 minutes. Remove and let stand 5 minutes before serving. In Chile this would be accompanied by a simple plate of sliced tomatoes and cucumbers with a dressing of olive oil and white vinegar and chopped cilantro. For single people if you have small Corning Ware containers you can make small portions and freeze them, and then bake as described when convenient
need a little hand torch to crisp up the top on this, the salad is a gussied up version of what you'd be served with the pastel
Today's update recipe done up in a 14x10x4 1/2 inch turkey roasting pan I got at Walmart ($3.00).
__________________
This is by far my favorite dish from Chile. Food in Chile is usually simple as overall Chile is rather poor (except for the rich class of Santiago who are almost all foreigners). But here is a dish that combines common ingredients prepared so that the end result is rich and delicious. One notion a lot of people have about Chilean cuisine is that it is spicy and like Mexican food, that is not so. Chile has old German, French and Mediterranean influences that date back from the early 1850s, those influences are seen in the way this dish is prepared. There are three basic elements to the dish that when combined and baked make Pastel de Choclo, or Corn Pie - poached chicken, cooked corn and sauteed ground beef w/ onions. One could say it's "like" a shepherd's pie, sorta of. I never saw this dish prepared while I was in Chile but any time I had the chance I ate this in restaurants. I spent hours pouring over recipes and looking at different YouTube videos - I used to say this here years ago but now it is so much more true: the internet is a vast resource of ideas and recipes. Use them to learn and as a springboard to great recipes of your own creation. My apologies to my Chilean friends if I don't have this just right - yet I challenge any of you to try my pastel de choclo and tell me you don't love it...
Enjoy...
1 medium sized disposable roasting pan (13x10x4)
4 chicken breasts (bone in/skin on)
1 1/2 Lbs. Ground Beef (85%)
1 Large Onion (small dice)
1 Tbls chopped garlic
12-14 Large Ears Fresh Corn (or 3lbs frozen corn kernels)
1 qt while milk
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup corn oil
1 cup semolina flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 Tbls baking powder
1 Tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbls corn starch
6 eggs, separating egg yolks and whites into separate bowls
1 Cup Oil Cured Olives (pitted)
Basic Seasoning:
1 tsp. Poultry Seasoning
1 tsp. Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
1 tsp Dry Thyme
1 Tsp Cumin
1 Tsp Coriander
1 tsp seasoning salt
1 tsp celery salt
4 chicken breasts (bone in/skin ON)
Start a large pot of cold water on high flame, add the chicken breasts and bring to a boil, reduce to simmer. Skim all scum and dispose (starting with cold water helps break down and separate impurities from the chicken in the form of the scum). After skimmed add a hearty pinch of the Basic Seasoning and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. Then remove chicken to a plate with tongs, but save the stock for the other elements of the dish.
Preferably the fresh corn is available and cheap, use the frozen in winter if necessary. Husk and then cut off the corn from the cobs with a large sharp knife. Add Corn to a large pot and then add 1 Tsp Basic Seasoning and the milk a little at a time while cooking. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer, add a generous pinch of Basic Seasoning. Cook 20 minutes, stir often to avoid any corn sticking to bottom, occasionally adding ladles of the stock from the poached chicken to keep it very moist. Then puree corn in a blender or food processor in batches. Once all corn is very well pureed add the semolina, flour, sugar,corn starch, cinnamon and corn oil and cook on low heat about 5 minutes. Now let this rest and cool completely. Add the egg yolks and baking powder to the mixture. Beat the egg whites until they are quite stiff, add a little white sugar if needed. Now gently fold the egg whites into the cooled mixture. You have essentially made a corn souffle mixture of sorts as a topping for the pastel. Set aside for assembly process
Start another skillet on high heat, add olive oil and then when oil is hot add onion, saute for 2 minutes. Then reduce to medium heat and add ground beef and minced garlic and Basic Seasoning, saute until beef starts browning lightly then reduce to low and add ladles of the stock from the poached chicken always keeping the pan very moist. Continue to cook beef a total cooking time of about 15 minutes, always adding more stock to keep the pan very moist.
Assembly process. Take ground beef onion mixture and pour into an aluminum turkey roasting pan, distribute evenly. Now skin and debone chicken breasts and break chicken meat into medium sized chunks and arrange evenly over ground beef. Pit 1 Cup Oil Cured Olives and distribute between chunks of chicken meat in pans, distribure about 1/2 cup raisins over this mixture. Next ladle the cooked corn mixture over beef/chicken/olives so that all is covered. Sprinkle 4 Tbls. White Sugar over the top of the pan so when baking the top of the corn carmelizes nicely. Place pan in a preheated 400 Deg. oven and bake for 45 minutes. Remove and let stand 5 minutes before serving. In Chile this would be accompanied by a simple plate of sliced tomatoes and cucumbers with a dressing of olive oil and white vinegar and chopped cilantro. For single people if you have small Corning Ware containers you can make small portions and freeze them, and then bake as described when convenient
need a little hand torch to crisp up the top on this, the salad is a gussied up version of what you'd be served with the pastel
Today's update recipe done up in a 14x10x4 1/2 inch turkey roasting pan I got at Walmart ($3.00).
__________________
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