Thursday, October 22, 2015

Corn Pie (Pastel de Choclo)




Pastel de Choclo is a classic and very popular dish of  South American cuisine.
It is made of Peruvian giant corn, also known as Choclo, an Andean corn with extra large kernels, almost 4 times bigger than the North American corn.
When I first heard about it, I thought the tale about the giant corn was slightly exagerated, but after visiting the local markets I was really impressed by its size and taste.
Corn is one of the most consumed foods in Peruvian cuisine and has been planted in this country for centuries.
According to Bernabe Cobo, a Sixteenth-century chronicler in the Inca Empier one could find corn ein every color under the sun from pale yellow to red, dark purple and black.
Still today there are almost 55 varieties of corn grown by local farmers.
Local cuisine offers a huge choice of dishes based on corn such as the Pastel de Choclo  , which we are going to prepare today., Peppian (a stew based on grated corn kernels mixed with onions, garlic, chili and a touch of fresh coriander., sweets like Humitas ( corn mashed pastries wrapped and steamed in corn husks) or the wonderful refreshing Chicha Morada, a drink made of purple corn. 
 The Amazing Purple Corn


Pastel de Choclo is a creamy, delicatley flavored dish with a wonderful combination of textures and savors.
There is as well a vegetarin version, filled with cheese instead of meat and it tastes fanatstic too.
Pastel de choclo  is easy to cook and can be prepared in advance, making it a crowd pleasing and ideal party food.



You need:
 4 cups of fresh white corn kernels
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup of soft butter
1 spoonful sugar
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper
For the filling:
1/2 kg ground meat (beef)
1 1/2 spoonful olive oil
1 cup tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon yellow chili paste (optional)
1/2 cup raisins
2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 cup black olives, stoned and roughly chopped
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 F
Blend corn kernels in a foodprocessor or blender together with the milk and soft butter.

 Add sugar, chilies and egg yolks.


 Season with salt and pepper.
Beat egg whites until soft peaks are formed, then fold carefully into the corn mixture.


 Aside, heat olive oil in a large sauce pan and saute onions and garlic until traslucent.



Add beef, chopped tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.


 Then incorporate hard boiled eggs, raisins and oilves.


 

Grease a rectangular Pyrex and pour half the corn mixture into the pan.
 top with the meat mixture, then pour over it the remining half of the corn mixture.
 

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown.


 
 Serves about 6-8 P.
Enjoy!
 
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32 comments:

  1. Oh this looks so tempting. Seems we both have a little piece of South America on our blogs today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Monica,
      Glad to hear tha you liked the post.
      And about the idea to post something related to Southamerica.....you know what they say about great minds :)

      Delete
  2. Danielle look amazing!
    We love pastel de choclo our recipe is similar to your only we don't add grated cheese.
    All here love it !!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Gloria,
      Next time I'll try your version without cheese- I 'm sure it tastes delicious.
      Cheers

      Delete
  3. Liebe Daniela, ich habe zwar noch nie vorher von einem Pastel de Choclo gehört, aber ich muss sagen, dieses Gericht hört sich unglaublich lecker an. Dein Rezept würde uns sicherlich ganz ausgezeichnet schmecken! Und jetzt wo es Herbst ist, würde sich die Familie über ein leckeres,Wolfühl-Essen sehr freuen!
    Liebe Grüße nach Peru - hoffe, es geht euch allen bestens!
    Andrea

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Liebe Andrea,
      Pastel de Choclo ist ein Klassiker der Südamerikanischen Küche und hat seinen Ursrung in Peru.
      Es ist sicher ein ideales Wohlfühl Essen für kühle Herbst und Wintertage. Freut mich sehr, daß Dir der Post Spaß gemacht hat.
      Wünsche Dir wunderschöne Herbsttage,
      Liebe Grüße aus Lima
      Daniela

      Delete
  4. Looks so comforting! Even the corn variety looks so beautiful :)

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  5. Love this recipe! It looks delicious, Daniela, Yum yum yum!!!

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  6. What an interesting dish! The corn sounds really fascinating - and colorful. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Tricia,
      the variety of corn and it's different preparations is really amazing.
      Soon we will try out another recipe with corn, it's just perfect for autumn.
      Have a great week ahead !

      Delete
  7. Those purple corns!!! So gorgeous! The pudding must be very delicious.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Angie,
      The purple corn is really the star among the different varieties of corn. Color wise and taste wise.

      Delete
  8. Danielle - is a sounds fantastic, although the only choclo we see here is in a can. I will try it with fresh corn, and hope it is at least close to your beautiful pastel! ~ David

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    Replies
    1. Hi David,
      thanks so much for your kind words, I'm sure your pastel will turn out even better.
      Have a great week ahead, my friend!

      Delete
  9. Danielle, Thank you for sharing your pastel de choclo recipe with us. It is very different and delicious sounding.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Karen, so glad to hear that you enjoyed the post and that I could introduce you to a new version of Pastel de Choclo.
      Cheers

      Delete
  10. What pretty corn! I sometimes see colored corn in the markets, but infrequently. Love the idea of it! Love this recipe too -- so nice. Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. HI John,
      The purple corn in the pictures is just one of so many different colors, it's really amazing.
      Cheers

      Delete
  11. I am traveling with you Daniela, I had some in Peru )pretty sure) and I do remember the corn the locals would sell to train passenger. So big. great recipe.

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  12. My husband grew up in Chile and his mother would make this dish. Unfortunately she isn't a very good cook and she tends not to use a recipe and her version of this dish is very different to yours. I have to say none of us liked it and she would cook it only all the time. I would love to try a fabulous looking version like yours xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Charlie,
      I had no idea your husband grew up in Chile, so you have a South American connection too:)
      A pity that you tried a not so nice version of pastel de choclo, but I'm pretty sure you would enjoy this one.

      Delete
  13. I used to cook with purple potatoes sometimes in France, but never heard of purple corn- that would certainly give some nice color to your dish. Looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  14. This is definitely my kind of hearty dish. I looks delicious. I love the purple corn - it's so pretty!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Amy,
      So glad to hear that you liked the idea of this kind of comfort food- so good for a chilly winter day.

      Delete
  15. Hi Daniela, love the purple corn, very interesting. Yet to see purple corn in our region.
    Your comfort corn pie look interesting and delicious. Nice pictures, thanks for sharing the wonderful recipe.

    Have a nice week ahead,regards.
    Amelia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Amelia, how are you?
      Haven't heard from you in a while, missing your beautiful posts.
      Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs

      Delete
  16. I've never seen a purple corn in my life! Thanks for sharing!

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  17. Perfect comfort food! I could not agree more this is like perfect make ahead food for parties. Choclo is not anything I have ever seen before. That is not like hominy, is it?

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  18. This is a dish I definitely need to try! It looks so comforting for the upcoming cold weather!

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  19. It looks absolutely delicious, Daniela! It is like a casserole... I am sure it is a crowd-pleaser!

    ReplyDelete

 
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