Chile’s Hearty Corn and Beef Casserole Is Perfect for the End of Summer
Serious Eats / Estudio ComoIn Chile, we say that you haven't really had a complete summer until you’ve eaten pastel de choclo. Served family style or in individual clay bowls, the layers of this beloved Chilean summer casserole remain the same: a generous base of pino (traditional Chilean savory beef and onion stew), a scattering of poached chicken pieces, slices of hard-boiled eggs, raisins, and, traditionally, precisely one large pitted black olive per serving. All of that is topped with a thick layer of pastelera, a basil-kissed corn puree made from a less sweet Chilean corn called humero, though this recipe is designed to work with sweet corn since humero is so hard to find in the States. The stew, chicken, and corn puree are all fully cooked prior to assembly, then layered, baked until hot, bubbling, and lightly browned on top. Pastel de choclo is by far the heartiest dish we Chileans eat in summer, often on weekends in restaurants or at family gatherings, both in cities and out in the countryside. It's a heavy and rich dish, and is usually served as a main course accompanied by little more than a light tomato and onion salad. It should be enjoyed leisurely, taking no less than half an hour to finish, at which point all should be ready for a nap.Serious Eats / Estudio ComoThere are a few key requirements to success here: The beef stew needs to be thickened to a velvety consistency and studded with juicy pieces of beef, the chicken must be tender, and the corn puree should come out sweet and sliceable after baking. Here I’ve broken down the recipe into its key components to teach you how cook and assemble a nap- and accompanying dream-worthy pastel de choclo at home.Perfecting the Pino (Beef Stew)It’s common to find pastel de choclo with beef stew made with either finely diced beef or ground beef. The first option is what is usually found in homemade versions, while ground beef versions are more often served in small restaurants and food markets. Ground beef is, without a doubt, the less laborious option (probably why time-strapped small restaurants opt for it), and the results are still great. Given that you also have to prep the chicken, corn puree, and more, I also opt for ground beef in my recipe to keep the process manageable (but also explain how to use minced, if you prefer).In my opinion, using 80% lean ground beef yields a filling that is not only easier to prepare (no knife work required), but with its higher fat content it’s also more flavorful than the lean cuts of meat typically used as mince in the stew. One drawback to using ground beef is that it's more prone to drying out after first searing it and then simmering and baking it; in the worst cases it came come out with a texture like sandy gravel. To avoid this, I add baking soda to the beef by whisking it with water and tossing it with the meat before browning. The technique is a game changer: The baking soda raises the meat’s pH so that it stays moist and bouncy during cooking and browns beautifully.Serious Eats / Estudio ComoAs I mentioned, you can still make the recipe with diced beef, and I’ve given guidance for how to do so below the recipe in the notes. If making pino with diced beef at home, I recommend using a cut of meat such as flat iron or top blade steak. This differs from most Chileans, who prefer even leaner cuts like top or bottom sirloin butt, sirloin tip, or top or eye of round. I find the higher fat content in flat iron and top blade steak results in a juicier, more tender filling, whereas leaner cuts produce tough and dry morsels of meat that lack flavor.The Add-InsThe most common versions of this casserole include a piece of poached or roasted chicken in every portion, and while I prefer to include them those additions aren't mandatory. I opt for boneless, skinless chicken thighs since they're flavorful, remain juicy even with long cooking, and require no deboning. Poaching is also my preferred cooking method for the chicken, since it yields the most tender and juicy meat. I like seasoning the poaching water with basic aromatics like onion, carrot, oregano, garlic, and bay leaf to build a flavorful broth that comes in handy for the pino. The egg should be perfectly hard-boiled and olives black and as big as possible; look for the more salty and neutral varieties, like a Nyon,Niçoise, or Liguiria olive, not bitter or acidic varieties like kalamatas. It’s traditional in Chile to add just one olive per portion—finding the olive is like a fun, salty little surprise. Lastly, don’t skip the raisins, they are also part of the classic recipe and echo the sweetness of the corn topping.Serious Eats / Estudio ComoThe Corn Puree (Pastelera)By the end of spring, when the first ears of humero corn start appearing in the markets, a common scene unfolds across Chile: Ears of the thick and milky corn are shucked, then grated or ground to make either pastel de choclo or humitas (the name of Chilean tamales).The usual technique is to grate the peeled ears against a big, homemade grater, which removes most of the kernel skins. Humero corn is unique to Chile. It is starchier, less sweet, and has larger, more fibrous corn kernels than the sweet corn used for cooking in the US. Unless you are in Chile, you won’t find humero corn at your local market, so I call for sweet corn here, and have made a few adjustments described below to the puree to ensure the texture and flavor of pastelera is similar to the original. Start with browned butter. In one of my tests, I accidentally browned the butter in which the corn is cooked. I decided to proceed anyways and then, when I tasted it, I yelled the equivalent to eureka! in Chilean slang: “chanfle!” I live for these happy accidents in the kitchen. It’s no big secret that browned butter improves the flavor of well, almost everything, but here the nutty, caramelized milk solids in the butter deepened the flavor of the puree, actually mimicking the more complex flavor of the humero corn variety used in Chile. Use a Blender. Since American sweet corn is more delicate and its skin considerably thinner, there was no need to grate the corn to cut and separate the kernel skins, like when using humero corn. Simply processing it in a high potency blender yields a perfect result with a lot less effort and mess. Add cornstarch. As mentioned, humero corn has more starch than sweet corn, and when it is pureed and cooked that extra natural starch thickens it more. Adding a small amount of cornstarch will make up for the lack of it in American sweet corn. I added the smallest amount needed, but if you are using fresh corn at the beginning of the season that has higher water content, you may need to thicken the puree with a tiny bit more cornstarch than the recipe calls for. Serious Eats / Estudio ComoTop with sugar before baking. In Chile, pastel de choclo can be cooked dulce o salado—sweet or savory—or any level in between. This depends mostly on the sweetness of the corn, but also on the cook's tastes. I prefer the puree slightly sweet to balance the savory beef pino and chicken. Starting with sweet corn helps achieve this, but I finish the casserole with a sprinkle of sugar before it goes into the oven to promote a golden, sweet caramelized top.Use fresh or frozen sweet corn. There are obvious pros and cons to using each. As expected, the puree made with fresh corn has a more complex flavor (closer to when made with humero corn), but it requires more work (shucking and cutting 10 ears of corn), and the final flavor and thickness of the puree is less predictable due to corn's water, sugar, and starch content, which can vary more with fresh in-season corn. If using frozen corn, the flavor won’t be as bright, but less prep is required, it’s available year-round, and it's a consistent product that produces the same results every time.Assembling and ServingWhen ready to assemble, I recommend having the stew and chicken cold or at least at room temperature for easier handling, but keep the corn puree hot or at least warm so it spreads readily over the top. You’ll know the casserole is ready when the saucy beef filling bubbles up around the edges of the pastelera layer and the sweet aroma of corn fills the house. It smells exactly like a Chilean celebration at the peak of summer. Serve it as we Chileans do, with a simple tomato and onion salad and a medium-bodied Chilean red wine.Serious Eats / Estudio ComoFor the Poached Chicken: In a large saucepan, add 1 quart cold water, chicken, onion, carrot, dried oregano, black peppercorns, salt, garlic, and bay leaf and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Gently simmer, adjusting heat as needed, until chicken is tender and registers 175℉ (80℃) with a digital thermometer, 20 to 25 minutes.Serious Eats / Estudio ComoUsing tongs, remove the chicken from the poaching liquid and transfer to a cutting board; set aside to cool. Using a fine-mesh strainer set over a large bowl, strain the poaching liquid. Discard the strained solids and reserve the poaching liquid.Serious Eats / Estudio ComoFor the Beef Stew: In a medium bowl, whisk to combine 1 tablespoon water with baking soda. Add the ground beef and mix to combine. Let sit for 15 minutes. In a large stainless-steel or cast iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over high heat until shimmering. Add half of the beef and cook, without stirring, until browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and, using a wooden spoon, stir and break the beef into small pieces until the beef is no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining ground beef and 1 teaspoon salt, draining off excess fat from the beef and from the skillet.Serious Eats / Estudio ComoReturn the now-empty skillet to medium heat and heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil until shimmering. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in the cumin and paprika and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until no dry flour remains, about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in 2 cups of the reserved strained poached chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the skillet to release any browned bits. Add the reserved browned beef and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat as needed to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to let cool slightly before assembling.Serious Eats / Estudio ComoFor the Corn and Basil Puree: Using a high-powered blender, blend 1/2 of the corn with half of the milk and half of the basil leaves until all whole kernels are broken down and only small specs of whole basil remain. If the mixture is too thick for blending, add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed until it fully blends. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with the remaining corn, milk, and basil. In a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, cook the butter over medium-low heat, stirring and swirling skillet constantly with rubber spatula, until milk solids have turned a light golden brown and butter has a nutty aroma, 2 to 4 minutes. As soon as the butter is browned, add the corn puree and salt and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently and making sure to scrape along the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching, until the mixture is boiling, about 15 minutes.Serious Eats / Estudio ComoOnce boiling, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is very thick and the corn is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Monitor the pot closely and be careful while stirring, as the mixture will bubble and might splatter as it thickens.Serious Eats / Estudio ComoQuickly stir the cornstarch and water slurry to recombine, then stir into the corn puree. Continue to cook until the mixture is further thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a large heatproof bowl.Serious Eats / Estudio ComoFor Assembling: Adjust oven racks to middle position and preheat the oven at 400℉ (200℃). Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; set aside. Spray a 9- by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Cut each cooled chicken thigh in half; set aside.Serious Eats / Estudio ComoTransfer the cooled beef stew to the bottom of the prepared baking dish and spread in an even layer. Arrange the chicken pieces, egg quarters, olives and raisins evenly spaced over the beef layer. Pour the corn puree on top and spread into an even layer, leaving about 1/2-inch space around the perimeter. Save or freeze any remaining amounts of the corn puree (see notes).Serious Eats / Estudio ComoSprinkle the top of the casserole with the granulated sugar and paprika. Dot the butter pieces evenly on top. Serious Eats / Estudio ComoPlace the prepared casserole on the foil-lined baking sheet and and bake until hot and bubbly throughout and well browned on top, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.Serious Eats / Estudio ComoSpecial EquipmentLarge saucepan, large stainless-steel or cast iron skillet, blender, Dutch oven, 9- by 13-inch baking dish.Notes2 pounds of finely minced flat iron or top blade steak can be substituted for the ground beef. Omit the baking soda step and sear the beef in batches and proceed with recipe as directed, extending the cooking time by about 5 minutes.It is possible that the corn mixture ends up being an amount too large to fit the oven dish or individual ramekins or bowls you choose to use. The amount is enough to fit in a large and deep casserole dish or up to 8 Chilean traditional clay bowls, which are wide and deep. If you have leftover corn puree, refrigerate or freeze it to use as a side dish. It also makes a great breakfast with two fried eggs on top. The recipe can be made in individual ramekins or Chilean clay pots. Follow the recipe as written and distribute all the ingredients evenly among 6 to 8 individual heatproof ramekins, transfer to a baking sheet, and shorten baking time to 20 to 25 minutes.Make-Ahead and StorageThe beef pino and the chicken can be cooked and refrigerated separately for up to 3 days before assembling.The corn puree can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days before assembling. Make sure to warm the puree before layering, thinning with milk as needed to return it to a spreadable texture.The casserole can be assembled ahead or baked ahead and refrigerated for up to 4 days. Reheat on middle rack in oven 350℉(175℃) until heated through, bubbly, and the top is well carmelized, about 30 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil if topping becomes too brown.Freeze any leftovers or the whole dish for up to 3 months. If freezing is the plan, do not include hard boiled eggs as their texture becomes gummy.
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