09 Sep Peruvian Corn Bread with Beef Filling
Peruvian cornbread, or what we know as “pastel de choclo”, is one of my personal favourites entree because I love the mixture of the sweetness of the corn dough and the savoury of the beef mixture. This dish could be made in different versions, but the traditional one is with ground beef filling, but you also have cheese (or with “queso fresco”, chicken, etc. So, depends on what is your favourite flavour.
Obviously, you made it with Peruvian corn, that is one with this big kernel full of flavour and meat. But you can achieve the result with a slight difference in flavour with the regular corn we can find in any part of the world and has much easier access. The images that you can see are made with the normal corn, the one with sweet and little kernels, because before today I couldn’t find Peruvian corn in my area. Luckily I found one store that has the whole corn frozen, so you can defrost it and do the whole procedure as indicated in the recipe.
This will be an easy recipe for a night of the week, or it will also be amazing for the next day as a leftover lunch.
Ingredients:
- whole corns
- sugar
- eggs
- butter
- flour
- baking powder
- salt
For the filling:
- oil
- red onion
- tomato
- garlic
- tomato paste
- salt and pepper
- ground beef
- sultanas
- olives
- boiled eggs
First, you need to prepare the filling to let them cool a little to put over the corn mixture.
For the ground beef filling, you need to chop the onions, garlic and tomatoes (discarding the seeds). In a pot over medium heat, pour a little oil and fry the red onions until translucent and add the garlic, tomatoes and tomato paste. Let them fry for a couple of minutes with salt and pepper. Finally, add the ground beef with a little more salt and let them cook with the rest until is done. Turn off the heat and add the sultanas, chopped black olives and chopped hard-boiled eggs. Let them cool down while we prepare the “pastel de choclo” mixture.
Before starting, preheat the oven and 180°C and prepare a rectangle pan with some cooking spray or butter.
For the corn mixture, you need to peel the fresh corn and discard all the corn husks. Cut the kernels and blend them in a blender; if you need some liquid to blend, add some of the melted butter.
Pour all the corn mixture into a medium bowl, add salt, sugar, and the rest of the melted butter and mix it. Separate the eggs and add the yolks to the mixture with the flour and baking powder. Beat the whites in another bowl until they form peaks. Incorporate the white into the mixture with soft movements.
Pour half of the mixture into the prepared pan, add the filling and spread evenly to top with the rest of the corn mixture finally. Sprinkle some sugar on top to make a little crust on top. Bake for 45 – 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Frequently Asked Questions:
No, you don’t need the Peruvian corn; you can use the commonly known corn. Obviously, if you can access the Peruvian corn (it is white corn with big kernels) will add an extra oomph to your preparation.
Even though the traditional feeling is with ground beef, you can use “queso fresco”, regular cheese, a chicken mixture, etc.
Is not known where it originated, but every country in Latin America will have their version of it. Each one with its own way of preparation and final result. I have tried in South America, and my favourites are Peruvian and Chilean.
Yes, you can use it to fill “papas rellenas” or make some empanadas, or “arroz tapado”.
Peruvian Corn Bread with Beef Filling
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Category: Main
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Peruvian
Description
One of my favourite dishes of Peruvian food, love the mixture of the sweetness of the corn mixture and the saltiness of the ground beef. That contrast will be one of the best things for me in any cooking.
Ingredients
- 6 whole corns
- 3 tablespoons of sugar
- 6 eggs
- 1/2 cup of melted butter
- 1 tablespoon of flour
- 3 teaspoons of baking powder
- salt
For the meat filling:
- 2 tablespoons of oil
- 1 red onion
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- salt and pepper
- 500 grams of ground beef
- 1/3 cup of sultanas
- 1/4 cup of chopped black olives
- 2 boiled eggs, chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the filling: Chop the red onion and tomatoes (discard the seeds). Over medium heat, drizzle the oil and fry the red onions for a minute. Add the minced garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste and some salt and pepper. Let them fry for a couple of minutes. Incorporate the beef and let it fry until is done. Turn the heat off and add the sultanas, black olives and boiled eggs. Let it rest till cools down.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C and prepare a rectangle baking tray with some melted butter or cooking spray.
- Peel the fresh corn and remove all the corn husks. Cut the kernels and blend them in a blender. If you need some liquid to blend, use some of the melted butter.
- Pour the blended kernels into a medium bowl and add the rest of the butter, sugar, salt, flour, baking powder and egg yolks. Mix very well.
- In another bowl, beat the egg whites until they form peaks. Incorporate the egg whites to the corn mixture by adding first a third of the whites to soften a little bit mixture to add the rest very slowly finally, so we don’t lose the fluffiness of the egg whites.
- Pour half of the mixture into the prepared baking tray and add the meat filling spreading very well. Pour the rest of the corn mixture and finalize with a little sprinkle of sugar as the cornbread topping. This is my own twist to having a little crispy topping. Bake the “pastel de choclo” for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean. Wait a few minutes to serve.
- You can eat this dish as a main dish or a side dish, depending on what mood you are in. I assure you it will be a great success among your guests.
Keywords: Peruvian cornbread with beef filling, pastel de choclo peruano,
Hi! I’m Valeria (aka Val) the photographer and recipe developer behind Canguro Criollo. My passion for food began when I was little at my home when everything will revolve around food and now I discover this new creative outlet of food photography. I wish you can follow my journey discovering unique ways of preparing Peruvian food abroad and some other family-friendly foods.
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