Pastel de choclo recipe (Chilean cottage pie) | Sainsbury`s Magazine (2024)

Inspired by a Chilean ‘corn pie’, or pastel de choclo, spiced beef mince is topped with a fluffy layer of smashed sweetcorn

Sarah Akhurst

Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill

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Ingredients

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Step by step

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Add the eggs to a pan of boiling water and simmer for 7 minutes. Drain, then refill the pan with cold water to cool the eggs.
2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion for 6-8 minutes, or until softened. Add the spices and continue to fry for a couple of minutes, before adding the beef. Break up the mince and fry for 4-5 minutes, until coloured all over, then add the stock. Simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until only a little of the liquid is remaining. Remove from the heat and stir through the flour. Season to taste and set aside while you make the corn topping.
3. Heat the butter in a large pan and cook the corn for 6-8 minutes. Add the milk and basil and continue to cook until almost all of the milk has been cooked off. Remove from the heat and season well. Blitz the corn with a stick blender so it has a rough mash consistency – don’t purée to a completely smooth consistency as you want the mash to retain some texture. Sprinkle in the cornmeal and then continue to cook on a low heat for another 4-5 minutes, stirring continuously.
4. Spoon the mince into a baking dish. Peel then quarter the eggs and nestle them into the beef mince. Top with the corn mash and spread out evenly. Sprinkle over the sugar and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until crisp and browned on top.