Pablo Bonacic, owner of the Merken Food Truck, compares this unique Chilean dish to shepherd’s pie. It doesn’t turn out quite the
same when made in the U.S. because the corn here isn’t as hard as corn grown in Chile. As a result, it’s difficult to get the right crust-like
consistency from the topping that goes on the filling, he says. Still, it might be fun to try.
Ingredients:
3 to 4 medium onions, chopped
3 T. vegetable oil
1.5 lbs. of ground beef
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
3 c. corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
1 c. whole milk
1/4 c. butter
1 T. sugar
2 T. finely chopped basil
1/2 c. raisins
1/3 c. chopped black olives
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 c. shredded roasted chicken
2-3 T. powdered sugar
Directions:
Saute the onions in the vegetable oil until soft and translucent, 5 minutes. Add the ground beef, cumin, 1 tsp. salt, and pepper.
Cook, stirring, until the beef is crumbled and browned. Remove from heat and set aside. Place the corn kernels in a food processor or
blender with 1/4 c. milk. Process for 1 to 2 minutes, until corn is blended and appears creamy. Melt 1/4 c. butter in a pan, and
add 1 tsp. salt, 1 T. sugar, and the corn mixture. Add the remaining 3/4 c. milk and simmer, stirring, until mixture thickens, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the
chopped basil and remove from heat.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drain the liquid from the browned beef mixture. Place the ground beef mixture in
the bottom of a 3 or 4 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle raisins, olives, and hard-boiled eggs over the beef, then layer the chicken on top.
Spread the corn mixture over the top of the casserole so that it covers the rest of the ingredients. Sprinkle the powdered sugar on
top. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, until the corn mixture is golden brown. Serve warm.
