Chilean Corn Pie (Pastel de Choclo)

Pastel de choclo or corn pie is a traditional Chilean dish, usually made with cream and shredded chicken. For this recipe I used skim milk, omitted the chicken and increased the flavour of the pino (meat layer) with extra cumin and paprika. The result is a scrumptious corn pie without the extra fat.

I’m a big fan of clay cooking because it builds up flavour, I cooked my pies in individual clay pots but you can use ramekins or a large casserole dish. The recipe calls for olives, egg and raisins, the combinations makes every bite a different experience. In the past I have made it without the egg and the olives for some of my friends and the results are just as delicious, so play around with it and make it your own.

 Pino

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 spray cooking spray
• 1/3  cup raisins
• 40 gm kalamata black olives, pitted and sliced
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, pealed and chopped
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1 large hardboiled egg,  peeled and cut in four
• ¼ cup of water

Corn Layer

• For the corn layer you can use fresh corn, frozen or canned corn kernels.
• 3 cups of corn kernels if frozen defrost first, if canned drain.
• 3/4 cup fat free skim milk
• 2 teaspoons all purpose flour

Serves: 4

Weight Watchers Point Plus Value: 9 per serving

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. With cooking spray, coat a large frying pan and over medium- high heat cook the beef, stir often to break up big chunks until the beef if no longer pink, abut 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Using a slotted spoon transfer the beef to a bowl but allow remaining liquid to stay in the pan (this adds lots of flavour to your pino).
4. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and allow it to cook for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Add the paprika, cumin, salt and ¼  cup of water, stir and  cook for a minute. Add the raisins, olives and the beef, mix all ingredients and remove from heat. Taste and adjust the salt if needed.
5. In a food processor pulse the corn, fat free milk and flour until the mixture is creamy but still has corn chunks.
6. Transfer the corn mixture to a frying pan, over high heat stir often and allow it to bubble, usually 4- 6 minutes.
7. In an oven safe dish layer the beef mixture at the bottom. Cut up the hardboiled egg in quarters and layer on top of the beef, followed by the corn mixture. Bake uncovered at 350F for 20 minutes, and broil for 10 minutes to allow the corn to brown.