Pastel de Choclo

Method

1. Put the chicken, water and salt in a 16 cm pot, bring to a boil on high heat, then turn down to medium-low heat and simmer for 20 min. For the last 10 min, lower the eggs in gently with a ladle and cook them alongside. Cool the eggs in cold water and peel them. Cut into the thickest part of the chicken to check the juices run clear, then cut it into 3 cm pieces.

   Add in this stepBoneless chicken thighs 160 gWater for the chicken 600 mlSalt ¼ tspEggs 1

   high heat→medium-low heat

2. Finely chop the onions into 0.5 cm pieces. Heat the oil in a 24 cm pan on medium-low heat and cook the onion for 12 min, until soft, translucent and sweet but not browned. The sweetness of a Chilean pino comes from this onion, so don't rush it.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil 1½ tbspMedium onions 1½

   medium-low heat

3. Turn the heat up to medium-high heat, add the beef and cook for 6 min, breaking it up finely with a spatula, until no red remains. Add the cumin, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper, sprinkle over the flour, stir for 1 minute, then pour in the stock. Turn down to low heat and simmer for 10 min, until juicy but not soupy. This is the pino.

   Add in this stepGround beef 200 gGround cumin ½ tspSweet paprika 1 tspDried oregano ½ tspSalt 0.6 tspBlack pepper to tastePlain flour 1 tspBeef stock 100 ml

   medium-high heat→low heat

4. Blend the corn, basil and milk into a purée that still has a little texture. Melt the butter in a 18 cm pot (non-stick is best), add the corn purée and salt and cook on medium-low heat for 15 min, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thick like soft polenta and a line drawn across the bottom holds for a moment. This is the pastelera. It bubbles and spits as it thickens, so wear long sleeves and keep a lid half over the pot.

   Add in this stepSweet corn kernels (fresh or frozen) 440 gFresh basil leaves 6Milk 100 mlButter 20 gSalt 0.4 tsp

   medium-low heat

5. Heat the oven to 200 °C. Spread the pino 2–3 cm deep in 2 × 500 ml ovenproof dishes (in Chile, clay bowls), then divide the chicken, quartered eggs, olives and raisins over it. Cover with the pastelera, spreading it right to the edges to seal in the filling, and sprinkle the sugar evenly over the top.

   Add in this stepBlack olives 4Raisins 2 tbspSugar 2 tsp

6. Set the dishes on a baking tray and bake at oven for 25 min, until bubbling at the edges and starting to colour. For the last 3 min, switch on the top grill (oven) and watch until the sugar turns dark caramel in patches. It goes from golden to burnt very quickly, so don't walk away.

   oven

7. Take out with oven gloves and let it rest for 10 min; the filling is extremely hot and settles as it cools. In Chile it comes with ensalada chilena: sliced tomato and onion dressed with salt and oil.