A Peruvian savory corn pie filled with ground beef seasoned with onion, garlic and yellow chili. Hard-boiled egg, raisins and olives sit between layers of tender corn and milk custard, finished with a lightly caramelized sugar topping. Sweet-savory, generous and made for sharing.
Turn what you find into an experience you can actually bring to your kitchen.
Remove the corn kernels, dice the red onion, and have the raisins and black olives ready. Set aside about two of the eggs for boiling; the remaining eggs will go into the corn mixture.
Place the two reserved eggs in a medium pot, cover them with the water, and cook for 9 minutes once boiling. Cool, peel, and slice them thickly so they hold their shape inside the pie.
Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet and cook the red onion for 7 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and yellow chili paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add the ground beef, oregano, pepper, and half the salt; cook for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking the meat apart with a spoon. Add the raisins at the end. The filling should remain juicy but have no loose liquid.
Blend the corn with the fresh milk in batches to make a thick paste, not a liquid puree. Melt the unsalted butter in a medium pot, add the corn mixture, and cook over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until thick and glossy. Stir in part of the sugar and the remaining salt. Remove from the heat, cool for a few minutes, then mix in the remaining raw eggs until incorporated.
Spread about half of the corn mixture in a rectangular baking dish. Distribute the beef filling, sliced hard-boiled egg, and black olives over it. Cover with the remaining corn mixture and evenly sprinkle the remaining sugar over the surface.
Bake at 180°C for 40 to 45 minutes, until the topping is set, golden, and lightly caramelized around the edges. Remove carefully and rest for 10 minutes before slicing. The pie should hold its portion without becoming dry: soft corn, juicy filling, and a clear sweet-savory contrast. And that's it—this time the pie left its Chilean passport at the door. 🌽🔥
