Around the World in Foodventures (Chile: PASTEL DE CHOCLO)

When I read that the national dish of Chile is Curanto, "a stew that...consists of every meat and seafood ingredient imaginable," it just didn't grab me.  There's nothing bad about it (don't get me wrong!) -- it's just that the really large amount of different meats and seafood seemed like a lot, and also, it sort of felt too similar to something like a traditional New England Clambake to be....adventurous?  So, I searched on and found Pastel de Choclo, which is sometimes also said to be a national dish of Chile, but even if it's not officially is in any case traditional and popular. 

I browsed a lot of Pastel de Choclo recipes, because I couldn't believe the odd mix of ingredients I was seeing (beef, corn, olives, raisins, hard-boiled eggs, and sugar) -- but soon realized that it was for real.  The strange melange combines to become what amounts to a Shepherd's Pie of sorts, and it's quite tasty:

Some recipes call for chicken in addition to the ground beef; some don't.  I decided to omit that particular component, even though the recipe I settled on did list it.  Here's what I followed: https://www.thespruceeats.com/pastel-de-choclo-beef-corn-casserole-3029546.

The sweetness in this rustic plate is really nice.  You should try it.

This post is part of my project: "Around the World in Foodventures" (I decided I want to expand my culinary horizons even further by making the national dish or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal from every country in the world. Maybe it'll happen alphabetically, or by region, in random order, or something else. I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it. It’ll be fun and interesting, but obviously, will take a long time to get through -- as I'll only be doing it once a week or so at most. I am chronicling the journey here.)

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain