Vegetable Pastel de Choclo

World Cup inspired dish #5  - tonight it was Chile v Spain.  

Julie came across this recipe on-line.  It's a vegetarian version of a classic Chilean dish of a beef ragout layer topped with creamed corn.

Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
25g butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
400g yellow potatoes,  chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1 teaspoon cumin
500ml vegetable broth
4 courgettes, sliced 1/2 cm then halved
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 large tomatoes, de-seeded and chopped
1 red chili pepper, finely chopped
10 fresh corn on the cob
125ml cream
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
50g butter
125g cream cheese
200g crumbled queso fresco cheese (similar to Paneer cheese)
75g cup raisins (optional)
75g cup sliced green olives (optional)
3 hard boiled eggs (optional)
3 tablespoons caster sugar

Method
Carefully remove the corn from the cob with a sharp knife. 

Add the olive oil and the butter to a large heavy skillet. Add the chopped onion and cook over medium heat until onion is soft and browning, about 5 minutes. 

Add the potatoes and the cumin, stirring, until starting to brown. Add the vegetable stock and simmer until potatoes are tender and the liquid has cooked away. (be careful not to allow the potatoes to stick to the pan. Add a little more if they need further cooking). 

Add the chopped tomato, courgettes, peppers, chili pepper and corn kernels from 2 cobs. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are soft and liquid has cooked away. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat.  Stir in queso fresco cheese. Then stir in the optional raisins and olives and hard boiled eggs cut into wedges.

Preheat oven to 180C.

Place remaining corn kernels in a blender with the cream and corn flour. Puree until smooth. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste). 

Melt 50g butter in a saucepan. Add the corn mixture from the blender and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, while mixture simmers gently and begins to thicken, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cream cheese. 

Using a slotted spoon (leaving any excess liquid behind), transfer the vegetable mixture to a casserole dish. Spread the corn mixture on top of the vegetables in a thick layer. Sprinkle with the caster sugar.

Place the dish in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until casserole is bubbly and hot, and the corn layer is starting to turn golden brown.  Grill for a few minutes to brown off.
Serve warm with a salad and bread.