Chipá Guazú (Cheese and Corn Casserole)

Name: Chipá Guazú (Cheese and Corn Casserole)
Prep time: PT0D0H0M
Cook time: PT0D1H15M
Total time: PT0D1H15M
Yield: serves 8
Ingredients: ½ cups corn oil, plus more for greasing; 2 large yellow onions, coarsely chopped (2 cups); 12 large ears yellow sweet corn, shucked; 6 large eggs; 2 tsp. kosher salt; 1 lb. Tybo cheese (or Monterey Jack), cut into ½-in. cubes

This warm and gooey side dish from Argentina tastes like pure summer.

Serves
serves 8
Time
1 hour 15 minutes

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAOLA + MURRAY; FOOD STYLING BY JASON SCHREIBER; PROP STYLING BY CARLA GONZALEZ-HART

By Gisela Medina

Published on May 20, 2022

Corn flour casseroles are enjoyed year round across northeast Argentina and Paraguay, but every spring and summer, when corn is sweet and abundant, this cheesy fresh-corn version becomes a staple. Cook Gisela Wadiana Medina, co-founder of Cocineros del Iberá, a network of more than 100 cooks and food producers across the Argentine province of Corrientes, shares her version: a simple, six-ingredient chipá guazú that lets the sweetness of just-harvested corn shine through.

Featured in: “This Glorious Root Is Northeast Argentina's Pantry Staple.”

Ingredients

½ cups corn oil, plus more for greasing
2 large yellow onions, coarsely chopped (2 cups)
12 large ears yellow sweet corn, shucked
6 large eggs
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 lb. Tybo cheese (or Monterey Jack), cut into ½-in. cubes

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Instructions

Step 1

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. Oil a 9- by 13-inch baking dish and set aside.

Step 2

To a large skillet set over medium heat, add the oil and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned in spots, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Step 3

Using a box grater set over a rimmed baking sheet, grate the kernels off the corncobs (discard the cobs). In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the salt, then stir in the corn (with its liquid), the reserved onions, and the cheese until you have a thick, chunky batter.

Step 4

Scrape the batter into the prepared baking dish, smooth the surface, and bake until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs attached, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting into 2-inch squares.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. Oil a 9- by 13-inch baking dish and set aside.
To a large skillet set over medium heat, add the oil and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned in spots, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Using a box grater set over a rimmed baking sheet, grate the kernels off the corncobs (discard the cobs). In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the salt, then stir in the corn (with its liquid), the reserved onions, and the cheese until you have a thick, chunky batter.
Scrape the batter into the prepared baking dish, smooth the surface, and bake until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs attached, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting into 2-inch squares.