Criollo cassava pie with hand-cut beef and paprika olives

Name: Criollo cassava pie with hand-cut beef and paprika olives
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 85 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Argentina
Ingredients: 2.6 lb cassava, peeled and cut into chunks; 1.5 lb lean beef, hand-cut into small cubes; 2 cups onion; 1.25 cups red bell pepper; 3.2 oz pitted green olives; 4 cloves garlic; 0.5 cup tomato purée; 0.5 cup beef stock or water; 3 tbsp butter; 0.5 cup milk; 2.8 oz grated Sardo cheese; 1 large egg; 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 tsp sweet paprika; 0.5 tsp ground cumin; 0.5 tsp dried oregano; 0.25 cup fresh parsley; 1.75 tsp salt; 0.75 tsp black pepper; 0.25 cup breadcrumbs

An Argentine-inspired savory pie with a golden baked cassava mash top and base, filled with juicy hand-cut beef, onion, red bell pepper, green olives, and a touch of paprika. It is an original, comforting, deeply criollo main dish.

30 minPrep

55 minCook

85 minTotal

6Servings

High Protein

Ingredients

Adjust servings

1200 g cassava, peeled and cut into chunks (for the puree of base and cobertura)
700 g lean beef, hand-cut into small cubes (nalga, cuadrada or similar)
300 g onion (chopped diced small)
180 g red bell pepper (chopped diced small)
90 g pitted green olives (chopped grueso)
12 g garlic (chopped)
120 ml tomato purée (for ligar the relleno)
120 ml beef stock or water (for humedecer the relleno)
40 g butter (for the puree of mandioca)
120 ml milk (hot, for the puree)
80 g grated Sardo cheese (for mezclar and gratinar)
1 unit egg (for dar estructura al puree)
30 ml olive oil (divided entre relleno and fuente)
6 g sweet paprika (for the relleno and the aceitunas)
2 g ground cumin (optional pero tradicional en perfil criollo)
1 g dried oregano (for perfumar the relleno)
15 g fresh parsley (chopped)
10 g salt (or a taste, divided)
2 g black pepper (freshly ground)
30 g breadcrumbs (for espolvorear the superficie and the fuente)

Nutrition facts

per serving

523 kcal

Calories

29 g

Protein

33 g

Carbs

29 g

Fat

4 g

Fiber

29 g

Net carbs

Approximate nutritional information. Estimated from the recipe’s ingredients and amounts, using standard reference nutrition values. It may vary with brands, sizes and cooking method. For guidance only; not a substitute for medical or dietary advice.

Allergens

GlutenDairyEggs

Instructions

1
Preheat the oven to 200 °C / 400 °F. Grease a medium baking dish with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and sprinkle the bottom with 1 tablespoon of the breadcrumbs.
2
Place the cassava in a large pot with enough water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, until very tender. Drain well, remove any tough inner fibers, and mash the cassava while hot with the butter and hot milk until thick and smooth.
3
Add the egg, half of the grated Sardo cheese, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and an extra pinch of salt if needed to the cassava mash. Mix well and keep covered so it stays warm.
4
While the cassava cooks, heat the remaining olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and red bell pepper with a pinch of salt and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until softened.
5
Add the chopped garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the hand-cut beef and brown it for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring to separate the pieces.
6
Add the sweet paprika, ground cumin, dried oregano, the remaining salt, and the remaining black pepper. Stir for 30 seconds to bloom the spices without burning them.
7
Add the tomato purée and beef stock or water. Cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes until the filling is juicy but not runny. Turn off the heat and stir in the fresh parsley and chopped green olives.
8
Toss the olives with an extra pinch of sweet paprika before adding them to the filling to reinforce their flavor. Let the filling cool for 10 minutes.
9
Spread half of the cassava mash in the baking dish, covering the bottom and slightly up the sides with a damp spoon. Evenly spread all of the beef filling on top.
10
Cover with the remaining cassava mash and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the remaining grated Sardo cheese and the remaining breadcrumbs to create a golden crust.
11
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 200 °C / 400 °F, until the top is deeply golden and the edges are bubbling. For extra color, broil for 2 to 3 additional minutes, watching closely.
12
Let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving so the pie can set and the portions hold their shape.

Chef tips

If the cassava mash feels too dry, add 1 or 2 extra tablespoons of hot milk. If it feels too wet, cook the mash in the pot for 1 minute to evaporate excess moisture. Hand-cut beef gives a more traditional criollo texture than ground beef.

Substitutions

You can replace the cassava with half cassava and half potato for a milder flavor. Sardo cheese can be replaced with Parmesan or a similar hard cheese. Green olives can be swapped for black olives, though the flavor will be less classic.

What I used to make it

Generic kitchen tools that work for this recipe. You don’t need to buy anything to make it.

Illustrative image
Ninja Professional BL610 Blender
Smoothies, sauces and soups
- Smoothies, sauces and soups
- Easy-to-wash jar
- Check the power and jar size
View on Amazon
Illustrative image
Cosori Pro LE 5 Qt Air Fryer
Browning and baking with little oil
- Browns food with very little oil
- Handy for vegetables, chicken and reheating
- Check the basket capacity
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Illustrative image
TempPro TP19H Digital Thermometer
Checking doneness of meat and chicken
- Checks doneness of meat and chicken
- Quick reading
- Clean the probe after each use
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