Torta de San Pedro: Huila-Tolima Layered Maize Pie

A festival pie with a tender maize crust wrapped around braised beef and pork, rice, peas, potatoes and longaniza.

Torta de San Pedro, also called pastel sanpedrino, is a substantial festival pie from Tolima and the wider Huila-Tolima region. A soft dough of ground white cracked maize and fresh cuajada forms the outer layers. Inside, pieces of braised and browned beef and pork are combined with moist rice, tender peas, potato and longaniza. The pie is vented and baked until its maize shell is golden and the filling is hot through.

The regional cookbook gives a 4–6-person preparation and describes soaking the maize for two days, cooking it until tender, grinding it, braising the meats and cooking rice, peas and potatoes in the reserved broth. This home version measures the ingredients for six generous servings. It keeps the festival-style layering while giving clear temperatures and a safer storage plan. The older source suggests cool-room holding for several days; here, leftovers are refrigerated promptly instead.

Plan the work over two days: soak the maize in the refrigerator, then cook and grind it before building the pie. Marinate the meat chilled, braise it until tender, cook the sausage separately and bring the filling together with the broth. The pie is large and rich, so use a deep ovenproof dish and check the center with a thermometer. Serve it hot from the dish.

Ingredients

900 g beef, leg, rump or broad loin, cut into large chunks
900 g pork shoulder or leg, cut into large chunks
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large yellow onion, about 150 g, chopped
2 scallion stalks, about 100 g, chopped
15 ml Colombian black seasoning sauce (1 tablespoon; check label for soy or wheat)
150 ml dry red wine
2 g dried oregano
4 g fresh parsley, chopped
15 ml vinegar
120 ml water for braising
12 g fine salt, divided; adjust for sausage and seasoning sauce
2 g black pepper
225 g dry white cracked maize, for soaking
120 g fresh cuajada, finely ground or crumbled
185 g long-grain rice, uncooked
80 g tender green peas, cooked and drained
500 g potatoes, about 2 large, peeled and cut into chunks
225 g longaniza sausage, cut into chunks
15 ml neutral oil or rendered fat for greasing the baking dish

Method

Soak and cook the maize Cover the cracked maize with plenty of cold water in a food-safe container. Cover and refrigerate for 48 hours, changing the water once if practical. Drain and rinse. Simmer in fresh water for about 90 minutes, until tender; drain, spread in a shallow container and cool safely before grinding.
Make the dough Grind the cooked maize while it is cool enough to handle. Mix it with the cuajada and part of the salt until a pliable, cohesive dough forms. If it cracks when pressed, work in a little water, 15 ml at a time. Cover and refrigerate while preparing the filling.
Marinate and braise the meats Mix garlic, onion, scallions, black seasoning sauce, wine, oregano, parsley, vinegar, salt and pepper. Coat the beef and pork, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Transfer meat and marinade to a large pot with the water. Cover and braise over medium-low heat until tender, about 60–90 minutes; verify safe doneness with a thermometer.
Brown the meats and cook the filling Lift out the meat and reserve the broth. Brown the meat in a hot skillet with a little of its cooking liquid, then cut it into bite-size pieces. Cook the longaniza separately until its center reaches 71°C/160°F. Simmer rice, cooked peas and potatoes in the reserved broth until the rice is fully tender and the mixture is moist, about 45 minutes. Fold in the meats and sausage.
Layer the pie Heat the oven to 175°C/350°F. Lightly grease a deep ovenproof dish. Press about half the maize dough over the base and sides in an even layer. Spoon in the filling without packing it tightly. Cover with the remaining dough and seal the edges; patch any cracks so the filling stays enclosed.
Vent, bake and serve Cut several small vents in the top. Bake until the crust is golden and the center reaches 74°C/165°F, about 90 minutes; cover loosely if the top browns too quickly. Rest 15 minutes, then serve hot in the dish. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within two hours.

Practical guidance

Practical

Practical guidance

This is a long project, so keep the two-day maize soak refrigerated and plan the remaining stages for the following day. Keep raw beef and pork separate from cooked ingredients. Refrigerate the meat during its one-hour marinade. Check whole cuts with a clean thermometer and cook the longaniza separately to 71°C/160°F. The filling needs fully cooked rice and potatoes before it goes into the pie; do not rely on the final bake to cook raw rice inside the dense dough. A pliable maize dough is easier to press into the dish than a dry, crumbly one. Add water a spoonful at a time only if needed. Spread the filling evenly and avoid overpacking, which can leave a cool center. Insert the thermometer through a vent into the middle of the pie, avoiding contact with the baking dish. If it has not reached 74°C/165°F, continue baking and check again. The historic source notes that tomatoes and carrots are omitted from this version and describes a cool dark place for longer storage. Follow current food-safety practice instead: refrigerate the finished pie within two hours, use within 3–4 days, and reheat portions to 74°C/165°F. Allergens include milk in cuajada. Commercial black seasoning sauce and longaniza may contain soy, wheat or other allergens; check their labels. The nutrition estimate is highly variable because sausage, meat cuts and cheese differ.

Final notes

Keep the soak cold: Refrigerate the maize throughout its 48-hour soak. Check the center: The baked filling should reach 74°C/165°F before serving.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 6 generous servings
Calories: 950 kcal
Carbohydrate: 78 g
Protein: 55 g
Fat: 42 g
Fibre: 6 g
Sodium: 1250 mg

Torta de San Pedro: Huila-Tolima Layered Maize Pie

Ingredients

Ingredients

Method

Practical

Practical guidance

Final notes

Nutrition per serving

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