Traditional Argentine locro: the corn, pumpkin and meat stew of the national holidays

Locro is the dish Argentina cooks when it wants to remember where it came from. Inherited from the Andean peoples who grew corn and pumpkin long before the Spanish arrived, it gained meats, sausages and lard on the colonial table and became the stew of the big pots, the kind that feeds a whole family and still leaves leftovers for the next day.

Today it is a must on national holidays, especially May 25 and July 9, when the cold of the southern winter calls for a dish that warms from the inside out. Every province has its version: in the northwest it takes more pumpkin and crushed corn, in Buenos Aires it comes with chorizo and bacon, and some swear that without tripe it is not locro.

The recipe below is the most common home version, without the hard-to-find pork parts. The secret lies in three things: good-quality white corn left to soak, slow cooking without haste, and the red paste of paprika and scallion, called quiquirimichi or simply salsa picante, which goes on top when serving.

Recipe card

• Origin: Argentina, with Andean roots
• Category: Main course, stew
• Difficulty: Medium
• Preparation time: 40 minutes (plus 12 hours soaking the corn)
• Cooking time: 3 hours
• Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients — stew

• 500 g dried white corn (white hominy), soaked overnight
• 200 g white beans, soaked with the corn
• 500 g beef shank in cubes
• 300 g pork ribs in pieces
• 200 g bacon in cubes
• 2 chorizos (or smoked sausage) in thick slices
• 500 g kabocha pumpkin in cubes
• 2 sweet potatoes in cubes
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Enough hot water to cover

Ingredients — sauce for serving

• 4 tablespoons oil or lard
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
• 4 scallions, finely chopped
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Drain the soaked corn and beans and set aside.
2. In a large pot, brown the bacon over medium heat until it releases its fat.
3. Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic and sauté until soft.
4. Add the beef shank and pork ribs and sear well on all sides.
5. Add the corn, beans, bay leaves, paprika and cumin, stir, and cover with hot water about four fingers above the ingredients.
6. Simmer over low heat, half covered, for about 2 hours, stirring now and then and topping up with hot water if it dries out.
7. Add the pumpkin, sweet potato and chorizo and cook for another hour, until the pumpkin falls apart and thickens the broth.
8. Adjust salt and pepper and mash some of the pumpkin against the side of the pot for creaminess.
9. For the sauce, heat the oil, turn off the heat, add the paprika, chili flakes, scallion and salt and mix.
10. Serve the locro piping hot in deep bowls with a spoonful of the red sauce on top.

Tips and variations

• In a pressure cooker, cook the corn with the meats for 40 minutes and then finish with the pumpkin in an open pot.
• Cooked, chopped tripe is the traditional addition for those who like it.
• The meatless version swaps the sausages for more pumpkin and sweet potato and is just as creamy.
• Locro is better the next day: reheat over low heat with a little water.
• Freezes well in portions for up to 3 months.
• Serve with crusty bread and, Argentine style, a glass of Malbec.
• If the broth is thin, mash a little more pumpkin and cook uncovered for 15 minutes.

Locro is food for gatherings: make a big pot, invite people over and leave the red sauce on the table so everyone can add their own. That is how it is eaten in Argentina, and that is when it makes the most sense.