Argentine
Locro
A deeply savory Argentine hominy stew with tender pork, smoky chorizo, melting squash, and vivid scallion-flecked grasa colorada.
10 servings · 45 minutes prep · 240 minutes cook
Ingredients
Hominy and beans
- 1 lb, Preferably Argentine-style whole or cracked white corn
- 8 oz, Use dried large white lima beans or cannellini beans
- Enough cool water to cover each bowl by at least 3 inches, Use separate fresh soaking water for the hominy and beans
Stew
- 16 cups, Plus more hot water as needed
- 1 lb, Boneless; cut into 1½-inch pieces
- 1 lb, Use meaty spareribs separated into individual ribs
- 8 oz, Unsliced; cut into ½-inch pieces
- 12 oz, Fresh Argentine-style pork chorizo, about 4 links
- 6 oz, Remove the casing and cut into ¼-inch rounds
- 2 medium onions, about 2 cups, Cut into ¼-inch dice
- 1 medium leek, about 1½ cups, Use the white and pale-green portions; wash thoroughly and slice thinly
- 4 cloves, about 1 tbsp, Minced
- 3 lb whole; about 2 lb prepared, Weigh whole, then seed, peel, and cut into ¾-inch pieces
- 2 bay leaves, Remove before serving
- 2 tsp, For the stew
- 1 tsp, Ground
- ½ tsp, Freshly ground
- 2 tsp, Diamond Crystal; divided
Grasa colorada
- ¼ cup, Rendered pork fat or lard
- 6 scallions, about 1 cup total, Thinly slice and separate the white and pale-green portions from the dark-green portions
- 1 tbsp, Sweet paprika reserved for the grasa colorada
- 1½ tsp, For the grasa colorada
- ¼ tsp, Diamond Crystal kosher salt reserved for the grasa colorada
Directions
1. Soak the hominy and beans
- Pick through the maiz blanco para locro and lima beans, discarding any debris, then rinse them separately in a {{tool:colander}}.
- Place the hominy in one {{tool:large-bowl}} and the beans in another. Cover each with cool water by at least 3 inches and soak at room temperature for 12–18 hours.
- Drain and rinse the hominy and beans separately in the {{tool:colander}}. Discard the soaking water.
2. Begin cooking the hominy
- Combine the drained hominy and 16 cups water in an 12-quart or larger {{tool:large-heavy-pot}}. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming away any foam.
- Reduce the heat to a quiet simmer. Partially cover and cook for 75–90 minutes, stirring thoroughly with a {{tool:wooden-spoon}} every 20 minutes. Add hot water whenever necessary to keep the swollen but still chewy hominy covered by about 1 inch.
3. Build the stew
- Add the drained beans, pork shoulder, pork ribs, smoked bacon, yellow onion, leek, garlic cloves, bay leaf, sweet paprika, ground cumin, black pepper, and 1 tsp of the kosher salt. Add two-thirds of the kabocha squash, reserving the rest.
- Return the pot gradually to a simmer. Cook partially covered for 75 minutes, maintaining lazy surface bubbles and stirring every 15 minutes while scraping the bottom and corners with the {{tool:wooden-spoon}} to prevent scorching.
- Add hot water as needed to keep the solids just submerged, avoiding unnecessary dilution.
4. Add the sausages and finish thickening
- Add the argentine chorizo links whole, along with the chorizo colorado, reserved squash, and remaining 1 tsp kosher salt. Keep the seasoning restrained because the bacon and cured sausage contribute substantial sodium.
- Simmer gently for 20 minutes. Use {{tool:tongs}} to transfer the fresh chorizo to a {{tool:cutting-board}}, cut it into ¾-inch rounds, and immediately return it to the pot. Simmer for another 35–50 minutes, until an {{tool:instant-read-thermometer}} registers at least 160°F in the chorizo and the pork is fully tender.
- Remove the ribs with the {{tool:tongs}}. Pull the meat from the bones, discard the bones and any large pieces of fat, and return the meat to the pot. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
- Stir vigorously with the {{tool:wooden-spoon}} for 1–2 minutes, pressing some softened squash and beans against the side of the pot. Do not purée; the hominy and some squash pieces should remain recognizable.
- If necessary, cook uncovered for another 10–20 minutes. The locro is ready when the hominy and beans have no chalky centers, the pork separates easily, and a spoon drawn through the creamy broth briefly exposes the bottom. If it becomes tighter than a loose porridge, add hot water ¼ cup at a time.
- Remove from the heat, cover, and rest for 20 minutes. Stir thoroughly before serving because the stew continues to thicken as it stands.
5. Make the grasa colorada
- While the locro rests, heat the pork fat in a {{tool:small-saucepan}} over medium-low heat. Add the white and pale-green portions of the scallions and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring often, until soft but not browned.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the 1 tbsp sweet paprika reserved for the grasa colorada, the aji molido, and the ¼ tsp kosher salt reserved for the grasa colorada for 20 seconds, blooming the spices in the residual heat without scorching them.
- Carefully stir in the ¼ cup (60 ml) hot broth ladled from the finished locro, followed by the dark-green scallion portions. The grasa colorada should be vivid brick-red and fluid enough to spoon.
To serve
- Use a {{tool:ladle}} to portion the locro into warmed bowls and spoon a generous ribbon of grasa colorada over each serving.
