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 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 half the stew 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 the remaining half of the stew 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 sweet paprika, the aji molido, and the kosher salt for 20 seconds, blooming the spices in the residual heat without scorching them.
- Carefully stir in the a little 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.
