P
Argentine
Locro
Argentina's pre-Columbian winter stew is a dense, slow-cooked hominy corn and white bean porridge enriched with pork belly, chorizo, and squash — a dish that predates European contact in the Andean northwest and is now the canonical meal of Patria celebrations (May 25, July 9). The hominy corn (maíz pelado or maíz blanco) is soaked overnight and cooked separately for 2–3 hours before combining with the meat and vegetable elements; the starch released by the corn creates the characteristic thick, almost porridge-like consistency. Locro is served with a 'grasita' — a drizzle of reduced lard spiked with ají molido (dried chilli) and paprika — that is stirred in at the table by each diner.
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
500 g
maíz pelado (hominy corn, dried)
soaked 12–24 hours in cold water, drained
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
300 g
dried white beans
soaked overnight, drained
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
400 g
pork belly
cut into 3 cm pieces
Your own market
300 g
chorizo
sliced into rounds 1 cm thick
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1
pig's trotter
split lengthways
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
600 g
butternut squash or calabaza
peeled, cut into 3 cm cubes
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
300 g
1 large
white onion
roughly chopped
Your own market
2 litres
water
plus more as needed
Your own market
to taste
fine salt
applied in stages throughout cooking
Your own market
For the grasita
150 g
lard
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2 tsp
ají molido (dried ground chilli)
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2 tsp
sweet paprika
Your own market
1 medium
white onion
finely chopped
Your own market
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II
The Method
1
Place the drained hominy corn in a large pot. Cover with fresh cold water by at least 5 cm. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook uncovered for 2–3 hours, adding water as needed to keep the corn submerged. The corn is ready when each kernel has split open at the crown and the surrounding liquid has turned visibly milky and starchy.
2
In a separate heavy pot, combine the pork belly, split pig's trotter, and chopped onion. Cover with cold water, bring to the boil, and skim the grey foam that rises. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 45 minutes. The trotter's collagen has begun to dissolve when the cooking liquid feels slightly viscous between the fingers.
3
Add the drained soaked white beans and the sliced chorizo to the pork pot. Combine with the cooked hominy corn and all of its starchy cooking liquid. Stir to integrate. Season assertively with salt — the corn will absorb a large quantity. Maintain a slow, uncovered simmer for a further 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent the corn from settling and scorching on the base. The stew is progressing correctly when it is too thick to pour freely from a ladle and falls in slow, heavy drops.
4
This is the step on which the dish lives or dies: add the squash and potato to the pot and cook at a gentle simmer for exactly 30 minutes, then taste and check texture every 10 minutes thereafter. The squash must be tender throughout but retain visible, intact pieces at service — complete dissolution produces a uniform paste and the dish is lost. Remove from the heat the moment this balance is achieved. Taste for salt and correct.
5
Prepare the grasita: melt the lard in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion and cook until soft and translucent. Add the ají molido and paprika and stir for 1–2 minutes. The grasita is ready when the fat runs a deep brick-red and the chilli fragrance rises sharply from the pan.
6
Ladle the locro into deep clay bowls or heavy ceramic bowls. Bring the grasita to the table in a small vessel. Each diner spoons grasita over their bowl and stirs it through — the fat carries the chilli and paprika into the thick base on contact. Serve with crusty bread.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Dried maíz pelado or maíz blanco sourced from a specialist Andean or Latin American importer; heritage-breed pork belly and a handmade raw chorizo criollo; lard rendered in-house from fatback; grasita prepared with smoked ají molido from Salta.
02
Estate — Good dried hominy corn from a Latin American grocery; free-range pork belly; a commercially made chorizo criollo or Spanish-style fresh chorizo; quality sweet and smoked paprika blended for the grasita.
03
Market — Dried hominy corn of standard commercial origin; supermarket pork belly and chorizo; shop-bought lard; standard sweet paprika and dried chilli flakes as the grasita base.
04
House — Canned hominy corn — acceptable only with the understanding that the stew will be appreciably thinner and the porridge body, characteristic of the dish, will not fully develop.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. The hominy corn kernels have split open at the crown and the cooking liquid is visibly milky and starchy — the corn is releasing sufficient starch to body the stew.
◇Sight. The assembled stew falls from the ladle in slow, heavy drops rather than pouring freely — the porridge consistency is established.
◇Touch. A cube of squash yields completely to gentle pressure between two fingers yet holds its shape on the spoon — the textural balance is correct.
◇Touch. The pork brasing liquid feels slightly viscous when rubbed between fingertips — the trotter collagen has begun to dissolve and enrich the base.
◇Smell. The grasita fat runs brick-red and a sharp chilli fragrance rises from the pan — the spices have bloomed fully in the lard.
◇Where it lives or dies. The squash must become fully tender while retaining visible, intact pieces — complete dissolution produces a uniform paste, and the dish is lost.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Whisky
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The whole pairingPillar VII
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