Locro

Ingredients

• 500 g maíz pelado (hominy corn, dried), soaked 12–24 hours in cold water, drained
• 300 g dried white beans, soaked overnight, drained
• 400 g pork belly, cut into 3 cm pieces
• 300 g chorizo, sliced into rounds 1 cm thick
• 1 pig's trotter, split lengthways
• 600 g butternut squash or calabaza, peeled, cut into 3 cm cubes
• 300 g waxy potato, peeled, cut into 2 cm cubes
• 1 large white onion, roughly chopped
• 2 litres water, plus more as needed
• to taste fine salt, applied in stages throughout cooking
• For the grasita
• 150 g lard
• 2 tsp ají molido (dried ground chilli)
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 medium white onion, finely chopped

Method

1. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.