LocroArgentine corn and squash stew

• 400 g14 oz (2 cups) maíz blanco partido (cracked white corn) or hulled wheat (trigo pelado), soaked overnight in plenty of cold water
• 200 g7 oz (1 cup) dried white beans (alubias or pallares), soaked overnight in a separate bowl
• 1 + 150 g1 + 5 oz pig's trotter (patita) and pork rind (cuerito), optional but traditional; boiled 10 minutes in separate water and drained, to remove excess fat
• 400 g14 oz beef flank or short ribs (falda or asado de tira), cut in bite-size pieces
• 300 g10 oz pork shoulder (bondiola or paleta), cut in bite-size pieces
• 150 g5 oz smoked pork belly (panceta ahumada), diced
• 2 chorizos colorados (cured paprika sausages), sliced
• 800 g1.75 lb zapallo criollo, anco (butternut) or cabutia squash, peeled and cut in cubes
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 leek, white part, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika (pimentón dulce)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• about 3.5 Labout 3.5 qt water, plus boiling water to top up
• salt and black or white pepper, to taste, near the end
• For the quiquirimichi (red sauce):
• 100 mlscant 1/2 cup grasa de pella (rendered beef fat) or neutral oil
• 4 cebollas de verdeo (green onions), green and white parts, very finely chopped
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika (pimentón dulce)
• 1–2 tbsp ají molido (crushed dried red chili), to taste
• 2 tbsp cold water

Method

1. 1

   1. The night before, put the corn and the beans to soak in separate bowls with plenty of cold water.

2. 2

   2. Drain the corn and put it in a large heavy-bottomed pot with the blanched trotter and rind; cover with cold water to about three fingers above the corn and bring to the boil over medium heat.

3. 3

   3. Skim the foam, add the drained beans, lower the heat and simmer gently for about 1 hour.

4. 4

   4. Add the beef, the pork shoulder, the onion and the leek, top up with boiling water to keep everything covered, and simmer for another hour.

5. 5

   5. Add the squash, the pork belly, the chorizo, the paprika and the cumin; the squash will slowly fall apart and turn the broth thick and yellow.

6. 6

   6. Keep the pot at a bare simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours more, stirring the bottom with a wooden spoon every 10–15 minutes so nothing catches, and adding a little boiling water if it gets too thick to stir.

7. 7

   7. Lift out the trotter, take the meat off the bone, chop it with the rind and return it to the pot.

8. 8

   8. Season with salt and pepper about 20 minutes before the end; the locro is ready when the corn kernels have burst open, the beans are creamy and the broth coats the spoon.

9. 9

   9. For the quiquirimichi, warm the fat or oil over low heat in a small pan and soften the green onions in it for about 3 minutes without browning.

10. 10

    10. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the paprika and ají molido, then the cold water (it stops the paprika from burning) and stir until the fat turns deep red.

11. 11

    11. Serve the locro very hot in deep bowls and bring the red sauce to the table for each person to spoon over their bowl.