Smoked pork belly is a very tasty and versatile ingredient that can be used in many dishes. This time we want to tell you how to cook a delicious pre-Hispanic recipe considered a typical dish for Argentine people: The Locro.
Although the Locro has its origins in Indigenous peoples of South America, its ingredients include classic ingredients from European cuisine. For example, Chorizo, pork, loins and different spices that were brought to America by Spanish colonizers.
What ingredients do you need?
To produce 4 to 6 dishes of Locro, you will need the following ingredients:
750 grams of pulp or pork chest.
500 grams of bovine shoulder or needle.
500 grams of loin or pork leather.
3 pork Chorizos.
250 grams of smoked pork belly.
400 grams of butter beans or pallar beans.
800 grams of white corn.
2 large onions.
1 pumpkin.
4 finely minced garlic cloves.
2 bay leaves.
A pinch of cumin.
A tablespoon of paprika.
One and a half tablespoons of ground chili.
4 tablespoons of lard.
Salt and pepper.
Preparation
It is important that you wash the corn and also the beans, and then leave them to soak overnight in two separate trays with a lot of water.
The next day, cut the Chorizos into chunks; the beef shoulder or needle and the pork meat or breast into medium-sized pieces; and the smoked pork belly and the loin into smaller pieces.
Peel the pumpkin and cut it into small squares. Then, boil water with some salt, pepper, bay leaf and loin in a large pot, preferably made of iron. Add the corn cook it slowly. After 60 minutes have passed, add the pumpkin, garlic, and smoked pork belly.
The next step will be let this cook for 10 minutes while removing the foam that appears on the surface with the help of a slotted spoon. Continue cooking for another hour and stir the preparation frequently with a wooden spoon.
After this time has past, begin to add the pork, beef and beans. In the stock starts to reduce too much, add some hot water. As the corn cooks, the stock will begin to thicken.
The Locro takes about 3.5 to 4 hours to be ready. You should add the chorizos about 30 minutes before finish cooking.
Sauce
For the sauce you need to finely chop the onion, and place the lard in a pan that you will take to medium heat. While the onion is cooking, add cumin, paprika, ground chili, pepper and salt to taste. Once the onion is ready, remove the pan from the heat to avoid burning the paprika.
Now you can serve the Locro and put a few tablespoons of sauce on top.
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