Argentine Northern Locro Criollo

Northern locro criollo is northern Argentina’s version of the national stew: white hominy, beef, tripe, and pork slow-cooked with squash, which dissolves and thickens the stew, and cassava added at the end.

Unlike the general locro criollo, this variant adds cassava alongside the corn and is finished with a sauce of onion, tomato paste, paprika, and chili, plus fresh basil.

Argentine Northern Locro Criollo

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• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 3 hours
• Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings
• Category: Main Course
• Cuisine: Argentine

Print Recipe

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Ingredients

• ½ kg white hominy (maíz pisado), soaked from the day before
• ¾ kg lean beef (such as top round) cut into bite-size cubes
• ½ kg beef tripe (honeycomb part only) cut into thin strips
• ½ kg lean pork cut into bite-size cubes
• 1 kg squash, preferably gray-skinned, in large pieces
• ¾ kg cassava (mandioca), peeled, in medium pieces
• 1 carrot
• Green onions
• Parsley
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 red bell pepper
• Basil
• 1 large onion
• 1 jar of tomato paste
• Salt, pepper, paprika, chili, and oregano, to taste
• Plenty of water

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Preparation

1. Cook the hominy with the squash, rinse the soaked hominy and bring it to the heat with plenty of water. At the first boil add the finely chopped carrot, green onions, parsley, garlic, and bell pepper, and the squash in large pieces; set the basil aside.
2. Add the meats, when it boils again add the tripe first, since it takes longest, then the beef, and finally the pork, returning to a boil after each addition. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the squash dissolves into the stew.
3. Make the sauce, meanwhile, in a separate skillet sauté the very finely chopped large onion; when translucent add the tomato paste, paprika, chili, and oregano. If it gets too dry, moisten it with broth from the locro.
4. Finish with the cassava, when the meats are almost done add the cassava and cook until tender. Pour the sauce into the pot with the cassava or serve it on the side so everyone can season to taste. When you turn off the heat, add the basil leaves for aroma.

Tips

• Soak the hominy the day before.
• Add the meats in order of cooking time: tripe, beef, then pork.
• Add the cassava at the end, since it cooks faster.

Traditional variations

• The sauce can go into the pot or be served on the side for each diner to add to taste.

How to serve

Serve the locro piping hot in deep bowls, with the sauce on the side if you’d like everyone to season to taste.

Recommended pairings

• Empanadas
• Red wine
• Homemade bread

Did you know?

Locro is the quintessential dish of Argentina’s national holidays, especially May 25 and July 9.