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Tuesday 2 October 2018

Locro : Southern American Stew ... so warming


Locro is a hearty thick stew popular along the Andes mountain range. It's one of the national dishes of Argentina, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador … so why not "warm up with this delicious traditional Southern American stew that's full of hearty root vegetables, beans and a variety of succulent meat. This thick stew is slowly-cooked for hours allowing the smoky and meaty flavours to develop."

Some readers may find Cannellini beans a little 'carby', so as always dear reader it is important to note, that a variety of recipe ideas are within this blog, and not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

However, if you feel you'd like to give this recipe idea a try here is what you will need for four servings:


Ingredients:
Serves Four
4 dry-cured smoked bacon rashers, chopped
1 x 225g chorizo ring, sliced
500g (1lb) stewing beef, diced
2 carrots, diced
½ butternut squash, diced
1 x 400g tin cannellini beans
1l (1 3/4pt) chicken stock
200g (7oz) frozen sweetcorn

For the sauce:
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp mild chilli powder

2 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped

Method: 
1. In a large, non-stick pan, fry the bacon over medium heat, until crisp. Remove from the pan and set aside.
2. Add the chorizo and beef to the pan and cook, until the meat is browned on all sides. Add the carrots and squash, cook for 2-3 minutes, then tip in the cannellini beans and stock. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer 1 hour; season to taste.
3. Stir in the corn, and then leave to simmer for a further 30-60 minutes or until the beef is tender and the sauce has thickened.
4. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a separate pan over medium heat. Add the onion, pepper, paprika, cumin and chilli powder. Cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Season to taste.

5. To serve, divide the stew and pepper mixture between plates and scatter over the crispy bacon and spring onions.

A glass of red wine may be nice with this meal!

From an original recipe here


Cumin is an aromatic spice native to eastern Mediterranean countries and Upper Egypt. This warm, flavoursome and slightly bitter spice derives from the seed of the Cumin plant and is traditionally added to curries, Mexican dishes and Moroccan lamb dishes.




White cumin seeds are the most commonly available variety; black cumin seeds are slightly smaller and sweeter in flavour. Cumin is widely available, all year round.
To prepare it, dry-frying cumin before grinding it brings out its flavour and softens its very spicy punch. Heat a frying pan, do not add oil, and add cumin seeds and toss until they expel a warm, rich aroma. Leave seeds to cool slightly, then grind and add to curry mixtures, soups and stews.

It is best stored in a cool, dark area.

Bon Appetit … enjoy your meal

All the best Jan

34 comments:

William Kendall said...

I would probably leave out the beans.

Elephant's Child said...

I am a big fan of slow cooked dinners. And they adapt to personal preference/availabiity really well.

The Joy of Home with Martha Ellen said...

We are getting closer to making stews in our neck of the woods, Jan. This recipe sure looks yummy. Have a great week! ♥

Catarina said...

Oh this looks soooo good!

I don't have beef this week, but I have veal. I had to google "bacon rashers". I have regular canadian bacon, this will have to do. Will make this dish on Wednesday d'or a special ocasion.

Thank you! :))

A Brit in Tennessee said...

Sounds and looks delicious !
I must give this a try :)
~Jo

Carla from The River said...

Not sure what the "bacon rashers" are , I will check on that. I think it is fun how we say different words for some things. ;-)
Thank you for sharing, yum!

Sandra Cox said...

You just can't beat a good stew, especially in cool weather.

Christine said...

This is perfect for the cooling temperatures outside!

DIMI said...

Hello Jan!
I love stew and this sounds very delicious!
Cumin Is very popular here ! We use it for cooking,mostly in meat balls!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! Have a great day!
Dimi...

Victor S E Moubarak said...

This sounds very delicious, especially with chorizo.

God bless.

Valerie-Jael said...

I like the sound of this very much! Hugs, Valerie

Iris Flavia said...

That sounds warming indeed! Sadly for now I have to eat all the plum cake MIL gave us.
But once done that... I still have a tin of beans and didn´t know what to do with it - now I do :-)

Jo said...

I've never heard of this before but it looks and sounds very tasty. Something new to try.

Tom said...

...yep, this is stew time of year!

Anonymous said...

This sounds amazing!

mxtodis123 said...

I am definitely going to try this one. Perfect for the cool weather when it finally rolls in.

eileeninmd said...

Hello, the stew sounds hearty and delicious.
Enjoy your day and week ahead!

Pam said...

Good morn from Tennessee! Thanks for stopping by the blog while I was out and about house/animal sitting for the last nine days! Good to be home.....you know what Dorothy in Oz said...there is no place like home! Stew looks yum, I have to admit I was not eating all that great while away from home which is strange cause my brother has the coolest kitchen and I usually like cooking up there but I sort kept myself busy painting. Have a great day.

Sandy said...

I am going to try this! It looks like a wonderful dish for cold weather.

Lois said...

It does look good!

Benita said...

Looks delicious! The hubster will definitely be getting some of this. It's turning fall here which is the time we drag out our soup and stew recipes...glad to add another one to the stash! Hope you are doing well Jan!

Mary Kirkland said...

I've made something similar t this before and liked it so this sounds really good to me.

happyone said...

Looks and sounds very good. Nice on a cold winters day or any other day too. : )

Marilyn @ MountainTopSpice said...

Oh my, this sounds soo good! I love the idea of simmering it for a long while and letting the flavors meld together. Tis the season for good soups, and this one definitely sounds like a winner, Happy October to you :)

Magic Love Crow said...

Looks so good! Thank you Jan! Big Hugs!

Out on the prairie said...

yum, I love to cook over a fire this time of year. We do one stew and everyone brings a favorite addition.

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

This looks perfect as a cooler weather meal. I like both cannellini beans and butternut squash and I'm sure the addition of meat and saug=sage makes this stew hearty and filling.

Bill said...

Looks great, thanks for sharing Jan.

Martha said...

Looks yummy!

Lorrie said...

Locro is the general name for a meat and vegetable stew/soup in the countries lying along the Andes mountains. We lived in Ecuador for many years and loved the various locros served to us or eaten in restaurants. This sounds like a wonderful dish!

Phil Slade said...

Some of my fave ingreients there Jan. Beans, chorizo, paprika, chill. What's not to like? We have some shoulder pork for weekend so I think we might just adapt that recipe.

Debbie said...

this looks like another great recipe and stew weather is coming! it's still pretty warm here in new jersey!!!

DeniseinVA said...

This is a wonderful sounding dish with all those ingredients. Chorizo is one of hubs' favorite sausages, that and linguica which is his all time favorite.

carol l mckenna said...

Oooh ~ delish looking stew recipe! ^_^

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