Locro de Zapallo (Peruvian pumpkin stew)

Name: Locro de Zapallo (Peruvian pumpkin stew)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Peru & Andean South America
Ingredients: 800 g zapallo squash or butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3 cm cubes; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 whole red onion, finely diced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tbsp aji amarillo paste (or 1 fresh aji amarillo, deseeded and minced); 1 tsp ground cumin; 300 ml vegetable or chicken stock; 150 ml evaporated milk; 150 g queso fresco or mild feta, crumbled; 2 ears corn on the cob, cut into rounds (choclo, large-kernel Andean corn if available); 1 tsp salt; 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley or huacatay (Andean black mint if available), chopped

Peruvian Andean pumpkin and cheese stew with aji amarillo

Origin: Peru & Andean South America

From the journey of Pumpkin & Squash.

Locro is one of the oldest cooked dishes of the Andean world: a thick, warming stew made from the crops of the Andean agricultural system: squash, potato, corn, and beans, cooked together into a dense, sustaining mass that could feed a family through the brutal Andean winter at altitude. The word locro comes from Quechua ruqru. Pre-Incan civilisations were cultivating squash in Peru as far back as 3000 BCE, and the locro tradition predates the Inca Empire. The Peruvian version; locro de zapallo; uses the bright orange zapallo squash, which collapses into the stew and thickens it to an almost porridge-like consistency. Aji amarillo, the golden Peruvian chilli that is the defining flavour of Peruvian cooking, provides the heat and a distinctive fruity, tropical sharpness that no other chilli replicates. Finished with fresh cheese, it is the kind of food that has fed Andean people for millennia and continues to be cooked in every Peruvian home.

Ingredients

Main

800 g zapallo squash or butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3 cm cubes

Cooking

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Aromatics

1 whole red onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced

Spice

2 tbsp aji amarillo paste (or 1 fresh aji amarillo, deseeded and minced)
1 tsp ground cumin

Liquid

300 ml vegetable or chicken stock

Enrichment

150 ml evaporated milk

Cheese

150 g queso fresco or mild feta, crumbled

Vegetables

2 ears corn on the cob, cut into rounds (choclo, large-kernel Andean corn if available)

Seasoning

1 tsp salt

Finish

2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley or huacatay (Andean black mint if available), chopped

Method

Heat oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add aji amarillo paste and cumin, stir and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.
Add the squash cubes and stir to coat in the spiced base. Add stock and season with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.
Cook for 20–25 minutes until the squash is completely tender and beginning to collapse. Some pieces will dissolve into the stew; this is correct and desirable.
Add the corn rounds and evaporated milk. Stir gently and cook for a further 10 minutes until the corn is cooked through and the stew has thickened.
Taste and adjust salt. The stew should be thick, bright orange, and richly flavoured. Ladle into bowls. Top generously with crumbled queso fresco and chopped parsley or huacatay.

Notes

Locro de zapallo is a complete vegetarian meal as written; protein, starch, and vegetable in one bowl. Peruvian home cooks sometimes add prawns or shredded chicken. Serve with white rice on the side, which is traditional, and extra aji amarillo sauce for those who want more heat.

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control