Squash Stew

if nostalgia were a dish, it would be this for me

Hello friends. I’m adding another dish to the Peruvian recipe roster and this one is easily in the top 3. It’s a squash stew, otherwise known as Locro de Zapallo, and it comes together with simple ingredients and in a single pot. I nearly forgot about this dish but when I was doing my research, the nostalgia flooded in and I suddenly had very clear memories of my mom making this for my sisters and I as kids.

It’s super nutritious and fibre packed given that it’s mostly composed of squash. It’s also full of flavour from the peppers and the cheese, which melts through the stew and adds a boost of creaminess. A very unique combo with a very uniquely delicious outcome. It’s also naturally vegetarian friendly and can easily be made plant-based if you sub plant-based cheese like I do. I really hope you give this one a try, even if you don’t have the couple of Peruvian ingredients it uses. I’ve made substitution notes for those to make this recipe accessible.

Locro de Zapallo:

serves 4-6

• 2 tbsps olive oil

• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tbsps aji amarillo paste (sub fresh jalapeño, serrano or habanero to taste)

• 1/2 red kuri squash (700g), chopped into 1” cubes (sub kabocha squash, buttercup squash, pumpkin or Peruvian zapallo if you have it)

• 1/4 butternut squash (150g), chopped into 1/2” cubes

• 1 yellow potato, chopped into 1/2” cubes

• big pinch salt

• 2 stems fresh tarragon (if you have it, use 1 tsp huacatay paste instead, or a small handful of fresh huacatay leaves)

• 2/3 cup veggie stock

• 1/2 cup giant Peruvian corn (I buy Peruvian corn from the freezer section at my local latin market but if you can’t find this, sub regular sweet corn)

• 1/2 cup green peas

• 1/4 cup oat milk

• 3/4 cup plant-based cheese curds

• cooked white jasmine rice to serve

Lion’s Mane Steak (1 serving):

• 2 tbsps olive oil

• 1 medium lion’s mane mushroom

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 5-7 minutes or until translucent. Add garlic and aji amarillo paste and sauté for another minute or so.

   

2. Add squash, potato, salt, tarragon and veggie stock and stir. Bring to a simmer, cover and turn the heat to low. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until the squash is tender and beginning to fall apart.

   

3. Remove the tarragon at this point and stir in green peas, milk and cheese curds and simmer for another 5 minutes.

   

4. To make the steak, heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, preferably a cast iron. Add the lion’s mane and press down firmly with a spatula. Sear until golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side. At the very end of cooking, drizzle with soy sauce and press down to get one last sear, flipping to coat both sides.

   

5. Serve the locro with steamed rice and the lion’s mane steak. Enjoy!

Means so much to me to be able to share more dishes from my herritage, especially one from my childhood. Locro truly feels like a warm hug in a bowl and I hope you try it out <3 see you very soon.

-Raquel xx

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