Porotos Granados with Pilco and Merkén Oil

Method

1. Husk the corn. Grate half of the ears on a box grater into a bowl with all their juice (the mazamorra), and stand the rest upright and slice the kernels off with a knife (the pilco). Break the bare cobs into 2 or 3 pieces, put them in a 20 cm pot with the water and bay leaves and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 min to make a sweet corn stock.

   Add in this stepWater (for the corn stock) 1,000 mlBay leaves 1

   medium-low heat

2. While the stock simmers, heat the oil in a heavy 20 cm pot over medium-low heat and cook the onion slowly for 9 min until very soft and pale golden. Add the garlic, paprika and cumin and stir for 1 minute until fragrant. This long, gentle cooking gives the broth its deep sweetness.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil 1½ tbspOnion 1Garlic cloves 2Sweet paprika 1 tspGround cumin ¼ tsp

   medium-low heat

3. Strain the corn stock into the onion pot (discard the cobs and bay leaves) and add the beans and half the squash, cut into 1 cm dice. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower to medium-low heat and simmer for 22 min. The small squash dice will melt and thicken the broth.

   Add in this stepFresh shelled cranberry beans (or frozen) 200 gButternut squash or kabocha 120 g

   high heat→medium-low heat

4. Cut the rest of the squash into 2 cm cubes, add them with the salt and pepper and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 min more. These later pieces keep their shape and give the stew some bite. Move on when a bean crushes easily between your fingers.

   Add in this stepButternut squash or kabocha 120 gSalt 1 tspBlack pepper to taste

   medium-low heat

5. Add the grated corn and the kernels and cook over low heat for 9 min, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom, until thick and creamy. The kernels give little pops of sweetness, the grated corn a silky body.

   Add in this stepFresh corn on the cob (ears) 2

   low heat

6. Warm the olive oil and merkén in a small pan over low heat for just 1 min to make a red, smoky oil; if it smokes the chilli burns and turns bitter, so warm is enough. Tear the basil into the stew, ladle it into bowls and drizzle with the merkén oil.

   Add in this stepExtra virgin olive oil 1½ tbspMerkén (Chilean smoked chilli; or smoked paprika plus a little chilli flakes) ½ tspFresh basil leaves 10

   low heat