Humita - A Savory Butternut Squash & Corn Dish

 When I was in Argentina not long ago, I discovered humita, a delightful vegetable dish from northern Argentina. There are variants of this dish in other South American countries. You can read more about humita on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humita

 I tried it as part of a dinner I had at a spectacular tango performance at El Querandí, recommended by my friend Jorge. (If you're ever in Buenos Aires and want to experience a great traditional tango show, El  Querandí is the place to go: https://querandi.com.ar/en/ )

I loved the humita so much that I decided I had to try making it. I did, and was very pleased with the results. It does take a bit of chopping, but the actual cooking is straightforward and simple. (The "h" in "humita" is silent.)

I found many humita recipes on-line. I started with this one, and modified it in a number of ways consistent with other humita recipes. I found it at: https://theargentinekitchen.co.uk/2021/01/28/humita/. (Notice that it comes from a British site named, "The Argentine Kitchen."

One important change to the original recipe is using canned sweet corn instead of corn grated off the cob. I left out the spicy chili pepper and the optional mozzarella balls. I also discovered I needed far less liquid than the original recipe called for.

 This recipe makes 6-8 servings. It’s best made a day in advance. The flavor is much richer on the second day.

 Ingredients

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 1 1/2 onions- finely chopped

- 2 pieces of spring onion – finely chopped

- 1  sweet red pepper – chopped

- two 15 oz. cans sweet corn. (The original recipe calls for grated corn on the cob, then soaking the husks in water. The water is added when cooking. I used the corn juice from the can instead.)

- the corn juice from the canned corn

- 1 lb. grated butternut squash (I used the food processor)

- 1 diced roma tomato

- 1 tbsp garlic (I use the bottled, crushed garlic)

- 1 1/2 tsp paprika (you can add more or less depending on your taste)

- 1 tsp cumin

- salt and pepper

 Cooking

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Then add the chopped white onion, spring onion, garlic, & red pepper.

2. While the onions and red peppers are cooking, add a good pinch of salt and continue to mix until it is cooked – about 6 minutes.

3. Add the roma tomato, cumin & paprika. You can start by adding less spice, and add more if desired.

4. When well mixed, add all the corn and mix well.

5. Add roughly 4 oz. of the corn water and continue to stir so the corn does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

6. Cook the humita for 3 minutes continuously stirring. If the humita is becoming too dry at any time, add more corn water as needed. (If corn on the cob is used, cook the mixture for 10 minutes.)

7. When the humita has boiled for 3 minutes, add the grated butternut squash and mix well.

8. Continue to stir, reduce the heat and cook for a further 20 minutes until the humita is creamy and both butternut squash and corn are cooked. If water is still visible, cook until the water evaporates.