Elsa Tobar has worked with me for ten years. She came from Chile, and this is her recipe. It closely resembles the Ecuadorian sancocho. It is very beautiful; but it does require that guests not be persnickety about eating with their fingers—the corn, that is. I suppose the kernels could be removed from the cobs and added during the last few minutes of cooking, but the flavor would not be the same. To cut slices across the cob, slam the sharp blade of a heavy knife in
