Rocoto Relleno
A stuffed pepper dish from Arequipa, built on the rocoto, one of the oldest domesticated plants in the Americas, with evidence of cultivation in the Andes dating back 6,000 to 8,000 years and documented use in the Paracas, Nazca, Moche, and Chimú cultures well before Spanish contact. Rocoto (Capsicum pubescens) is a genuinely different chile species from jalapeños and bell peppers, identifiable by its thick, apple-like flesh and distinctive black seeds, and roughly ten times hotter than a jalapeño raw. The stuffed preparation itself took shape after Spanish colonizers introduced beef, cheese, and raisins; the real technique for taming — not eliminating — the heat is parboiling the deseeded peppers two or three times in sugared water, changing it each time.
⚠ Contains: Dairy, Egg. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 6 rocoto peppers (or large jalapeño or poblano as a substitute)
- Sugar, for parboiling
- 500g ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp ají panca paste (or ancho chile paste)
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup black olives
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- 1 tsp cumin
- 200g queso fresco
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 1 egg
Steps
- Cut the tops off the rocotos, remove the seeds and veins, and parboil two or three times in sugared water, changing the water each time.
- Sauté the beef with onion, garlic, ají panca, raisins, olives, chopped egg, and cumin.
- Stuff the peppers with the beef mixture.
- Whisk together the queso fresco, evaporated milk, and egg, and pour over the stuffed peppers.
- Bake until the custard sets and the top is golden. Serve with pastel de papa.