Rocoto Relleno (Peruvian Stuffed Peppers)

About This Recipe

Rocoto relleno is a signature dish of Arequipa in southern Peru, built on the rocoto pepper, a thick-walled, intensely spicy chile that looks like a bell pepper but carries serious heat. Since rocoto peppers are hard to find outside Peru, this recipe honestly substitutes bell peppers with a chile added to the filling for heat, since a bell pepper doesn't carry any spice on its own the way a real rocoto does. The filling, picante de carne, is a savory beef picadillo cooked with onion, garlic, aji panca paste, olives and hard-boiled egg, a combination that balances the heat of the pepper with salty, briny and rich notes. Traditionally the peppers are parboiled in a sugar-water solution multiple times to tame some of their intense heat before stuffing, a step this recipe keeps in spirit by blanching the peppers to soften them. Topped with cheese and baked until bubbling, rocoto relleno is often served with a wedge of baked potato and a drizzle of evaporated milk, a classic Arequipeña presentation.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 6 mediumbell peppers(tops cut off and seeded)
• 2 tbspsugar(for blanching water)
• 2 tbspvegetable oil
• 1 largeonion(finely chopped)
• 3 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 500 gground beef
• 2 tbspaji panca paste
• 1fresh jalapeno or serrano chile(minced, for heat)
• 0.5 cupblack olives(pitted and chopped)
• 2 largehard-boiled eggs(chopped)
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 1.5 cupsshredded queso fresco or mozzarella
• 0.25 cupevaporated milk(for drizzling, optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Blanch the peppers

   Boil peppers in water with sugar for 5 minutes to soften and mellow their bite. Drain and set aside.

2. 2

   Cook the filling base

   Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook 6-7 minutes until soft. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.

3. 3

   Brown the beef

   Add ground beef and cook, breaking it up, 8 minutes until browned. Stir in aji panca paste and minced chile, cooking 2 minutes until fragrant.

4. 4

   Finish the filling

   Stir in olives, hard-boiled eggs, cumin and salt. Cook 2 more minutes, then remove from heat.

   Chop the hard-boiled egg small and fold it in gently at the very end so it doesn't turn mushy.

5. 5

   Stuff the peppers

   Fill each blanched pepper generously with the beef mixture, mounding slightly. Top each with shredded cheese.

6. 6

   Bake

   Place peppers in a baking dish and bake at 190C (375F) for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden and the peppers are tender.

7. 7

   Serve

   Drizzle with evaporated milk if using, and serve hot, traditionally alongside a baked potato wedge.

Variations

• •

  Make it milder by using only half a minced chile, or spicier by adding a second one, depending on your heat tolerance.

• •

  Swap ground beef for ground turkey for a lighter filling.

• •

  Serve with pastel de papa (a Peruvian potato casserole) on the side for a full Arequipeña-style meal.

Storage

Refrigerate stuffed peppers up to 3 days. Reheat covered in a 175C (350F) oven for about 15 minutes until warmed through and the cheese re-melts.

Frequently Asked Questions