Name: Arequipa Stuffed Rocoto Peppers
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Peruvian
Ingredients: 2 Rocoto Peppers, tops cut off and seeds removed; 180 g Ground Beef, for filling; 250 g Potato, sliced for the baking dish; ½ cup Onion, finely chopped; 2 clove Garlic, minced; 1 tbsp Ají Panca Paste, for the beef filling; 2 tbsp Peanuts, roasted and chopped; 1½ tbsp Raisins, roughly chopped; 4 Green Olives, chopped; 1 Egg, hard-boiled and chopped; 60 g Queso Fresco, sliced or crumbled; ¼ cup Evaporated Milk, for baking sauce; 1 tbsp Neutral Oil, for sautéing; ½ tsp Ground Cumin, for filling; ½ tsp Dried Oregano, lightly crushed; 1 tsp Sugar, for parboiling peppers; 5 cup Water, for parboiling peppers and potatoes; ¾ tsp Salt, divided; ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper, freshly ground if possible

1 hr 15 mintotal

55 min hands-on20 min hands-off

Prep 30 min · Cook 25 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Spicy

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Method

Preheat the oven to 190°C. Bring water to a boil with sugar and 0.25 tsp salt.
Parboil the cleaned rocoto peppers for 3 minutes, drain, and repeat once with fresh water if you want a milder heat.
3 min
Parboil the potato slices for 6–7 minutes until partly tender, then arrange them in a small baking dish.
6–7 min
Heat neutral oil in a pan. Add onion and cook until soft, then add garlic, ají panca paste, ground cumin, and dried oregano.
Add the ground beef, remaining salt, and ground black pepper. Cook until browned and the mixture is mostly dry.
Stir in the peanuts, raisins, green olives, and chopped hard-boiled egg. Remove from heat.
Fill the rocoto peppers with the beef mixture. Place them over the potatoes and top with queso fresco.
Pour evaporated milk around the potatoes, not directly inside the peppers. Bake for 18–20 minutes until the cheese softens and the dish is bubbling at the edges.
18–20 min

How to tell it's done

The peppers should hold their shape, the filling should be moist but not wet, and the cheese should be softened on top.

Getting it right

Tip

Parboiling rocoto peppers helps control the heat while keeping their fruity flavor.

What to serve it with

Serve hot with the baked potatoes from the dish and a simple salad.

Substitutions

Rocoto Peppers — Use large red bell peppers for a much milder version, but the dish will no longer have rocoto’s characteristic heat.
Queso Fresco — Use a mild fresh cheese if queso fresco is unavailable.

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Ingredients