Community Cocina: Rocoto Relleno Peruano
Perú is a country with tons of great food - ceviche, lomo saltado, and even Chinese fusion known as chifa - so it was hard to pick just one food to cook as our last Community Cocina dish of the year. Rocoto relleno (stuffed rocoto peppers) ultimately won! Together we prepared these stuffed peppers and enjoyed just how great the dish is.
As we chomped on the tasty peppers stuffed with beef and cheese, we also learned a bit about Peruvian culture -- the indigenous groups who give the country a rich history, the 19th century immigration that mixed Peruvian and East Asian cultures, and the connection of past and present evident in cities like Cusco (previously the Inca Empire's capital).
Read below for the full bilingual recipe, so you too can get a taste of Perú!
Ingredientes
½ taza de pasas (½ cup raisins)
1 cebolla, cortado (1 onion, chopped)
1 diente de ajo (1 clove garlic)
2 chiles (2 chili peppers)
4 pimientos (4 red bell peppers)
3 cucharadas de aceite de oliva (3 tablespoons olive oil)
1 cucharilla de comino (1 teaspoon cumin)
1 cucharada de paprika (1 tablespoon paprika)
1 libra de carne molida (1 pound ground beef)
¾ taza de caldo de carne (¾ cup beef broth)
1 huevo duro, cortado (1 hard-boiled egg, chopped)
1/3 taza de olivas negras cortadas (1/3 cup sliced black olives)
1 taza de queso frito desmenuzado (1 cup crumbled queso fresco)
Receta
Calienta el horno a 350 F. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Ponte las pasas en agua hirviendo. Put the raisins in boiling water.
Saltea la cebolla, ajo, y chiles en el aceite de oliva hasta que sea suave. Sauté the chopped onions, garlic, and peppers in the olive oil until soft.
Pon el comino y paprika y cocina por 2 minutos más mientras removerlo. Add the cumin and paprika and cook for 2 more minutes while stirring.
Desagua las pasas y ponlas en la carne molida. Añade el caldo y deja que hierva durante 15 minutos. Drain the raisins and add them to the ground beef. Add the broth and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
Añade el huevo duro y las olivas y sazona la mezcla. Add the hard-boiled egg and olives and season the mix to taste.
Quita la carne y dejala por 5 minutos. Añade ½ taza de queso frito. Remove the beef and let cool for 5 minutes. Add a ½ cup of queso frito.
Hierve una cacerola de agua. Antes de añadir los pimientos, corta las partes de arriba y saca las semillas y venas. Boil a pot of water. Before adding the bell peppers, cut off their tops and remove the seeds/veins.
Cocina los pimientos en la agua hasta que sean brillantes y tiernos (8-10 minutos). Desagualos y secalos con toallas de papel. Cook the peppers in the water until the are shiny and tender (8-10 minutes). Drain and dry the peppers with paper towels.
Rellena cada pimiento con la mezcla de carne. Pon el queso por encima. Fill each pepper with the beef mix. Put cheese on top.
Hornea los pimiento por 10-15 minutos con las partes de arriba apartes. Bake the peppers for 10-15 minutes with the tops to the side.
¡Disfruta! Enjoy! ✔
