Rocoto Relleno

Blanca Chávez’s rocoto relleno, reproduced by Peru Delights, fills rocoto peppers with finely cut sirloin, ají panca, red onion and a mixture of peanuts, olives, raisins, parsley and chopped hard-boiled eggs. The recipe includes its own potato gratin as the accompaniment.

The rocoto tops are cut off and reserved, and the seeds and ribs are scraped out with a spoon. The peppers undergo repeated boiling with sugar and fresh water, with the water discarded between rounds, before they are drained and cooled. The chopped beef cooks with ají panca and bay leaves in vegetable oil, then red onion, a little sugar, salt and pepper are added.

Toasted ground peanuts, dried oregano, black olives, chopped hard-boiled eggs, parsley and black raisins complete the filling. The mixture fills the peppers in a baking pan. One egg is beaten with the can of unsweetened evaporated milk, salt and pepper and poured over them; two further eggs are beaten thick and spooned on top before the reserved rocoto tops are replaced.

The filled rocotos bake for fifteen minutes at 350°F. For the gratin, a separate pan is greased with butter and layered with already-boiled, peeled potato slices, queso fresco and aniseed. Four eggs are whipped thick and mixed with another portion of evaporated milk, salt and pepper, then poured over the layers and baked until golden and thick.

The baked rocotos are served with the potato gratin. The beef stays finely chopped in this version, following the recipe’s preference for pieces rather than ground meat.