Hot Night.

We enjoyed  one of the most well known traditional rocoto dishes in Peru last night, the Rocoto Relleno (stuffed hot peppers). I know, call me crazy. Hot food on the hottest day of summer with a heat index of 110 degrees.  I call it a good weight loss plan. I relaxed in the air conditioned kitchen, mixing up this delightful dish and wasn't hungry when it came time to eat. I sampled on a small pepper, almost like a popper and it satisfied the palete.

It was a little labor intensive, I will admit. But doing this again, I can easily be better prepared. Like already having my egg hard boiled for starters. Pre-chopping the onion and olives and de-seeding the peppers would all save time. And you could even make up the meat mixture ahead of time. For that matter, you could make the entire meal and refrigerate and just toss it in the oven when you get home from work. I wonder if you could cook the peppers in a crock pot and skip the boiling? Do you see where this is going? I will be making these again. They were delicious. Hannah liked them, though hates olives I learned.

The recipe called for Rocoto peppers which are actually an extremely spicy pepper, not easily found in the United States. So I opted for Red Bell Peppers. I would possibly add more spice to the meat mixture to kick it up a notch.   I made Elie take one bite of the meat mixture just so she could say she dined in Peru. She said, "not bad,  but I wouldn't want it as my main meal". So pesto tortellini for her and a Hot Dog for Katy. Short order cooking. Maybe that's why it took me so long to prepare dinner last night...

Rocoto Relleno
Ingredients:
1/2 cup raisins
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 chile peppers (anaheim or similar), seeds and veins removed, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 pound ground beef
3/4 cup beef broth
1 hard boiled egg, coarsly chopped
1/3 cup sliced black olives
1 cup crumbled queso fresco
4 red bell peppers

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the raisins in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them plump in the water for 10 minutes.
3. Sauté the chopped onions, garlic, and peppers in the olive oil until soft and fragrant.
4. Add the cumin and paprika and cook 2 minutes more, stirring. Add the ground beef and cook until browned.
5. Drain the raisins and add them to the ground beef. Add the beef broth and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until most of the liquid is gone.
6. Stir in the hard boiled egg and the black olives. Season mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Remove beef mixture from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco.
8. While the beef is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Slice the tops off of the peppers and reserve. Clean the inside of the peppers, removing the seeds and veins.
9. Cook the peppers in the boiling water until bright red and just tender, about 8 - 10 minutes. Drain peppers and blot dry with paper towels.
10. Fill each pepper with some of seasoned ground beef mixture. Top with remaining queso fresco.
11. Place the peppers on a baking sheet, with the tops alongside them (but not covering the filling). (I Used a Meat loaf pan so they stayed upright while baking and didn't bother baking the stems) Bake the peppers for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the filling is heated through.
12. Serve warm.