Arequipa-Style Stuffed Rocoto Peppers with Spiced Beef and Custard

What you need

• 8 rocoto peppers, tops sliced off and kept, seeds and veins removed
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp for the blanching water, the rest for the filling and custard
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 250 g (9 oz) ground beef
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 50 g (1/3 cup) raisins
• 50 g (1/2 cup) roasted peanuts, unsalted, coarsely ground
• 50 g (1/3 cup) black olives, pitted, chopped
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, chopped
• 100 g (3.5 oz) queso fresco, cut into 8 slices
• 1 large egg
• 120 ml (1/2 cup) evaporated milk

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Wear gloves, and goggles if you can: rocotos are very hot. Slice the top off each pepper and keep it as a lid. Scrape out the seeds and white veins with a spoon.

2. 2

   Bring about 1 l of water to a boil with the sugar, vinegar, bay leaf and 1 tsp of the salt. Add the peppers and boil for 3 min, then drain.

3. 3

   Repeat the blanching twice more in fresh water with the same seasonings. Do not boil longer, or the peppers collapse. Stand the peppers upside down on a rack to drain.

4. 4

   Heat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F).

5. 5

   Warm the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook the onion until soft and translucent, 5 min. Add the garlic and cook for 1 min.

6. 6

   Add the beef and cook, breaking it up, until no pink remains, 6-8 min.

7. 7

   Stir in the cumin, paprika, oregano, raisins and peanuts. Season with the remaining salt and take the pan off the heat.

8. 8

   Fold in the olives and chopped eggs, then let the filling cool for 5 min.

9. 9

   Stand the peppers upright in a baking dish. Spoon in half the filling, press it down, then fill to the top, packing out any air pockets.

10. 10

    Lay a slice of cheese over each filled pepper and set its lid back on top.

11. 11

    Beat the raw egg and milk together with a pinch of salt, then pour the custard around and over the peppers.

12. 12

    Bake until the custard sets and the cheese melts, 15-20 min. Rest 5 min, then serve warm.

Imported from eatperu.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.