Stuffed Peppers
The Quirky Foodster Team
Ingredients
- Large mild peppers (poblano or similar) — 6
- Minced beef or pork — 300 g (10.6 oz)
- Onion, diced — 1
- Tomatoes, chopped — 2
- Raisins — 40 g (1.4 oz)
- Chopped almonds — 2 tbsp
- Ground cinnamon — 1 tsp
- Eggs, separated — 3
- Flour — 3 tbsp
- Oil for frying
- Salt — to taste
Method
- Roast the peppers over an open flame or under a hot grill until the skins blister, then peel, and carefully slit one side to remove the seeds, keeping the pepper whole.
- Cook the minced meat with the onion until browned, then add the tomatoes, raisins, almonds, and cinnamon, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Season the filling with salt and stuff generously into each pepper.
- Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks, then fold in the yolks and flour to make a light batter.
- Dip each stuffed pepper in the batter and fry in hot oil until golden on all sides.
- Drain briefly and serve warm.
Introduction: Mild peppers stuffed with a savoury meat and dried fruit filling, battered and fried — a dish blending indigenous chiles with imported ingredients.
Cultural Background: Chiles rellenos exemplify the culinary fusion of the colonial period, combining native peppers with meat, dried fruit, and spices brought from Europe and Asia via Spanish trade routes, dressed in a Spanish-style egg batter.
Tips: Roast the peppers until well blistered — this makes the skins much easier to peel.
Variations: A simple tomato sauce spooned over the finished peppers is a common addition.
Nutrition: Approx. 380 kcal per serving.
FAQs:
Q: What makes this dish ‘colonial’ rather than purely indigenous?
A: The combination of native chiles with European-introduced ingredients — beef, almonds, raisins, cinnamon, and the egg batter technique — reflects the culinary blending distinctive to the colonial period.
Q: Can this be made vegetarian?
A: Yes, a cheese or bean filling makes a suitable and widely eaten alternative.
- Large mild peppers (poblano or similar) — 6
- Minced beef or pork — 300 g (10.6 oz)
- Onion, diced — 1
- Tomatoes, chopped — 2
- Raisins — 40 g (1.4 oz)
- Chopped almonds — 2 tbsp
- Ground cinnamon — 1 tsp
- Eggs, separated — 3
- Flour — 3 tbsp
- Oil for frying
- Salt — to taste
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