Pepinos Rellenos de Carne (Caigua Stuffed with Beef)
Ingredients
- 12 pepinos or caiguas
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoon butter
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- 1 small white onion chopped
- 2 scallions chopped
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- ½ pound ground beef
- ½ pound ground pork
- Salt and pepper to your taste
- 1 cup cooked and diced potatoes
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 small white onion chopped
- 4 medium tomatoes peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1 cup beef broth
- Salt and pepper to your taste
- ¼ cup of heavy cream
- Parsley to garnish
Instructions
- To make the filling: Heat the oil and the butter in a pan over medium heat, add the bell pepper, onion, scallions and garlic, stirring often. When the vegetables are soft add the ground beef and pork. Stir well and cook for 15 minutes over medium-low heat. Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking for 5 minutes more. Add the potatoes, mix well and reserve.
- Wash the pepinos and cook them in salted water for about 5 to 10 minutes until soft. Make a slice in the middle of each pepino and take out the black seeds and veins. Fill them with the meat and potato mixture and place on a plate.
- To make the sauce: in a saucepan heat the oil and butter, add the garlic and onion and sauté until tender. Add the tomatoes and cook until very soft. Add the beef broth, salt, and pepper. Place the filled pepinos in one layer, cover the pan and cook over medium-low heat for 25 minutes. Add the heavy cream and cook for about 5 minutes more. Serve them immediately with white rice and sauce on top.
Pepinos Rellenos is a popular dish in Colombia. Pepino, or wild cucumber, also known as caigua, is a vegetable popular in South America. Pepinos are typically stuffed, while the fillings vary depending on the cook. Some people stuff them with a mixture of rice, beef, and cooked egg and bake them, while others cook them in a sauce, and some batter and deep fry them. My family recipe is filled with a mixture of ground beef, pork, potatoes and vegetables and then cooked in a sauce made with broth, vegetables and cream.
This Pepinos Rellenos de Carne recipe is my grandmother’s. She made it often when I was a child growing up in Colombia. Honestly, as a kid I didn't like this dish, so every time my grandmother made it, she also made another variation just for me. She would stuff potatoes with the pepino filling and cook them in the same sauce with the pepinos and I loved it! My grandmother always served them with white rice, avocado and salad on the side.
I never made this recipe before because I could not find fresh pepinos here in the United States. Last week however, I found a bag of frozen pepinos at my local Latin market and decided to try making the recipe. After multiple phone calls and chats with family members in Colombia, I finally have Mamita’s recipe for you!
Buen provecho!
Ramya
Will be making this soon can i use vegan beef / mushrooms / vegan butter and vegetable broth as am a vegan can i skip red bell pepper as am not a big fan of it i never had pepinos rellenos de carne and colombian food before perfect for my after office meals will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Anonymous
lol change the whole recipe .. but i think a ground "beef" made of carrot can pair well or a mushroom substitute
Allan H. Bredig
I used relleno peppers
And oh my God, it was incredible. Could only eat one. Yeilded 6.
Thanks Chrf Allăn
Martell Sandra
Hola Erica!
Dónde conseguiste los pepinos? Yo vivo en Miami y me muero por comerlos. Eran mis favoritos de chiquilla. Después de casi 30 años, cuando los ví en Arví en Medellin, me puse a llorar! Tanto que la vendedora me dió su teléfono para preparármelos, jajaja. Pero no se pudo.
Gracias por tu pagina y tus recetas. Aunque sé preparar la mayoría de cosas, las repaso para recordar pues me lleva de regreso a casa…
Erica Dinho
Yo los consigo solamente congelados en un mercado Latino.En Miami debe ser más facil condeguirlos.