Stuffed Pepper Tacos

Charred pepper stuffed with gooey cheese and herbs

6 ingredients•Prep: 45 mins•Cook: 5 mins

Quinn Reyes•Oct 16, 2024

With just a single charred pepper stuffed with gooey cheese and herbs, this taco encuerado (or “naked taco”) proves that simplicity is often best — you don’t even need salsa. This recipe, which was adapted from “Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling” (Abrams, 2023) by Bricia Lopez with Javier Cabral, is inspired by the chiles encuerados served at Cocina de Frida, a restaurant in Ocotlán de Morelos, Oaxaca. The restaurant’s chiles de agua, small, medium-hot heirloom chiles, are considered naked because they don’t have a batter like other chiles rellenos. Ms. Lopez likes to use Anaheim or mild Hatch chiles, which are sweet with a subtle kick, then finishes them with just a sprinkle of olive oil and flaky salt to brighten. (This is a demo site — this recipe is from The New York Times)

A collection of my own recipes and a few from my friends and family. Always trying to use local, seasonal ingredients. Currently working as a chef at Tamaleria Azteca in the East Bay.

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Ingredients (6)

Anaheim or mild Hatch chiles(8)
Flakey salt
Queso Oaxaca(pulled into thin pieces)
Queso Oaxaca is salty, milky, melty and available at Latin supermarkets; you could also use fresh salted mozzarella, Monterey Jack or Chihuahua cheese
Fresh epazote leaves(16)
plus more finely chopped for garnish
Flour tortillas(8)
ideally homemade
Extra virgin olive oil
for drizzling

Instructions

Heat a grill to medium-high
Starting at the stem of the chiles (8), cut a 3-inch slit lengthwise. Using gloved hands or a fork, carefully pluck out the ribs and seeds as best you can. Shake the chile to get out any more.
Sprinkle the insides with salt. Stuff the chiles with the cheese and two epazote leaves per chile. Close the chiles and bring together their edges over the cheese.
Add the chiles to the grill cut sides down. (Don’t worry; the cheese won’t be melty enough yet to slide out.) Grill until browned, 3 to 5 minutes, top closed if using a gas grill.
Continue to grill, turning occasionally, until completely charred, tender and puffy, another 5 to 8 minutes.
It’s helpful to arrange the chiles parallel to the grates to keep them from rolling around.
Set aside to cool slightly, then use your fingers to remove most of the blackened outside.
While the chiles are cooling, warm the tortillas (8) over the flame, just a minute per side. Serve the chiles on top of the tortillas. Sprinkle with chopped epazote, flaky salt and a drizzle of olive oil.