The Hungarian national dish called lecho is made with tomatoes, bacon and paprika. There are many recipes for making lecho in different countries of the world. Tomato lecho goes well with fried meat, potatoes, pasta, cereals, etc.
How to make tomato lecho
To make a tomato and pepper lecho for the winter, you will need:
- 3 kg of tomatoes;
- 3 kg of sweet bell peppers;
- 200 ml of vegetable oil;
- 80 ml of vinegar;
- 4 tbsp. l. salt;
- 250 g of sugar;
- bay leaf - 2 pcs.;
- black pepper (peas) - 10 pcs.
For lecho, choose fleshy and sweet peppers and medium-sized tomatoes. Wash all vegetables well under running water, then chop the peppers, core them and chop them into coarse chunks. Cut the tomatoes in the same way.
Using a meat grinder, twist the tomatoes, pour the resulting mass into a saucepan, add pepper, sugar and salt, vegetable oil. Cook for about 15 minutes, then add peppercorns, vinegar and bay leaf, simmer for another 7-10 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the jars by sterilizing them along with the lids. Arrange the hot tomato lecho in jars, cover with lids, turn over, cover with a blanket and wait until it cools completely.
How to cook Hungarian lecho
Cooking Hungarian tomato lecho will require the following components:
- 600 g of tomatoes;
- 1.5 kg of green pepper;
- 50 g smoked bacon;
- 80 g lard;
- onions - 2 pcs.;
- 5 g of paprika;
- salt (to taste).
Prepare the vegetables for the lecho: rinse and cut the peppers into wedges, the tomatoes into quarters, and the onions into half rings. Pre-boil the tomatoes with boiling water and remove the skins.
Cut the bacon into cubes and fry in a deep frying pan until transparent on the lard, then add the onion, which needs to be browned.
Add the paprika to the skillet, then the tomatoes and green peppers, remember to season with salt and stir. Simmer the lecho over medium heat until the liquid practically evaporates. Only then cover the pan with a lid and bring the Hungarian lecho to readiness over low heat.
Hungarian lecho is a great addition to rice, potatoes or pasta.
