Lecho is one of the most popular winter preparations. Assorted vegetables in an appetizing sweet and sour sauce will be an excellent appetizer, suitable as an addition to a stew or as a dressing for soup. Zucchini lecho has a very delicate texture; flavor nuances depend on additional ingredients.
Zucchini lecho: cooking features
Lecho is a dish that came from Hungarian cuisine and immediately fell in love with Russians. Once the coveted jars were taken out in stores, then the hostesses mastered the recipe and even made copyright adjustments to it. As a result, in every house where canning is fond, there is its own recipe for lecho. For its preparation, you can use a variety of vegetables, including delicious, healthy, affordable zucchini. Fresh young vegetables straight from the garden are ideal, but you can also get them at the store.
Zucchini are distinguished by a very delicate, almost imperceptible taste and pleasant texture. When cooked correctly, the pieces retain their shape, but literally melt in the mouth. Fresh vegetables go well with fruits that have a spicier, sweeter or sour taste: tomatoes, eggplant, garlic, bell peppers or hot peppers.
All types of lecho are cooked according to the same principle: larger pieces of vegetables are boiled in thick tomato sauce, chopped garlic, vinegar, sugar, salt are added for taste. An obligatory component is refined vegetable oil. The set of vegetables can vary, but juicy zucchini should be soloed. The prepared lecho is perfectly stored in a cool, dark place; you need to place the jars in the refrigerator only after opening.
Zucchini and tomato lecho: classic version
A very simple and easy to prepare snack. It is better to choose ripe, brightly colored sweet varieties of tomatoes - the appetizer will turn out to be more beautiful and will look good in photographs.
Ingredients:
- 4 kg of young zucchini;
- 3 heads of garlic;
- 4 kg of ripe meaty tomatoes;
- 1 kg of sweet pepper;
- 150 ml of refined vegetable oil;
- 100 ml of 9% table vinegar;
- 100 g sugar;
- 80 g of salt.
Wash and dry the vegetables. Peppers to clear of seeds, cut off the stalks. Young zucchini need not be peeled; it is better to remove the tough peel from old vegetables. Cut the tomatoes and peppers into random sized pieces and mince or mince.
Transfer the resulting puree to a saucepan and place on the stove. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Add the zucchini, cut into cubes, mix, add salt and sugar, pour in vegetable oil. Cook the mixture for about half an hour, stirring occasionally with a wooden spatula.
Pass the garlic through a press or chop very finely. Put it in a saucepan, add vinegar. Let the mixture simmer for another 5-7 minutes. Pour the finished lecho into sterilized jars and roll up the lids. Turn the containers upside down on a towel, wrap them in a blanket and leave to cool. Store canned food in a cool, dark place.
Lecho with zucchini and eggplant: a step by step recipe
It turns out very tasty lecho with the addition of eggplant. They have a richer flavor and add additional nuances to the mixture. Lecho can not be rolled up, but simply closed with screw lids, but such canned food is not stored for long.
Ingredients:
- 900 g zucchini;
- 400 g eggplant;
- 450 g carrots;
- 2.5 kg of tomatoes;
- 1 kg of sweet pepper;
- 100 g of garlic;
- 400 g of onions;
- 230 g sugar;
- 2 tbsp. l. salt;
- 1 tbsp. l. vinegar essence;
- 1 tbsp. l. odorless sunflower oil.
Wash the tomatoes, dry, mince. Pepper seeds and cut into strips. Cut the eggplants, zucchini and onions into small cubes, pass the garlic through a press.
Pour tomato puree into a saucepan, add carrot cubes and vegetable oil. Put the mixture on the stove, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes. Pour onion, garlic and bell pepper into a saucepan, stir, wait until the vegetable mass boils. Lay out the zucchini and eggplants, add sugar and salt. The proportions can be changed at will, for those who do not like a pronounced sweet aftertaste, the amount of sugar should be reduced.
Simmer lecho for about 15 minutes, until vegetables are soft. Pour in vinegar essence, mix thoroughly, leave on the stove for another 7 minutes. Pour the finished product into clean and skhim jars, close the lids and leave to cool in an inverted position. A prerequisite is to wrap the jars with a blanket or blanket, this will make the taste of canned food more concentrated and preserve the bright color of vegetables. After cooling, put the lecho into a closet or cellar.
Lecho with tomato paste: quick option
Lecho according to this recipe is cooked for about 40 minutes. The product does not require sterilization, only jars and lids need to be boiled. The ready-made appetizer is good cold, but it is also suitable as a delicious thick sauce for rice, pasta, mashed potatoes.
Ingredients:
- 2 kg of young zucchini;
- 8 pieces of sweet peppers (preferably different colors);
- 6 medium-sized onions;
- 500 g tomato paste;
- 3 tbsp. l. 9% table vinegar;
- 200 refined vegetable oil;
- 2 tbsp. l. salt;
- 200 g sugar;
- 2, 5 glasses of water;
- a few peas of allspice.
Wash the courgettes, cut into cubes. Young vegetables do not need to be peeled. Peel the bell peppers and chop finely, cut the onion into rings.
Pour water into a saucepan, add tomato paste, allspice, salt, sugar, vegetable oil. Bring the sauce to a boil, cook for 3 minutes. Add zucchini and onion, stir and simmer for another 15 minutes, reducing heat. Add bell peppers, cook for another 25 minutes. Finally, pour in the vinegar and stir. Darken lecho on the stove for 3-5 minutes, turn off the heat.
Pour the hot mixture into sterilized jars, tighten the lids and cool upside down. Put the completely cooled cans for storage.
