A variety of vegetable preparations for the winter are always popular among housewives. But, perhaps, it is lecho that comes first among them. Perhaps this situation has arisen due to the variety of recipes that are used to make this dish. Although even in the simplest classic version, when lecho consists only of sweet peppers, tomatoes and onions, this dish brings the aromas of a sultry summer and the rich taste of a fruitful autumn to the winter and spring menu. Recently, with the advent of kitchen units designed to make work easier in the kitchen, such as a multicooker, you can prepare lecho even in the hottest summer. In addition, when preparing lecho in a slow cooker for the winter, you no longer have to worry about some vegetables burning or the sauce escaping from the pan.
But the taste of the resulting dishes and the ease of preparation are the undeniable advantages of using a multicooker.
Below are several recipes for lecho for a slow cooker, using which you can provide your family with tasty and healthy products for the winter.
Traditional recipe “couldn’t be simpler”
If you have never prepared any preparations for the winter in a slow cooker, then it is best to use the lecho recipe below.It is so easy to prepare that even a beginner can handle it.
So, first you have to find and prepare the following ingredients:
- Sweet bell pepper – 1.5 kg;
- Tomatoes – 1.5 kg or tomato paste (400 grams);
- Onions – 0.5 kg;
- Refined oil – 125 ml;
- Greens (any according to your preferences: basil, dill, cilantro, celery, parsley) – 100 g;
- Ground black pepper – 5 g;
- Vinegar -1-2 teaspoons;
- Salt and granulated sugar - to taste.
What is their preparation? All vegetables are washed thoroughly, all seeds with internal partitions are removed from the pepper and the tails are removed. The place from which the stalk grows is cut out of the tomatoes. The onions are peeled, and the greens are sorted so that there are no yellow or dry parts left in them.
At the next stage, the pepper is cut either into rings or into strips. Sweet peppers of different colors will look especially beautiful in lecho cooked in a slow cooker: red, orange, yellow, black.
Tomatoes are cut into small slices.
The tomatoes are then pureed using a blender, mixer or food processor.
The onion is cut into rings or half rings. The greens are finely chopped with a knife.
Peppers and onions are placed in the multicooker bowl, which are poured with tomato puree. It should completely cover the vegetable pieces. All other ingredients are immediately added: vegetable oil, sugar, spices, salt, chopped herbs and vinegar.
The “quenching” mode is turned on for approximately 40 minutes and the lid closes tightly.While the lecho is being prepared, it is necessary to sterilize the jars and lids in any convenient way: in the oven, steamed or in the microwave.
After the specified time, the lecho can be placed in prepared jars. But you should try the dish first. Add salt and sugar if necessary, and check the pepper for doneness. If the latter seems a little hard to you, turn on the multicooker in the same mode for another 10-15 minutes. The exact cooking time for lecho depends on the power of your model.
Quick treatment
This recipe for lecho in a slow cooker is also quite simple, although it is more varied in composition, and the vegetables in it better retain their taste and beneficial properties.
What you will need:
- Sweet bell pepper – 0.5 kg;
- Tomatoes – 0.3 kg;
- Onions – 0.2 kg;
- Carrots – 0.25 kg;
- Garlic – several cloves;
- Vegetable oil – 1 tablespoon;
- Greens that you love - 50 grams;
- Sugar and salt - to taste.
Carrots and onions are washed well, peeled and cut into half rings and strips. Pour oil into the multicooker bowl and place the cooked vegetables. Set the “baking” mode for 7-8 minutes.
While the carrots and onions are baked, the tomatoes are washed, cut and crushed on a grater or using a blender. Then the resulting tomato puree is added to the multicooker bowl and the “stewing” mode is turned on for 10-12 minutes.
While the vegetables are stewing, the peppers are cored with seeds and cut into rings. After the end of the program signal has sounded, the chopped peppers are added to the remaining vegetables, and the “stewing” program is started again for 40 minutes.
Garlic and herbs are cleaned of possible contaminants, washed and finely chopped using a knife or meat grinder.
30 minutes after the pepper starts stewing, add sugar and salt and garlic and herbs to the vegetables in the slow cooker. In total, the preparation time for lecho according to this recipe should take exactly 60 minutes. However, depending on the power of your multicooker model, it can vary within 10-15 minutes.
If you are preparing lecho according to this recipe for the winter, then it is advisable to sterilize the jars with the finished dish before twisting: half-liter jars for 20 minutes, liter jars for 30 minutes.
The resulting lecho is universal in its method of use - it can be consumed either as an independent side dish or snack, or seasoned with borscht, stewed with meat, or added to scrambled eggs.
