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Most of the lecho recipes we know are non-traditional preparations that have been improved over time. Now all kinds of vegetables (eggplant, carrots, zucchini), as well as apples, beans and even rice, are added to this salad. In the classic version of this preparation, only bell peppers and juicy ripe tomatoes were present. This salad is much easier to prepare. In addition, it will be cheaper, because you won’t need a large number of all kinds of vegetables. So, let's look at how the classic lecho salad was previously prepared.
Basic rules for preparing lecho
This salad came to us from Hungary itself. It was there that skillful Hungarians once cooked pepper in tomato, after which this dish quickly gained popularity in other countries. For the classic recipe, predominantly red bell peppers are chosen. Although you can use other colors if desired. The second main ingredient is tomatoes.
We prepare lecho from what is available. They can also add onion, and carrots, and any other vegetables. Many people like to add garlic to the salad for spice, as well as herbs to their taste. Thus, you can prepare a delicious salad for every taste and budget.
Although the Hungarians prepare lecho only from tomatoes and peppers, they manage to make this dish simply incredibly tasty. They use lecho as a side dish for meat dishes or pasta. Hungarians can also simply eat salad with fresh white bread.
Classic lecho recipe
To prepare traditional lecho, you need to prepare the following components:
- sweet bell pepper – 3 kilograms;
- ripe fleshy tomatoes - 2 kilograms;
- granulated sugar – 100 grams;
- table salt – 2 tablespoons;
- table vinegar 9% - 2 tablespoons;
- sunflower oil – 100 ml.
Preparation of lecho begins with the preparation of vegetables. First of all, wash the bell pepper. It must be cut and all seeds and stalks removed. Then the vegetable is cut into large slices.
Now you can proceed to the prepared tomatoes. They are also washed and the stalks are removed. Then the tomatoes are cut into slices and crushed with a blender or meat grinder. Before this, you can remove the skin from the fruit. To do this, immerse the tomatoes in boiling water for a couple of minutes and then fill them with cold water. After such procedures, the skin will be very easy to remove.
The ground tomatoes are poured into a saucepan, after which salt, granulated sugar and sunflower oil are added.
Now it's time to add the sliced bell pepper. The vegetable mixture is stirred and placed on low heat.
After the dish boils, cook it over low heat for 30 minutes. During this time, the bell pepper should soften thoroughly. Now pour the required amount of table vinegar into the lecho and mix the salad again.
When the lecho boils again, turn off the fire and begin rolling. To do this, you must first prepare sterilized jars. They can be boiled in water, held over steam, or sterilized in any way familiar to you. The dish is poured hot into completely dry jars. Then the containers are closed with sterilized lids.
The rolled up jars must be turned upside down with their lids and wrapped in a warm blanket. So, the lecho should stand for at least a day until it cools completely. The salad containers can then be moved to a cooler place for storage. If all the rules are followed, the salad should last at least a year.
Ready-made lecho is used as a sauce, a dressing for stews or soups, and as an addition to side dishes. The dish goes well with pasta, meat dishes, potatoes, and rice.
Important Tips
To make the lecho tasty and aromatic, it is important to follow these rules:
- The taste and consistency of the salad will be better if the tomatoes are peeled. You can ignore this advice, but then you will find small pieces of skin in the finished dish. A quick and proven way to do this is described above.
- You can add your favorite herbs to the lecho according to your taste. For example, many housewives add basil, thyme, dill and parsley to the salad. You can add other vegetables (garlic, onions, eggplants and others). But this will no longer be a classic treatment.
- You should not add more vinegar to the lecho than the recipe requires. It is used only to keep the salad longer in winter.
Classic treatment - option No. 2
In our area, the recipe for the Hungarian salad was slightly improved and we got an equally tasty, but more spicy and rich lecho.The main ingredients in this dish have not changed, just some spices and vegetables have been added.
For such a treatment you need to prepare:
- juicy fleshy tomatoes - one kilogram;
- large bell pepper – two kilograms;
- medium-sized onions - 4 pieces;
- garlic - about 10 medium cloves;
- vegetable oil (refined) – one glass;
- greens to taste (parsley, dill, cilantro) - 2 or 3 bunches;
- granulated sugar - one glass;
- ground sweet paprika - 1 teaspoon;
- table vinegar - one glass;
- salt to taste.
Preparation of lecho begins with the preparation of vegetables. The peppers are washed and peeled first. Then it needs to be cut into large pieces of any shape. You can simply cut the fruit lengthwise into four equal parts. Then you can wash and chop the tomatoes. It is customary to remove the skin from them first.
Onions are peeled, washed and cut into half rings. Next, pour the prepared vegetable oil into a deep pan, heat it and throw in the chopped onion. Bring the onion to transparency and add the tomatoes to the dish. At this stage, you can add salt to the lecho and continue to simmer for about 20 minutes.
Then pieces of bell pepper are thrown into the pan. Cover the pan with a lid and cook the salad for another 15 minutes. The garlic is passed through a press or finely chopped with a knife, then it is also added to the container. Immediately after it, sugar and table vinegar are thrown in. Simmer for another 20 minutes.
At the final stage, add finely chopped greens, paprika and pepper to the salad. The lecho is thoroughly mixed and cooked for the last 10 minutes. The finished salad is poured into sterilized jars. The lecho is ready for the winter!
Conclusion
No matter how the composition of lecho salad has been improved and changed over the years, the classic version still remains the most delicious. It is in this form that it best reveals the taste of fresh tomatoes and bell peppers. How nice it is to open such a jar on winter evenings. This is a must-make recipe worth making.
Bulgarians and Romanians also make lecho.