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Lecho is very popular in Russia today. It quickly turned from a banal European dish into a unique snack. Sealed in jars for the winter, it can be used as a delicious side dish, salad or simply as a dressing. Today we will learn how to cook bell pepper lecho for the winter "You'll lick your fingers."
Basics of making lecho
This dish, originally from Hungary, has taken root well in Russia. Lecho recipes differ in the number of ingredients and composition of products. Some people like to add a little bitterness to the dish, while others, on the contrary, only eat sweet dishes.
In Germany, Bulgaria, and Hungary, lecho is a delicious side dish. We often put it in jars for the winter and enjoy it as a winter salad or as an addition to hot dishes. Preparing lecho is a simple task. You can spend 2 hours on it. It is better to take dishes with a thick bottom.
Traditionally, lecho is stewed sweet peppers in tomato puree, however, recipes can be modified, sometimes radically. Since everyone has different tastes, we will try to present recipes for the most delicious snacks to the readers. Among them there will be at least one who will quickly win your heart.
Best Recipes
Even a novice housewife can prepare delicious lecho.You just need to strictly follow the recipe. The appetizer will be tender and flavorful!
Recipe No. 1 Eggplant lecho
It’s good when the ingredients for lecho ripen in your own beds. For those who have such a complex crop as eggplant, this recipe is for you.
We will need:
- Eggplants, medium-sized onions and peppers - 1 kilogram each;
- Tomato juice - 600 ml;
- Any vegetable oil - 1 cup (preferably odorless);
- Table vinegar - 30 grams (9%);
- Sugar - 3 tbsp. heaped spoons;
- Salt - 1.5 tbsp. spoons.
Iodized can give off odors and ruin the entire dish.
Cooking begins with preparing the vegetables. They need to be washed and cut into pieces. Some people like finely chopped vegetables, others coarsely. Cut it the way you like. The eggplants are immediately salted and placed in a colander. During the first 20 minutes they will give away some of the water that is not needed for cooking. Now you can wash the eggplants and deal with the peppers and onions. While you are cutting, you need to pour the tomato juice into a container and put it on fire.
As soon as the juice boils, add all the vegetables, salt and add sugar. As soon as the mixture boils again, pour in a glass of vegetable oil. The fire is reduced to a minimum and left to simmer for half an hour. You need to stir everything occasionally to prevent it from burning.
After 30 minutes, turn off the fire and pour in table vinegar. Mix everything again and pour into sterilized jars. The result is finger-licking lecho! Eggplants reveal their flavor and make the dish richer.
Recipe No. 2 Traditional pepper lecho for the winter
When preparing a dish according to this recipe, you only need peppers, fleshy tomatoes and onions. onion. You need to take a kilogram of all these vegetables.
Additional Ingredients:
- A head of fresh garlic;
- Odorless vegetable oil - a glass;
- Coarse sea salt - 1.5 tablespoons;
- Sugar - 2.5 tablespoons;
- Vinegar 9% - 20 ml.
This time, instead of tomato juice, we use fresh tomatoes. We first remove the skin from them and grind them through a meat grinder. This can also be done using a blender.
The tomato pulp will simmer over low heat after boiling for 15-20 minutes. During this time, excess liquid will evaporate from it, the tomatoes will turn into a thick and aromatic sauce. While the tomatoes are cooking, you need to chop the onions and peppers the way you want. Onions are usually cut into half rings. Garlic is either passed through a press or chopped. To preserve a brighter taste, we recommend chopping it.
First of all, onions are added to the sauce, then pepper, sugar and salt. Mix everything thoroughly and cook for another 30 minutes. The pepper should not be overcooked. Add the oil about 10 minutes before the end of cooking, and add the garlic five minutes before removing from the heat. The vinegar is poured in after the lecho is ready, right before pouring it into the jars.
The traditional “finger lickin’ good” winter treat is ready! Now you can learn an unusual recipe.
Recipe No. 3 Appetizer with cucumbers and peppers
If traditional recipes are used quite often, then sometimes you want to try such snacks, but there are fears that you will not like the dish. This recipe is very good; on long winter evenings you can happily eat this lecho with bread or potatoes, as well as fish or meat.
So, we will need:
- Fleshy tomatoes for sauce - 1 kg;
- Sweet salad pepper - 1 kg;
- Medium-sized cucumbers - 2 kg;
- Garlic - half a head;
- Salt - 3 tbsp. spoons without a slide;
- Sugar - 1 glass;
- Vinegar - 80 ml;
- Unscented vegetable oil - 160 ml.
Please note that this time you will need more table vinegar 9% for the marinade. It's all about using cucumbers.
The tomatoes are crushed to a mushy state. Vegetables are cut as follows:
- cucumbers - in rings or half rings;
- pepper - thin strips;
- garlic - into strips.
For this recipe, you do not need to put the garlic through a press. While the vegetables are being cut, you need to bring the sauce to a boil: mix butter, tomato pulp, sugar and salt in a saucepan. As soon as the sauce boils, without covering the lid, let it simmer for 10 minutes over low heat. Now you need to add all the vegetables at once and wait until they boil, after adding heat. After boiling, reduce the heat and cook for another 10 minutes. Now pour in the vinegar, boil again for 10 minutes and pour the lecho into sterilized jars.
Recipe No. 4 Lecho with carrots
Those who love a sweetish taste will love this lecho. The recipe is finger licking good. In winter, such an appetizer can even be used as a dressing for first courses. Try it! There will be no one left indifferent.
To make a delicious lecho, you will need:
- Store-bought tomato juice - 1.5 liters;
- Carrots - 1 kg;
- Sweet salad pepper - 2 kg;
- Medium-sized onion - 0.5 kg;
- Sugar - 1/3 cup;
- Refined vegetable oil - 1/2 cup;
- Salt - 1.5 tbsp. spoons;
- vinegar - 80 ml (9%).
You can start preparing a delicious snack for the winter.
Since tomato juice is used for the sauce, there is no need to waste time chopping the tomatoes.The juice is poured into the pan, vegetable oil is added to it and brought to a boil. As soon as it boils, you can add onions, cut into half rings, carrots, cut either into strips or circles, if they are small.
About 10 minutes after simmering over low heat, add salt, sugar and pepper immediately. Cook for another 20 minutes. By this time, all the vegetables will finally reach the desired condition. Now you can turn off the heat and add vinegar. The snack is mixed and poured into prepared jars. The most delicious lecho is ready!
Storing this snack
There are no difficulties with storing lecho according to the presented recipes. A sufficient amount of vinegar and vegetable oil will ensure the safety of the snack throughout the winter. Banks are sterilized in a classic way or in a way convenient for you. After rolling up the lids, they need to be turned over and allowed to cool in this form. You can store the lecho until spring. However, most often it is eaten very quickly. Close this snack in convenient liter jars.
If necessary, you can add some spices to recipes, such as black pepper or paprika. If bitterness is required, you can add fresh hot pepper. Every housewife will definitely find her own recipe for the “Finger-licking” lecho.
