Few vegetable dishes are as popular as lecho. Although in our country its composition and taste have already changed beyond recognition, compared to the classic Hungarian recipe. After all, lecho is a traditional Hungarian vegetable dish, the composition of which can be very diverse, but the obligatory ingredients for it are tomatoes, sweet bell peppers and onions.
If you go deeper into history, the roots of this dish go back to the 18th century, to the shores of France, where poor peasants in the summer often prepared themselves a dish of seasonal vegetables, ratatouille, which later became famous. In the usual version, it was a mixture of zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, onions and garlic with the addition of various aromatic herbs: rosemary, mint, basil, cilantro. It was his recipe that a little later formed the basis for the preparation of Hungarian lecho. After all, the word lecho itself is translated from Hungarian as ratatouille.
This dish was most often used as a side dish for meat. However, in Hungary, homemade sausages and smoked meat were often included in the lecho itself.
In Russia, where summer does not last long, and the season of consumption of fragrant and vitamin-rich vegetables and herbs is wanted to be extended for a longer period, lecho has turned into a unique taste preparation for the winter.Experienced housewives, sometimes without even knowing about the rich history of this dish, independently experiment with its ingredients, sometimes obtaining a wide variety of snacks and side dishes. Perhaps the most classic and universal recipe is lecho with onions. It is usually liked by almost everyone, including children, and the specifics of its preparation will be discussed in this article.
Classic and simplest recipe
Easiest and fastest cook lecho according to the recipe below, when no additional actions are done with the onions other than slicing.
So, to make lecho you will need the following components:
- Sweet red or orange bell pepper – 2 kg;
- Tomatoes – 1 kg;
- Onions – 1 kg;
- Garlic – 7-8 cloves;
- Greens (cilantro, basil, dill, parsley) - only about 100 grams;
- Wine, apple or table vinegar 9% - 1 tablespoon;
- Sugar – 100 grams;
- Ground black pepper – 1 teaspoon;
- Salt and other spices - to taste.
First, prepare the tomato sauce from the tomatoes. To do this, the tomatoes are thoroughly washed and skinned by scalding with boiling water. Afterwards they are cut into arbitrary pieces and crushed in a blender or food processor. Then the entire flavorful tomato mixture is placed over medium heat in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil and heat for about 15 minutes.
At the same time, bell peppers are washed and cleared of their tails and seed chambers. It is cut into fairly large pieces - one fruit is divided into 6-8 parts.
The onions are peeled and cut into thin half rings. After peeling, the garlic is crushed in any convenient way.
When the tomato mixture is sufficiently cooked, add pepper, onion, garlic, salt and sugar. The future lecho is brought to a boil and simmered for an average of about 10 minutes. See in what form you like the pepper best in this dish, although it is advisable that it remains a little hard.
At the end of cooking, finely chopped herbs, spices and vinegar are added to the lecho, everything is brought to a boil again.
For this recipe, you don’t even need to add vinegar, but in this case, the lecho with onions must be sterilized after putting it in jars. Liter jars are usually sterilized for about 30 minutes, three-liter jars - one hour.
Since the temperature in it can be set to more than 100°C, the total time for sterilizing the dish is correspondingly reduced and the process itself is much more convenient and faster than on the stove.
Lecho with fried onions
The advantage of this recipe for preparing lecho with onions for the winter is, in addition to the rich and piquant taste of fried onions, the ability to prepare the dish without sterilization.
All the main ingredients used to prepare lecho are exactly the same as in the previous recipe, but 2-3 tablespoons of refined vegetable oil are added to them.
At the first stage, tomato sauce is prepared. You can immediately add chopped basil to the tomatoes while boiling. Then add pepper cut into convenient pieces, 1 tablespoon of butter, sugar and salt to the tomato mixture. The vegetable mixture is boiled for 10-15 minutes, after which finely crushed garlic and spices are added to it.
At the same time, onions, cut into half rings, are fried in the remaining vegetable oil until golden brown. Then a couple of tablespoons of flour are added to the onion, everything is fried in less than a minute and the resulting mixture is added to the almost finished lecho along with chopped herbs and vinegar. Everything is mixed very thoroughly until completely dissolved.
When hot, the lecho must be placed in sterile jars and closed with sterile lids. It is advisable to immediately turn the jars upside down and cover with a thick towel until they cool completely.
Useful tips
To make lecho with onions for the winter really tasty, it is advisable to listen to the following tips:
- Tomatoes for lecho must be truly ripe and juicy. Even slightly overripe fruits can be used, but they should not be spoiled. It is not advisable to use ready-made tomato paste to prepare lecho. If there is no other way out, then the latter should be of the highest quality.
- Fleshy, sweet varieties of bell peppers are most suitable for lecho. The fruits must be ripe, but in no case overripe, since during the cooking process they need to maintain a slightly firm and slightly crispy structure.
- A variety of herbs will make the lecho especially fragrant. When fresh, it is advisable to add them 5 minutes before readiness. But dry herbal powder can be added at any stage of preparation.
- If you want to experiment and have time, you can try adding other ingredients to the classic lecho recipe, such as zucchini, carrots and eggplants.
- The workpieces must be stored in a cool and dark place. And after opening, it is advisable to place it in the refrigerator under the lid for no more than 1-3 days.
Try making lecho first according to the classic recipe, and if you like it, don’t be afraid to experiment with various additives. Perhaps you will create your own dish, the recipe of which will then be passed on to your children and grandchildren.
