Lecsó

Lecsó (Hungarian Pepper Stew)

Lecsó is a Hungarian stew built on two ingredients that ripen together at the end of summer: sweet peppers and tomatoes. The peppers are sliced, the onions softened, and the whole lot cooked down with a spoonful of sweet paprika until it becomes a thick, glossy, deeply savoury base. Some versions are vegetarian and light, while others add sliced smoked sausage (kolbász) and a little bacon fat for a heartier dish. It is usually served with fresh white bread, and sometimes with rice, potatoes or nokedli (small dumplings) to mop up the sauce.

Prep

20 min

Cook

40 min

Total

60 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •2 whole yellow onions, medium, thinly sliced
• •2 tbsp lard or sunflower oil, lard is traditional; use oil for a lighter version
• •4 whole yellow bell peppers, or a mix of red and yellow, cored, seeded and sliced into 1 cm strips
• •2 whole tomatoes, large, ripe, roughly chopped (or 400 g canned chopped tomatoes)
• •2 tsp Hungarian sweet paprika, not smoked; use fresh, bright red paprika
• •200 g (7 oz) smoked Hungarian sausage (kolbász), optional; sliced into 5 mm rounds. If unavailable, use any smoked pork sausage.
• •1 tsp salt, or to taste
• •0.5 tsp (½ tsp) black pepper, freshly ground
• •1 tbsp all-purpose flour, optional, to thicken

Steps

1. 1 If using the sausage, heat a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sliced sausage and cook for 5–7 minutes, until lightly browned and some fat has rendered. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the fat in the pot. If not using sausage, skip this step.
2. 2 Add the lard or oil to the pot (use 1 tbsp if you have rendered sausage fat). Add the sliced onions and cook over medium heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent but not browned.
3. 3 Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the sweet paprika and mix well with the onions. The residual heat will bloom the paprika without burning it. If the paprika darkens or smells bitter, discard and start again with a clean pot.
4. 4 Return the pot to medium heat. Add the sliced peppers and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until they begin to soften.
5. 5 Add the chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper. Stir well. If using, add the reserved sausage. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are very tender and the tomatoes have broken down into a thick, glossy sauce.
6. 6 If the stew is watery, mix the flour with 1 tbsp cold water to make a slurry, stir it in and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
7. 7 Serve hot with fresh white bread, rice, boiled potatoes or nokedli.