Ecomely

Language

Lecsó: photo of the dish
Illustrative photo: Top Budapest — CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Everyday meals

Lecsó

A Hungarian stew of peppers, tomatoes and onions, slowly simmered with sweet paprika. Its sweet, melting flavour makes it an ideal side for sausages or eggs, and it's also eaten on its own with bread, especially at the end of summer.

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Ingredients

Ingredients

Garniture

Spices & seasoning

Optional extras

On the side

Nutrition facts

599 kcal per serving

Protein
25.2 g
Carbohydrates
22.3 g
of which sugars
18 g
Fat
43 g
Fiber
10 g

Ecomely’s estimate, calculated from the ingredients with the ANSES Ciqual food composition table, excluding sides and seasoning added to taste.

Instructions

  1. Finely slice the onions and cut the peppers into strips. Peel and chop the tomatoes, or grate them to remove the skin.
  2. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan and cook the onions over medium heat for 5 minutes, until translucent.
  3. Add the peppers and chopped garlic, then cook for 5 minutes, stirring now and then.
  4. Off the heat, sprinkle in the sweet paprika so it doesn't burn, then return to low heat and add the tomatoes and purée.
  5. Cover and simmer gently for 20 to 25 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and the sauce is creamy.
  6. If using sausages, slice them into rounds and brown them separately, then add them in the last few minutes.
  7. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar if the tomatoes are sharp. To serve it the traditional way, crack an egg into the centre and cover to poach it for a few minutes.

Variations and tips

Summer lecsó. Add courgettes and aubergines cut into cubes along with the peppers.

Using what's available. If Hungarian sweet paprika is hard to find, use ordinary supermarket sweet paprika and a pinch of Espelette pepper.

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Original Ecomely recipe.