Hungarian Lecsó Recipe

Lecsó or lecso, a Hungarian pepper and tomato stew with bacon and cured sausage.

Hungarian Lecsó Recipe

Lecsó or lesco is a recipe that is often referred to as a Hungarian ratatouille; it is a stew of tomatoes, peppers, and onions, often cooked with dried sausage and bacon and plenty of paprika, of course!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Hungarian

Keyword hungarian lecho, hungarian lecso, hungarian ratatouille, lecsó

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 40

Total Time 45

Servings Servings as a Main 4 as a Side

Calories 483kcal

Author Brian Jones

Ingredients

100 g Smoked Bacon Lardons 3½oz
75 g Salami 2½oz
4 Medium-Large Tomatoes 450g total
1 Medium Onion 150g
2 Garlic Cloves
2 Small Yellow Peppers 250g Total
2 tablespoon Sweet Hungarian Paprika
Salt if Required

Instructions

Heat a 20cm or 8" saucepan over a medium heat, add the bacon lardons and cook gently for 5 minutes to start the fat rendering.
Bring a pan of water to the boil whilst you prep the remaining ingredients, then cut a cross 1-1.5cm (½") into the skin of the base of the tomato and plunge them into the boiling water for 30 seconds.
Transfer the tomatoes to a bowl of cold water, and when they are cool enough to handle, peel off the skin.

This step is optional; you can just chop the tomatoes with the skin on

Slice the salami into 3-5mm (⅛-¼") thick coins, and when the bacon has had 5 minutes, add the salami to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
Cut the onion into a 1-1½cm (½") dice.
De-seed the yellow pepper and cut it into 5mm (¼") strips.
Peel the garlic cloves and slice them as finely as you can.
Cut the peeled tomatoes into 8 wedges each.
Add the onion to the pan and cook it for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
Toss in the garlic and cook until it becomes fragrant, which will take 30-60 seconds.
Throw in the yellow pepper, tomato wedges and paprika, then give everything a stir, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 25 minutes or until you have a thick, rich stew. Have a taste after the stew has been cooking for 5 minutes, and add salt if required.

Video

Notes

The calorific value for this recipe refers to serving it for two as a main.

Do not be tempted to make this in a frying pan or skillet, use a saucepan. Doing so encourages the juices from the tomatoes to evaporate too quickly and you will end up with a gloopy sticky mess rather than a thick and unctuous stew!

Nutrition