Lecsó

My this week's post on the Hungary starts here blog:

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Last Saturday afternoon I went to the 27th National Folk dance Festival and Fair with my daughter, because I really love the folk music. Even my four years old little daughter has also fallen in love with the folk dance. She looks so cute, when she is trying to learn the dance steps. :)

originally uploaded by Nóra

Personally I consider the best part of the folk festivals is the different cultures mix while all nationalities are meeting there altogether. They are able to dance and celebrate something together in peace at the same time.

Well on Saturday morning I had to cook quickly (because of the Festival), so I cooked just a simple macaroni meal for lunch. And during cooking I was thinking at the same time how I like lecsó and how I crave fresh lecsó, which is also an easily prep-able food. But unfortunately the fresh lecsó season is not here yet. And during the evening when I was uploading my Festival photos to my Flickr site I recognized there were several Zsolt's wonderful lecsó photo and it was a pleasant surprise :) I immediately decided that I would share with you everything about the Hungarian lecsó, what I have ever heard about it. :)

lecsó with egg, originally uploaded by Zsolt

Well, lecsó (pronounced as:leh-choh), it's made from paprika, tomato and onion, sometimes also contains sausage and some rice or egg. Flavoring with hot red pepper, salt and pepper.

lecsó with rice, originally uploaded by aGinger

Originally a Serbian dish, it has been fully assimilated into the Hungarian kitchen like the Hungarian stuffed pepper. This simple pepper and tomato ragout is served both as a side dish and as an appetizer in Hungary. It is an essential component of many Hungarian dishes.

A preserved version is also used in recipes as a substitute for fresh tomatoes and peppers when they are not in season. I usually prepare the simplest version, what we commonly eat with sausage or wurst (Vienna sausage) and bread.

lecsó, originally uploaded by Nóra

Before I thought that lecso is a typical home-made main dish (like our Rakott Krumpli) and hence I can never find it in the menus of the Hungarian restaurants. But Zsolt took his photo in Náncsi Néni’s restaurant but I'm aware that its rather rare to get traditional Hungarian food like "Lecsó" in a restaurant, but Náncsi Néni's restaurant is one of them.

Ingredients:

Oil, one big onion, 80 dkg green paprika, 40 dkg tomatoes, 1 or 2 tbs Hungarian red paprika powder, salt, and sugar (to taste) and little water

Prepare:

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high flame. Add thinly slice onions and sauté until translucent and starting to brown. Stir in paprika until well blended.

2. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in peppers, tomatoes and salt. Cook 20-30 minutes until peppers are cooked through and soft. Add a little water if necessary to keep a sauce-like consistency. Add a little sugar to taste and serve.

originally uploaded by becakpilot

Bon Apetit!

Nóra