Hungarian Lecsó – Pepper and Tomato Stew

– also called “Hungarian ratatouille”. Although this is the least photogenic food on earth, with pretty simple ingredients and spices (none) …it tastes AMAZING!!! (made me proud of my Hungarian roots – for the first time in my life)

INGREDIENTS (serves 3)

  

370-400g tomatoes cut into wedges

500-550g yellow wax peppers, deseeded, cut into about 2cm wide rings

200g (2 medium) onions diced

1 tablespoon sweet paprika powder

1 teaspoon salt

ground black pepper

2 tbsp vegetable oil

(+1 tablespoon duck fat - optional)

optional:

200g frankfurter/sausage/virsli, cut into slices

serve with:

3 thick slices of white bread

METHOD:

 

1. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until translucent. Do not let them burn!!! 

2. When the onion is tender, sprinkle with the sweet paprika powder, mix it thoroughly then add the tomatoes. If the tomato is from a supermarket and a bit greenish cover the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. If you are lucky to have juicy, sun-ripened tomato don’t cover the pan!

3. Add the pepper rings, 1 teaspoon of salt, sprinkle with ground black pepper and cook for another 15 minutes. If you enrich it with ‘virsli’ add them for the last 5 minutes.

Serve with bread or rice. (bread is better :-))