Cook: 30 minutes
4
Ingredients
200 g smoked bacon, chopped
1 piece of Mangalica* sausage, sliced
600 g onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika (ground)
2 kg sweet Hungarian peppers (or bell peppers), stemmed, seeded and chopped
1 kg tomatoes, cut into wedges
4 Frankfurters, scored
salt, black pepper
Method
In a large pot, cook the bacon, add the sausage and the chopped onions. Continue to sauté, add the paprika and the green peppers. When the peppers are half-cooked, add the tomatoes and some salt. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Towards the end, add the Frankfurters. Salt and pepper if necessary.
There are various ideas on how to make a good “lecsó” – being one of the most traditional dishes of Hungary. Some say to peel the tomatoes, others like it hot, and some add caraway seeds or garlic. You can thicken the stew with rice or egg, if desired. If you add zucchini/courgette, you will end up with ratatouille.
*Mangalica is a traditional Hungarian breed of pig, which produces exceptionally tasty (and fatty) pork. It can be replaced by normal pork.
Lecsó (letscho, letcho or lecho) is a dish sometimes called “Hungarian ratatouille”, pepper and tomato stew.
