Lecsó

About This Recipe

Lecsó is Hungary's ratatouille — a rich, oily stew of sweet yellow and red peppers (sweet Hungarian banana peppers are traditional) cooked down with tomatoes, onions and smoked bacon until everything melds into a thick, jammy base. Eggs are scrambled through at the end, or the dish is served as a sauce over rice or pasta. In summer, every Hungarian kitchen smells of simmering lecsó.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 150 gsmoked bacon lardons
• 4 largesweet banana peppers(or Italian frying peppers, sliced)
• 2red bell peppers(sliced)
• 4 largetomatoes(chopped)
• 2 largeonions(sliced)
• 2 tspsweet Hungarian paprika
• 0.5 tsphot paprika
• 4eggs
• 1 tbsplard or vegetable oil
• 1 tspsalt

Instructions

1. 1

   Render bacon

   Fry bacon lardons in lard over medium heat until golden and fat is rendered.

2. 2

   Cook onions and peppers

   Add onions and all peppers. Cook over medium heat 15–20 minutes until very soft and starting to caramelise.

3. 3

   Add paprika and tomatoes

   Add both paprikas off the heat. Stir quickly, then add tomatoes. Return to heat. Cook 15 minutes until tomatoes have broken down and mixture is thick.

4. 4

   Add eggs

   Make wells in the lecsó. Crack in eggs. Scramble gently until just set, or keep whole for fried-egg style.

5. 5

   Serve

   Serve over white rice, with bread, or as a sauce over pasta. Season well.

Variations

• •

  Omit bacon for a vegetarian lecsó.

• •

  Add smoked sausage (kolbász) instead of bacon for a heartier version.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Refrigerate for 4 days without the eggs. Add eggs fresh when reheating.

Frequently Asked Questions