Lecsó – A Lovely Summer Dish from Hungary

Today I would like to share a recipe of a Hungarian dish that I've cooked in many places around the world. Usually I would make it whenever visiting a friend or just surfing someone's couch, to express my gratitude for their hospitality. It is the perfect recipe for this, as it is unusual enough to make it a novelty, but simple enough to find the necessary ingredients, or at least things that came close enough to the original. It is delicious as a carnivorous dish, but it doesn't depend on the meat, so it makes a great vegan dinner as well.

Before jumping into the details, here's a tale of caution: The first time I cooked Lecsó in Mexico, I thought I'd found the right peppers. The so called 'chiles güeros' looked just like what Hungarians call 'white pepper': the pale yellow peppers with a very subtle taste. I was so happy to see them that I bought a whole kilo without even checking the taste. As I was cooking them I stated feeling suspicious. Just the smell emanating from the pot was so hot that it caused one to cough and sneeze. So what could I do? I went back to the market, bought another big load of tomatoes to neutralize the spiciness, and in the end had enough food to share with the whole hostel I was staying in.

So let's look at the ingredients:

1kg (2 lbs) of tomatoes
1kg (2lbs) of peppers
1 large onion
3 eggs – or not
250 g (½ lbs) smoked sausage – or not
3 TS paprika powder
salt and pepper
1 TS of butter, lard, or oil for cooking

The onion and tomatoes are fairly straight forward, but be careful with the peppers. In my experience everything can work well that's not too spicy, even bell peppers (capsicums), for the lack of anything better. Here in Mexico I like to use the dark-green chiles poblanos, as they have a rich flavor without burning off your taste buds. But I've used small green peppers in Japan, and large red ones from Turkish corner stores in Berlin.

Lecsó is also an ideal vegan dish, so the sausage, and the eggs can be left out, and oil can substitute the lard or butter for cooking. However, here I want to give you the complete recipe.

Oh, and you did not misread, nor did I mistype the 3 tablespoons of paprika! Of course it is the sweeter type of paprika, Hungary is so famous for. This is THE ingredient that makes or breaks this dish, so make sure you get the real deal. No Cayenne-pepper or chili powder, please. I know some Hungarians who actually take a small jar of paprika with them when they go on trips, but in my experience that is rarely necessary. You can find good paprika in most places.

How to make Lecsó:

Before you start the stove, dice the onion and cut the peppers and tomatoes in rings.
Melt the lard or butter in a large pot, and throw in the onions. Cover with a lid, and set it to simmer.
When the onions are glassy, add the paprika. Stir it around a bit, and add the tomatoes and peppers. You may want to turn the heat up again until the juice in the bottom starts bubbling. Then return to simmer. Keep it on low heat, under the lid, and give it a good stir once in a while.
When the peppers are soft and the tomatoes have become mostly liquid, you can proceed with the seasonings:
Remove the skin of the sausage, cut them into small pieces, and add them to the pot. I like to use the type of chorrizo that just crumbles right out of the skin once you cut it open.
Empty the eggs in a bowl, beat them well, and add them to the pot. I like to add the salt and pepper into the eggs, so it mixes all the tastes uniformly.
Keep stirring for a few more minutes, make sure it's as delicious as it should be, and turn off the stove.
To make it even better, let it cool down, put it into the fridge for a day or two, and then heat it up before eating.