LECSO ...AKA HUNGARIAN RATATOUILLE
When we travel back to Budapest, my mother always asks us what we would like her to make for our first lunch at home. My youngest daughter always asks for Lecso, a very popular Hungarian dish which we all love. I recently made it for dinner one night, and the only comment I got from my son was to make double the amount next time. I guess I will take this as a compliment. So, if you look at the pictures, please remember this is a double batch to satisfy my always hungry 21 year old son. The recipe is for 4 people, but if you need to feed always hungry male children, I suggest you double the ingredients below.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb of yellow wax peppers (see picture for exact kind)
- 1 lb of tomatoes
- 1 large sweet onion
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed or chopped
- 2 smoked sausages links (I used 4 in my double batch)
- 1/2 cup of uncooked rice
- 1/2 tablespoon of paprika powder (preferable Hungarian paprika)
- 1-2 teaspoons of salt
- pepper to taste
- 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
First, wash all the peppers and tomatoes. Cut ends off peppers, slice it in half and remove all seeds. Slice pepper up into strips. Put aside. Cut tomatoes in half, remove green middle and slice it all up. In a heavy nonstick skillet on medium-high heat, warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil, add your sweet, sliced onions and saute for a few minutes. Add garlic and saute for another couple of minutes.
Meanwhile in another non-stick skillet fry you sliced sausages sprinkling it with some olive oil until they reach a nice, caramelized color on all sides, set aside. Add your peppers and tomatoes to onions and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season it with salt & pepper, add paprika powder. Mix it well.
Add sausages, 1/2 cup of rice and a cup of water. Mix it gently, bring it to a boil then cover pot and turn down heat to low. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until rice is fully cooked. At this point your kitchen should be smelling of the delicious veggies cooking on your stove. Check rice, if done, serve it immediately with fresh bread or hide it somewhere so your kids will not devour it in two seconds. Bon appetite!
