Features of the preparation of a delicious preparation. TOP 7 best step-by-step tomato lecho recipes with additional ingredients at home. Video recipes.
Tomato lecho is a Hungarian dish that is very common throughout Europe. In addition to ripe tomatoes, sweet peppers are used in the classic recipe, but each housewife adds her favorite vegetables to it. Homemade lecho from tomatoes and blue tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, garlic and onions will turn out no less tasty. It can be eaten as a separate snack or served as a side dish for meat and fish dishes. In many countries of the post-Soviet space, lecho is harvested for future use, for this the ingredients included in it are boiled, stewed with various spices and vinegar. Next, we will consider the principles of cooking and a few step-by-step recipes.
Features of cooking tomato lecho
Lecho is a savory European appetizer made from a large number of ripe tomatoes. There is no single recipe for this dish, since hostesses in different parts of Europe add various additional ingredients to it. For example, in the east of Germany, they cook lecho from tomatoes and peppers, serve it as a side dish for grilled meat and sausages. And in some regions of Hungary, smoked pork sausage or meat is added to the dish itself, it can also be poured with an omelet and served with slices of a soft loaf.
To make a delicious tomato lecho, you need to know a few secrets of its preparation:
- Choice of tomatoes … They should be ripe and fleshy, without damage, spoiled or rotten areas.
- Tomato preparation … It is advisable to free the fruits from the skin and seeds, this will make the consistency of the dish uniform, and its appearance aesthetic. If he does not play a role, the skin can be left, it does not affect the taste. The fruits are crushed in a combine or in a meat grinder to a puree state.
- Tomato substitutes … If there are no ripe fruits at hand, you can use tomato paste, which is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 3 or 1: 4, depending on the required consistency. 300 g of tomato paste can replace 1.5 kg of tomatoes.
- Pepper preparation … The fruits must be peeled and cut into circles, strips or quarters. If the vegetable preparation is made for use as an additive for soup or stew, it is better to chop the peppers finely.
- Taste enhancers … Spices and dry herbs are necessarily added to the dish - paprika, basil, marjoram. They will provide an unusual smell and pleasant taste.
- Conservation … Vinegar is necessarily used in tomato lecho recipes for the winter. Without it, the workpiece will not be stored for a long time. If you do it without vinegar, then you can close it not with a seaming key, but with nylon caps, and store them in a cold place. Stewed products are first laid out in a glass container, and on top they are poured with sauce in which the appetizer was cooked. If there is a lot of sauce left, it can be rolled up separately and used as a gravy or soup dressing.
TOP 7 recipes for tomato lecho
In European cookbooks, there are many recipes for tomato lecho, which can be presented to guests as a snack or side dish. They use both fresh tomatoes and tomato paste. Knowing how to make a tomato lecho according to the classic recipe, you can independently experiment with the ingredients, creating your own version of an appetizer and aromatic preservation for the winter.
Classic tomato lecho
According to the classic recipe, lecho is cooked from tomatoes and bell peppers. It comes out spicy, moderately spicy, goes well with meat and sausages. You do not need to pour vinegar into the workpiece, then it is used as a side dish and is stored in a cold place.
- Caloric content per 100 g - 53 kcal.
- Servings - 25
- Cooking time - 2 hours
Ingredients:
- Tomatoes - 2.5 kg
- Bulgarian pepper - 2.5 kg
- Vegetable oil - 130 g
- Sugar - 0.5 tbsp.
- Salt - 1 tablespoon
- Peppercorns - 5 pcs.
- Vinegar - 1 tablespoon
Step by step preparation of the classic tomato lecho:
- Wash the tomatoes, peel them, for this cut their base crosswise and dip in boiling water for 1-2 minutes. The skin is easily removed from scalded tomatoes by hand.
- Grind tomatoes without skin in a food processor until smooth.
- Add sunflower oil to the tomato mixture, add salt and sugar.
- Boil the mixture after boiling for a quarter of an hour.
- Wash the pepper, remove the seeds. Cut the fruit into wedges or rings.
- Pour chopped peppers, peas and, if desired, lavrushka into the tomato mixture. When everything boils, boil for another 15-20 minutes.
- Top up with vinegar 5 minutes before cooking.
- Pour the finished classic tomato lecho into sterilized jars, close with a key, turn the container over and wrap it up until it is completely cooled.
From the specified volume of ingredients, eight 0.5-liter cans of tomato lecho for the winter or a 4-liter pan of a fragrant snack are obtained.
Tomato lecho with cucumbers
When the tomato-pepper season begins, many still have delicious cucumbers in their gardens and on store shelves. They can also be added to the workpiece. The dish turns out to be tasty and original. Tomato and cucumber lecho is an excellent alternative to already boring canned cucumbers with chili ketchup and Nezhensky salad. The ingredients are weighed peeled.
Ingredients:
- Tomatoes - 500 g
- Bulgarian pepper - 300 g
- Cucumbers - 1 kg
- Garlic - 15 g
- Sugar - 90 g
- Salt - 40 g
- Vegetable oil - 50 ml
- Vinegar - 50 ml
Step-by-step cooking of tomato and cucumber lecho:
- Rinse the tomatoes, cut into slices, chop in mashed potatoes on a food processor or twist through a meat grinder. Pour the mixture into a saucepan or cauldron.
- Rinse the pepper, remove the stalks and seeds, cut into strips.
- Peel the garlic and push through a press.
- Wash the cucumbers, cut into rings. Cut large fruits in half rings.
- Pour pepper, garlic into the tomato mixture, pour in sunflower oil, salt and pepper. Stir everything, put on the burner and boil. After boiling, reduce heat, cover the cauldron with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Throw the cucumbers into the vegetable mixture, pour in the vinegar, mix everything, boil and simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Pour the workpiece into a sterilized container, close it with a sealing key, turn it upside down and wrap it in a blanket for a day.
It will take you a little over an hour to cook lecho from tomatoes and cucumbers. From the specified volume of ingredients, 4 glass containers of 0.5 liters each will turn out.
Tomato lecho with zucchini
You can make tomato lecho with the addition of young zucchini. The preparation is very spicy, but incredibly tasty. It can be served as a sauce or a side dish for meat. If you do not like spicy, chili peppers can be omitted.
Ingredients:
- Zucchini - 2 kg
- Tomatoes - 1 kg
- Bulgarian pepper - 0.5 kg
- Onions - 0.5 kg
- Garlic - 20 g
- Chili pepper - 20 g
- Vinegar - 40 ml
- Sugar - 60 g
- Vegetable oil - 70 ml
- Sea salt - 45 g
- Tomato sauce - 400 g
- Ground black pepper - to taste
Step-by-step cooking of tomato lecho with zucchini:
- Wash the vegetables, dry them, and if necessary, remove the peels and seeds. It is not necessary to peel young zucchini. Cut into half rings.
- Remove the husk from the onion, cut into half rings. Press the garlic through a press. Remove the seeds from the chili and cut into rings.
- Finely chop the fruits of peppers and tomatoes, throw them into a food processor and thoroughly chop them in puree.
- Transfer the mixture to a saucepan or cast-iron cauldron, boil, add sugar, salt, boil again. Skim off the foam constantly. Pour in sunflower oil and tomato sauce.
- Put the zucchini in the mixture, mix everything, boil for 15 minutes on a small burner with constant stirring.
- Put the onion in the mixture, boil for another 10 minutes. Add garlic, chili, black pepper, mix everything, cook for 3 minutes. Pour in the vinegar, stir, remove from the burner.
- Pour the finished dish into a sterilized container, close it with a sealing key and wrap it upside down with a blanket until it is completely cooled.
This fragrant and incredibly healthy tomato and zucchini lecho in the cold season will give you a lot of vitamins and pleasant memories of sunny summer days.
Tomato lecho with bell pepper and onion
A simple tomato and pepper lecho can be made original and spicy if you add turnip onions into it. Unlike the classic recipe, in this one the vegetables are not just boiled and rolled, but are first infused in a pre-prepared marinade.
Ingredients:
- Tomatoes - 3 kg
- Onions - 1 kg
- Bulgarian pepper - 1 kg
- Sunflower oil - 300 ml
- Vinegar - 60 ml
- Sugar - 250 g
- Salt - 2 tablespoons
Step-by-step preparation of tomato lecho with bell pepper and onions:
- Initially, wash the vegetables, peel, peel the onions, cut the seeds and stalks from the pepper.
- Cut the tomatoes and peppers into 4 pieces. It is best to choose dense, slightly firm fruits.
- Cut the onion into half rings.
- Prepare the marinade. Heat the sunflower oil, add salt, sugar and vinegar to it. Mix everything.
- Mix the chopped vegetables, cover with hot marinade and leave to infuse for 6 hours.
- Put the vegetable mass on the burner and after boiling, boil for 20-25 minutes.
- Pour the hot tomato, pepper and onion lecho into sterilized jars and close with a seaming wrench. Keep the canning under a blanket until completely cooled.
Lecho with tomatoes and onions can be eaten immediately after cooking. This aromatic appetizer can serve as a savory sauce for mashed potatoes.
Lecho with tomato juice and herbs
For a classic snack, only tomatoes and peppers are needed, but to make the most delicious tomato lecho, you will need a lot of aromatic greens, turnip onions and carrots. Such canned vegetables in winter will become a real storehouse of vitamins.
Ingredients:
- Tomatoes - 1 kg
- Bulgarian pepper - 1 kg
- Carrots - 0.5 kg
- Onions - 0.5 kg
- Dill - 10 g
- Parsley - 10 g
- Vegetable oil - 200 ml
- Sugar - 1 tbsp.
- Salt - 50 g
- Vinegar - 50 ml
Step by step cooking lecho with tomato juice and herbs:
- You can use 1 liter of purchased tomato juice in the recipe or make it yourself. To do this, wash the tomatoes, pour over with boiling water, quickly transfer to cold water. Using a knife, remove the peel from each fruit and cut it into wedges.
- Chop the tomatoes through a meat grinder or in a food processor. Pass the resulting mixture through a sieve or cheesecloth to sift out the seeds. Overripe tomatoes are enough to crush with a whisk until they are mushy.
- Peel the onion, cut into rings or half rings.
- Rinse the greens, dry, cut into 2 cm pieces.
- Rinse the pepper, cut off the stalks, remove the seeds, cut first into slices, and then into cubes.
- Rinse the carrots, peel, rub on a coarse grater.
- Put vegetables and herbs in tomato juice, put everything on the stove, salt, pepper, pour in sunflower oil. Boil the mixture with constant stirring so that the ingredients do not stick to the bottom. Cook the boiled mass on a medium burner for 10 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon.
- Pour vinegar into the mixture, mix everything, when it boils, remove it from the stove and put it in a sterilized container. Close with a seaming key, let cool under the covers and store in the pantry.
It will take you about an hour and a half to cook tomato lecho at home, most of the time is spent preparing vegetables. But the result is worth every minute spent.
Tomato lecho with garlic
A classic appetizer is prepared without garlic, only in some recipes 1-2 cloves are added, but if you like spicy preparations, we suggest you step by step cooking garlic lecho from tomatoes. For this dish, you need to use small round tomatoes with a dense, juicy pulp. To make it bright and colorful, you can use yellow, orange and green peppers.
Ingredients:
- Tomatoes - 2 kg
- Bulgarian pepper - 2 kg
- Garlic - 1-2 heads
- Sugar - 3 tablespoons
- Salt - 1 t.l.
- Allspice - 8 pcs.
- Peppercorns - 8 pcs.
- Bay leaf - 3 pcs.
- Carnation - 3 pcs.
- Vegetable oil - 100 ml
Step-by-step cooking of tomato and garlic lecho:
- Rinse the tomatoes, cut the stalk, cut into pieces.
- Chop the tomato pulp with a food processor or pass it through a meat grinder and pour into a cast-iron cauldron or stewpan.
- Boil the tomato mass for 20 minutes after boiling on a medium burner. Stir the mixture regularly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
- Pour sugar and salt into the mixture. After boiling, put the lavrushka and the rest of the spices in it. Mix everything.
- Wash the pepper, remove the seeds and stalks. Cut it into strips and place in the tomato paste. Boil, simmer on a small hotplate for 20 minutes with constant stirring.
- Peel the garlic, twist with a meat grinder or squeeze through a press. Put it in the vegetable mass 5 minutes before cooking.
- Pour the tomato and garlic lecho into sterilized glass containers and close with a sealing wrench.
The piece can be served as a side dish for meat dishes or simply eaten with white bread. Thanks to the large amount of spices, it turns out to be very aromatic and piquant.
Tomato lecho with eggplant
Tomato and bell pepper lecho will become even richer and richer if you add eggplant to it. The dish goes well with mashed potatoes, meat and poultry. It can be eaten with a slice of fresh bread or loaf. And if you add chili pepper, you can serve it as a hot sauce for kebabs and other dishes.
Ingredients:
- Eggplant - 1400 g
- Tomatoes - 800 g
- Bulgarian pepper - 500 g
- Carrots - 500 g
- Onions - 500 g
- Garlic - 7 cloves
- Sugar - 100 g
- Salt - 2 tablespoons
- Vegetable oil - 1 tbsp.
- Vinegar - 100 ml
Step-by-step cooking of tomato and eggplant lecho:
- Wash the tomatoes, dry them, make a cross-shaped cut on each fruit. Throw the cut fruits into boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then drain it and remove the skin from each.
- Chop the peeled tomatoes with a combine or twist in a meat grinder. Another option is to grind on a coarse grater.
- Rinse carrots, peel, chop on a grater with large cells.
- Peel the onion and garlic. Cut the onion into half rings, press the garlic.
- Rinse the pepper, remove the seeds and stalks, cut into half rings.
- Wash the eggplants, remove the root, do not remove the peel, cut into medium-sized cubes.
- Put a stewpan or cast-iron cauldron on the fire, pour vegetable oil into it. When it's hot, add the onions and carrots to it. Fry vegetables with constant stirring for 7 minutes.
- Throw eggplants, peppers and tomatoes into the cauldron. Mix everything, salt, sprinkle with sugar and knead again.
- When the mixture boils, move the cauldron to the middle burner, simmer for 30 minutes. The lecho should boil a little, if not, the fire should be slightly increased.
- Put the garlic in the mixture, add the vinegar, mix everything and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste the preparation, add salt, sugar or vinegar if necessary.
- Pour the lecho into sterilized glass containers, close with a sealing key and place under a warm blanket upside down until completely cooled.
From the specified amount of ingredients, you will get 2-4 liter jars of tomato and eggplant lecho. If you prefer spicy food, add chopped chili peppers when cooking, or add a large portion of ground black pepper when adding garlic. To give the preparation the aroma of fresh herbs, you can add finely chopped dill, parsley, cilantro and other herbs to your taste along with garlic.
