Lecsó with courgettes

by | Sep 5, 2018 | Vegetable dishes

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Lecsó is a simple stew of glorious vegetables, the perfect example of a dish that is truly way grander than the sum of its ingredients. The traditional lecsó consists of only 3 ingredients: onion, wax peppers and tomatoes. But with a little imagination, there are endless possibilities: make it ratatouille-style with zucchini or eggplant; toss it with pasta, scrambled eggs or rice; serve it alongside roasted or grilled meats; or eat it straight from the fridge as a snack.

One of the popular lecsó versions is combined with toasted egg barley, which makes the dish hearty and more flavourful. As egg barley takes 40-50 minutes to get soft, it’s recommended to prepare it first, lecsó needs only 25-30 minutes to be done.

Regarding tomatoes the eternal question is to peel or not to peel. Personally, I don’t mind tiny chunks of skin in lecsó, and – let’s be honest- peeling tomatoes is annoying and time consuming. The other reason I don’t remove tomato skin is that it’s rich in flavonols, which are a kind of plant-based antioxidant. They reduce the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other age-related complications. So keeping your tomato intact will increase its nutritional value.

Lecsó with courgettes
Lecsó with courgettes – photo: zserbo.com

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2 Comments

Hungarian cottage cheese

This is what Hungarian túró looks like

You often ask me what kind of cottage cheese (or curd cheese or farmer's cheese - call it what you want) I use in the recipes. In Hungary the store-bought cottage cheese is dry and crumbly as you can see in the picture. So if a recipe calls for túró, I mean this type. If you can't obtain túró, you can try to make your own from whole milk. Click on the link below.

Metric system vs cup

In Hungary metric units are in use, all the recipes on this website are based on this system, so a kitchen scale is necessary. Since I’m not familiar with cup as a measurement unit, I convert grams to cups by using an online converter. The values in brackets, therefore, are only approximate volumes, so, please, double-check them before you start cooking.