Lecsó (Hungarian Pepper and Tomato Stew)

Method

1. Prepare the vegetables. Remove the stalks, seeds and white ribs from the peppers and cut them into 1 cm rings. Slice the onion into thin half-moons and cut the tomatoes into 2 cm chunks. Slice the sausage into 5 mm rounds.

2. Melt the lard over medium heat in a wide 24 cm pot or deep frying pan, add the sausage and fry for 5 min, until the edges are golden and the fat has turned red.

   Add in this stepLard (or oil) 15 gSmoked sausage (Hungarian kolbász or any smoked paprika sausage) 120 g

   medium heat

3. Turn the heat down to medium-low heat, add the onion and cook for 6 min, stirring now and then, until translucent and soft but not browned.

   Add in this stepOnion 1

   medium-low heat

4. Add the peppers and half the salt and cook over medium heat for 10 min. Keep a lid on for the first few minutes so they wilt, then uncover and stir until the peppers are soft and have shrunk by about half.

   Add in this stepHungarian wax peppers (pale sweet peppers) or bell peppers 400 gSalt 0.4 tsp

   medium heat

5. Take the pot off the heat for a moment and stir in the paprika quickly: paprika touching hot fat burns in seconds and turns bitter. Then add the tomatoes, sugar and the rest of the salt and stir.

   Add in this stepSweet paprika 1 tspRipe tomatoes 250 gSugar 1 pinchSalt 0.4 tsp

6. Put the pot back on the heat and simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 12 min, stirring from time to time, until the tomatoes have collapsed into a thick sauce and the peppers are tender but still hold their shape. If it looks watery, cook a few minutes more. Taste and add salt if needed.

   medium-low heat

7. Turn off the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes so the flavours settle, then serve in bowls with the bread. Mopping up the sauce with bread is the Hungarian way.

   Add in this stepSlices of crusty white bread 2