Discover the flavors of Hungarian leczo: A summer delight

Hungarian cuisine is famous for this dish. It requires vegetables that are easily available this time of year, practically cooks itself, and has an exquisite taste. All of this makes it perfect for eating at the end of summer. You can prepare it a little differently each time.

The Hungarian, or original, lecsó, does not resemble either soup or vegetables in sauce. It's a thick, aromatic dish. Traditionally, it consists only of onions, peppers, and tomatoes, which are not overcooked. They are stewed and fried in such a way that they remain firm. This is largely ensured by the fat used by Hungarians when preparing leczo. They fry the vegetables in lard. If you avoid this fat, you can substitute it with oil. The classic addition to leczo is sausage, preferably paprika sausage. It suits this combination of vegetables, but let's not hide it; it makes the dish heavier.

A lighter version of leczo? Opt for a different meat addition. Instead of sausage, use much more delicate chicken. Poultry also pairs well with peppers, especially white ones recommended for leczo. However, adding vegetables in other colours, such as red, green, and yellow is also worth it. This will deepen the dish's flavour. Nothing is stopping you from using both sausage and chicken for leczo. Leczo is ideal for culinary experiments. There is no chance that something will go wrong. It's just that often, before you know it, you already have a full pot of leczo.

Ingredients:

                                              
• 250g of chicken meat, thighs or breasts,
• 200g of smoked sausage, optional,
• 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil,
• 4 peppers in various colours,
• 1 onion,
• zucchini, optional,
• 4 cloves of garlic,
• 3 bay leaves,
• 1 tablespoon of sweet paprika,
• 500g of tomato puree (passata),
• 200ml of water,
• salt and pepper to taste.

Instructions:

          
1. Cut the chicken into cubes, season with salt and pepper. Fry in half of the heated oil. Transfer the meat to a plate. In the remaining fat, fry the sausage cut into slices. Transfer to the plate with the chicken.
2. In the other part of the oil, fry the vegetables. Start with the onion cut into half-slices, when it softens, add the diced pepper. Lastly, add the zucchini, and after a moment, the garlic cut into slices. Add the spices, fried chicken and sausage, tomato puree, water, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes.