Lecso is an ancient dish originally from Serbia, and a great summer meal when all the ingredients are in season and you want to eat something a little lighter. Lecso is very versatile, it can be a great vegetarian dish while adding sliced Hungarian sausages (kolbasz) would make this a one pot main course. You can also serve it as a side dish to roast meats, especially pork, while any left-overs can be had for breakfast by adding a couple of eggs to the prepared Lecso.

Ingredients

2 cups fresh tomatoes

1tsp salt

1/8 cup water

3 medium onions

8 bell peppers, ideally a mixture of red and orange

2tbsp oil or fat

½ tsp pepper

1 can chopped tomatoes

2 oz tomato paste

1 tsp sweet smoked paprika

½ tsp hot paprika

sausage (optional)

Preparation

1. Prepare the peppers by coring, deveining and cutting them into 4-6 slices each, then into long even narrow wedges.
2. Cut up the whole tomatoes and stew separately for about 10 minutes on medium heat with the can of chopped tomatoes and a pinch of salt.
3. Slice onions and place together with the sliced peppers into a large shallow pan with oil/fat. Stir-fry until it becomes like a stew, cooked but still firm; about 8-10 minutes.
4. Add the spices, the stewed tomatoes and the tomato paste. Let it simmer until all the flavours combine, around 5-8 minutes.
5. Serve with fluffy white rice, fresh bread or on its own. For a drink accompaniment, try it with Vesztergombi Winery’s Bull's Blood for a fully authentic experience.