Hungarian Eats

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October 8, 2021

Easy Hungarian egg dumpling recipe (nokedli)

Nokedli, these delectable Hungarian egg noodles or dumplings make the perfect side dish. They need only a few everyday ingredients and are easy and super fast to make. These little dumplings (we call them nokedli or galushka) are very similar to the German spaetzle. They …

Side dishes

by Kata

2 Comments

August 13, 2021

Refreshing Hungarian cucumber salad recipe

Hungarian cucumber salad is an extremely refreshing side-dish, which usually accompanies traditional main courses like chicken paprikash. It is served along with the main course and not before. In Hungary many meals with meat (or meat substitutes) are served with some pickles and/or a vinegary …

Salads&pickles

by Kata

2 Comments

July 5, 2021

Hungarian pepper tomato stew with paprika (Lecsó)

Lecsó [lecho], this delicious and versatile pepper tomato stew with paprika is a traditional Hungarian dish. As soon as the Hungarian yellow peppers and field tomatoes are in season in the summer in Hungary, everyone starts making lecsó, and everyone has their own “best of the best” recipe. I am sharing here our all-time family favourite. I use green Bell peppers in the recipe as it is hard to find the Hungarian yellow ones in North America. We usually find them mid-summer/early fall. We make a large batch, and freeze them in containers. It is just the best taking one out in the winter and enjoying those amazing “summer flavours”.

The Bell pepper has thick flesh similar to the Hungarian one, and the stew is just superb with it. I usually use the green ones as I found that these are not as sweet as the yellow, orange or red ones. Do you like it spicy? Add some hot peppers to the Bell peppers!

This pepper tomato stew is fast to prepare, super versatile and tastes so good the next day too. Make sure to have fresh bread on the table, as you will need it to mop up that delectable sauce. You can serve it as a vegan-vegetarian stew, you can add frankfurters or sausages, add some beaten egg to it, or serve it with some rice, and/or with some meat. Enjoy!

Hungarian pepper tomato stew with paprika (Lecho)

Ingredients

8 Bell peppers

3 medium tomatoes

2 medium onions

3 tbsp canola or sunflower oil

2 tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika

1 tsp salt

2 pairs of frankfurters, sausages, or veggie dogs cut into half-inch circles (optional)

Method

Dice the onions and tomatoes, and cut the peppers into inch wide strips.

In a large pot on medium to high heat sauté the onion in the oil until they are tender and golden.

Remove the pot from the heat, add the Hungarian sweet paprika, and mix it well.

Put the pot back on the heat, add the peppers and the salt, stir. Lower the heat to medium-low,

cover the pot, and cook the peppers for about 20 minutes, until soft. Stir every 8-10 minutes.

Add the diced tomatoes, stir, and cook for another 10-15 minutes.

At this point, you can either serve it as a veggie paprika stew or add frankfurters, sausages or

veggie dog circles, and cook the stew for about 5 more minutes.

pepper tomato stew in a bowl with fork and bread slices

Hungarian pepper tomato stew (Lecsó)

Course stews

Cuisine Hungarian

Keyword Hungarian, paprika, pepper, stew, tomato, vegetable stew

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 55

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

8 Bell peppers green
3 medium tomatoes
2 medium onions
3 tbsp canola or sunflower oil
2 tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika
1 tsp salt
2 pairs frankfurters, wieners, sausages or veggie dogs cut into ½ inch circles optional

Instructions

Dice the onions and tomatoes, and cut the peppers into inch wide strips.
In a large pot on medium to high heat sauté the onion in the oil until they are tender and golden.
Remove the pot from the heat, add the Hungarian sweet paprika, and mix it well.
Put the pot back on the heat, add the peppers and the salt, and stir. Lower the heat to medium low, cover the pot, and cook the peppers for about 20 minutes, until soft. Stir every 8-10 minutes.
Add the diced tomatoes, stir, and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
At this point you can either serve it as a veggie paprika stew, or add frankfurter, sausage or veggie dog circles, and cook the stew for about 5 more minutes.

Notes

The proportion of peppers to tomatoes is important. Using too much tomato makes the stew too watery. I use fewer tomatoes, but if you like it with more liquid, add one or two more.

Do you like it spicy? Add some hot peppers to the Bell peppers. It is going to be a different experience, I promise :).

Lecsó with eggs: Usually I do this with the leftovers the next day. Heat up some lecsó on medium to high heat in a frying pan. In the meantime beat some eggs (I usually count an egg per person). Once the lecsó is hot, add the egg, and stir the mixture constantly for a few minutes, until the eggs are done.

You can serve the lecsó by itself, or with some rice or noodles on the side.

Lecsó keeps well in the fridge for several days.

One of the best part is the sauce – have some fresh bread ready to mop the sauce. Believe me, every single drop counts :).

Enjoy!

Leave a comment on the recipe page! Did you try this recipe? Let me and others know how you liked it by leaving a comment below.

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Main courses, One dish meals, Stews

by Kata

0 Comments

June 16, 2021

Light and easy chicken paprikash

Have you been craving a delicious Hungarian chicken paprikash, but you don’t want a heavy stew with flour, sour cream and chicken skin? Do not look any further, this chicken stew is your recipe! It is so easy to make, uses a few everyday ingredients, …

Main courses, Stews

by Kata

2 Comments

May 25, 2021

Best basic clafoutis recipe

What is for dessert tonight?! If you got this question just a few minutes before dinner, you were in my shoes. Once my kids asked me this the other day, I literally had a few seconds to think about what ingredients we had, and what …

Desserts

by Kata

8 Comments

May 11, 2021

Hearty lentil stew with a secret ingredient

We love lentils period! They are healthy & crazily delicious. Dried lentils can be stored for a very long time, once cooked they can be refrigerated for up to a week in an airtight container, or they could be frozen for up to six months. They contain a lot of protein and fibre, key minerals like potassium, iron, folate and manganese, You can find more info about this fantastic legume here and here.

Our favourite lentil dish is this lentil stew. It is a tradition in Hungary to eat lentils on the first day of the New Year in order to have a lot of money in the coming year. I cannot tell you if it works, but it’s definitely worth a try especially with this recipe, that has been a hit among our family and friends. The only comment I usually get, is that I did not make enough :).

And what is the secret ingredient? Believe it or not, it’s mustard! Mustard provides this dish a wonderful and unforgettable flavour. It gives the stew a tangy and characteristic taste and some colour too.

Hearty lentil stew with a secret ingredient

500 g dry green lentils

1 small onion

2-3 cloves garlic

2 bay leaves

1 piece lemon rind

3 tbsp flour

½ cup milk

2 tbsp prepared mustard

1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar

1.5 L water

1.5 tsp salt

ground pepper

hard-boiled eggs (optional)

Rinse lentils in water, and remove dust and debris. No need to soak lentils prior cooking.

In a large saucepan add the lentils, whole onion (or a quarter of a large onion), minced garlic, bay leaves, one piece of lemon rind (whole, not grated!), and water. Bring to boil, and let it simmer covered for about 15-20 minutes, until lentils are tender.

In the meantime in a small bowl whisk together the flour, milk and mustard

Once the lentils are tender, remove & discard the onion, lemon rind, and bay leaves.

Add 3-5 tbsp of hot water from the lentils to the flour mix and stir. Remove the lentils from the heat, let them cool for a few minutes, add the flour-mustard mixture and stir. Put the saucepan back on medium heat and cook it for another 3-4 more minutes while stirring. Add the lemon juice or vinegar, salt, pepper, and more mustard if needed. Garnish with a hard boiled egg and / or wieners and fresh bread for a hearty Hungarian meal!

You might like these savoury vegetarian recipes too!

Savoy cabbage stew recipe

Easy and quick leek soup

Hungarian cauliflower soup

Hearty lentil stew with a secret ingredient

Cuisine Hungarian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1

Author Hungarian Eats

Ingredients

500 g dry green lentils ( no need to soak lentils)
1 small onion
2-3 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1 piece lemon rind
3 tbsp flour
½ cup milk
2 tbsp prepared mustard
1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar
1.5 L water
1.5 tsp salt
ground pepper

Instructions

Rinse lentils in water, and remove dust and debris. No need to soak lentils prior cooking.
In a large saucepan add the lentils, whole onion (or a quarter of a large onion), minced garlic, bay leaves, one piece of lemon rind (whole, not grated!), salt, pepper, and water. Bring to boil, and let it simmer covered for about 15-20 minutes, until lentils are tender.
In the meantime in a small bowl whisk together the flour, milk and mustard.
Once the lentils are tender, remove and discard the onion, lemon rind, and bay leaves.
Add 3-5 tbsp of hot water from the lentils to the flour mix and stir. Remove the lentils from the heat, let them cool for a few minutes, add the flour-mustard mixture and stir. Put the saucepan back on medium heat, and cook it for another 3-4 more minutes while stirring. Add the lemon juice or vinegar, and more salt, pepper, mustard if needed.
Garnish with a hard boiled egg and/or wieners and fresh bread for a hearty Hungarian meal!

Notes

You can use canned lentils instead of dry ones. In that case rinse it in fresh water to reduce the sodium content.

Add the salt after the lentils are cooked, as adding it before can make the lentils tough.

To add a smokey flavour, cook a piece of smoked meat (small piece of duck breast for example) before you add the lentils to the water. Make sure to soak the meat before to reduce the sodium content. Use only a smaller piece not to overwhelm the stew with the smokey flavour. Remove the meat once it is cooked, cut into smaller pieces, and serve on the side, or on top of the stew.

Instead of milk you can use sour cream or cream. If the mix is too thick, use some cold water to dilute it, and then add some hot liquid from the lentils.

The reason to add some hot liquid to the flour mix is to avoid getting flour lumps in the stew.

This meal keeps well for several days in the refrigerator. If the stew is too thick the next day, just add a bit of milk or water to it when reheating it.

It is really up to you how much mustard and lemon juice/vinegar you use. If you like it more sour, add a bit more of the juice. If it needs some more “character”, add more mustard to the stew. Feel free to experiment and find your own favourite balance of flavours.

Serve it as it is, or with hard boiled eggs, boiled frankfurters, fresh bread.

Leave a comment on the recipe page! Did you try this recipe? Let me and others know how you liked it by leaving a comment below.

Pinterest – You can find us on Pinterest too, if you would like to pin the recipe pics!

Main courses, Stews

by Kata

2 Comments

April 27, 2021

Superb savoy cabbage stew with caraway seeds

This savoy cabbage stew recipe is an old time favourite in our family. It only needs every day ingredients, easy to prepare and fast to make. Savoy cabbage has dark green, wrinkly leaves and a round head. It is delicious raw or cooked. It keeps …

Main courses, Stews

by Kata

2 Comments

April 14, 2021

The best sponge cake recipe. Ever.

Are you looking for a sponge cake recipe that’s easy and fast to make, requires only a few ingredients, and is crazily delicious? Don’t look any further, I got you covered! I found this recipe ages ago in Hungary, and I have been using it …

Desserts

by Kata

0 Comments

March 30, 2021

Easy and quick leek soup

A quick, easy and delicious leek soup for dinner? This recipe is a family favourite. Even my son, who hates onions, loves this soup.

Leeks have a mild onion flavour, keep well in the refrigerator, are easy to prepare and cook. You can find more information here about choosing, preparing, cutting, cleaning leeks.

Easy and quick leek soup

2-3 leeks

2 cloves garlic

1 stalk celery

2-3 medium potatoes

2 tbsp butter

salt, pepper

¾ L vegetable stock

Clean and chop the leeks and celery into round slices. Cut the potatoes into cubes.

In a medium pot sauté the leeks in the butter on low to medium heat for about 5-6 minutes.

Once the leeks are soft, add the potatoes, minced garlic, celery and the vegetable stock. Season it with salt and pepper as needed.

Simmer until the potatoes and celery are tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Purée the soup with a hand blender. Add a bit of cooking cream if you wish to have a more creamy soup. Serve it with croutons, grated parmesan, toast, salad, as you like.

Easy and quick leek soup recipe

Course Soups

Cuisine American, French, Hungarian

Keyword easy, Hungarian, leeks, quick, recipe, soup, vegetarian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 35

Servings 4 people

Author Hungarian Eats

Ingredients

2-3 leeks
2 cloves garlic
1 stalk celery
2-3 medium potatoes
2 tbsp butter
salt, pepper
¾ L vegetable stock

Instructions

Clean and chop the leeks and celery into round slices . Cut the potatoes into cubes.
In a medium pot sauté the leeks in the butter on low to medium heat for about 5-6 minutes.
Once the leeks are soft, add the potatoes, minced garlic, celery and the vegetable stock. Season it with salt and pepper as needed.
Simmer until the potatoes and celery are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
Purée the soup with a hand blender. Add a bit of cooking cream if you wish to have a more creamy soup. Serve it with croutons, grated parmesan, toast, salad, as you like.

Notes

If you prefer using a blender, let the soup cool down a bit for a few minutes before puréeing it. Fill the blender only half to avoid the soup bursting out from the machine.

Leave a comment on the recipe page! Did you try this recipe? Let me and others know how you liked it by leaving a comment below.

Pinterest – You can find us on Pinterest too, if you would like to pin the recipe pics!

Soups

by Kata

0 Comments

March 16, 2021

Cabbage stew with tender meat bites

Another delicious traditionally Hungarian one-dish meal, in Hungarian: “székelykáposzta” [SAY-kay-kap-oh-stah]. This meaty cabbage stew is so easy to prepare, and it just gets better and better every time it is reheated. Back in Budapest, if I needed some fresh pickled cabbage, I just went to …

Main courses, One dish meals, Stews

by Kata

0 Comments