How delicious to cook Bulgarian lecho: a recipe for a delicious snack for the winter

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

In the summer, when vegetables are harvested in cottages and kitchens, it does not hurt to remember the Bulgarian lecho. Its recipe may consist of a variety of ingredients, but in the original it is only tomatoes, peppers and spices. Undoubtedly, the dish is intended not only for canning for the winter. It can simply be used as a side dish or in place of a sauce for a main course. But still, winter harvesting is more relevant.

Bulgarian Lecho: a recipe for beginners

The easiest way to create this traditional European preservation involves the use of ready-made tomato juice. Thanks to this ingredient, the cooking process is greatly simplified. This is the reason why it is recommended for beginners. Before preparing the classic Bulgarian lecho (its recipe is presented below), it is better to practice on this simpler one.

For a liter of tomato juice, take 60 medium-sized peppers, a glass of sugar and 9% vinegar, 2 tablespoons of s alt. To prepare lecho for the winter, you need to sterilize jars (1 or 0.5 liters) and lids in advance. Then the Bulgarian pepper is washed, freed from seeds and cut into medium-sized slices. In principle, you can chop it smaller, but in this case the taste will not be so bright.

The next step is to prepare the marinade. S alt, sugar and vinegar are added to tomato juice, bringing it to a boil. Then pepper is sent there and boiled, stirring for 15 minutes (sometimes a little longer, it should become soft). The result is a delicious and fragrant Bulgarian lecho (the recipe is really very simple), which will remain to be decomposed into jars and closed. After cooling to room temperature, they should be stored in a dark, cool place.

Bulgarian lecho for the winter (classic cooking method)

Having mastered the previous option, you can use a more complex recipe. For a kilogram of bell pepper (it is recommended to use green or yellow), 4 kg of ripe (maybe even slightly overripe) tomatoes are taken, as well as a handful of chopped parsley. You will also need s alt (a tablespoon), sugar (2 tablespoons), a few bay leaves.

First, peel the tomatoes. To do this, they are doused with boiling water, then placed in ice water, after which the process will be greatly facilitated. Next, clean the pepper, removing the stalks and removing the seeds. Vegetablescut into medium-sized cubes and boil in a deep aluminum (or enameled) container for 20 minutes. Then spices and herbs are added, brought to a boil and laid out in sterile jars. From the indicated amount of products, about 4.5 liters of lecho are obtained. Banks are closed and sent for storage.

Bulgarian lecho: a recipe with carrots

This is no longer a classic, but rather a variation on the theme “we preserve everything that is at hand”, but it turns out quite tasty. For 3 kg of tomatoes, take 2 kg of bell pepper (color does not matter here), and 500 g of carrots with onions. You will also need half a glass of vinegar, a glass of vegetable oil, 100 grams of sugar and 50 grams of s alt (you can change the amount to taste).

Tomatoes are peeled similarly to the previous recipe and passed through a meat grinder. Onions and carrots are peeled, and peppers are washed and freed from seeds. Next, chopped tomatoes are combined with oil, s alt, sugar and brought to a boil. Then reduce the heat and boil the marinade for 15 minutes (after pour the vinegar and cook the same amount). During this time, you need to prepare the rest of the vegetables. Peppers are cut into cubes, onions - into half rings, and carrots are chopped into strips (can be grated).

Add the vegetables one by one to the marinade. First comes carrots, after 10 minutes - onions, and at the end (after 5 minutes) - peppers. The resulting mass is boiled for about half an hour, stirring occasionally, and then closed in sterile jars. It turns out something between lecho and Kuban salad.