vegan Archives - Culinary Hungary

Hungarian Pepper and Tomato Stew Recipe – Lecsó

culinaryhungary — Sun, 26 Jun 2022 07:46:59 +0000

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Hungarian Lecsó – Pepper and Tomato Stew

Hungarian Lecsó is a stewed mix of peppers, tomatoes and onions. It is sometimes called “Hungarian ratatouille”.

Lecsó comes in many variations and it can be served on its own, as a side or as a main dish, at any time of the day. It is a healthy breakfast recipe, it might be topped with a fried egg or two or scrambled along with them.

For lunch or dinner, it is usually eaten on its own with bread, or supplemented with a sausage, rice, meat, noodles, etc. In addition, lecsó can be stored in jars and preserved for consumption later in the year, when fresh ingredients are not in season.

It is a nice vegetarian and vegan meal if you serve it without eggs and sausage, but meat lovers prefer cooking it with smoked meat. Quick, easy, healthy recipe to make, done in 30 minutes.

Can I use bell peppers?

Yes, you can use bell peppers. But traditionally, Hungarians make lecsó with yellow wax peppers. In North America, these are often called Hungarian sweet wax peppers or sometimes banana peppers. Use those if you can find them!

What is the best paprika to use?

Paprika is essentially air-dried peppers ground into a fine powder. In Hungary there are eight types of paprika varying in colour and pungency. I prefer using sweet paprika that has a rich red color. I never use smoked or spicy paprika, you can make your dish spicy after you serve, you add as much heat to the dish as you want.

I mainly use paprika from Szeged, but Kalocsa Paprika is also wonderful. Cooking tip: do not burn your paprika, or it becomes bitter.

How to store paprika?

Paprika can go flat if it’s old. Make sure you taste test your paprika before cooking with it in this recipe. Paprika, as it gets older, will lose its aroma and become less pungent. If your paprika doesn’t have a strong flavor or has no smell, it’s no longer good. Store your paprika in an airtight container in a cool, dark spot, either in a spice drawer or the refrigerator.

How do you serve Hungarian Lecsó?

You can have it plain with some fresh white bread. You can pour beaten eggs over and fry together with the pepper stew, this is my favorite version.
You can have it with rice: when you add the peppers to the tomatoes, add some more water, pour uncooked rice in and cook until the rice absorbs the moisture and get tender.

You can make your Lecsó with sliced smoked paprika sausage. Add them to the lecsó just before it is ready, and cook for a few minutes.

Hungarian Lecsó - Pepper and Tomato stew

This is a stewed mix of peppers, tomatoes and onions. It is sometimes called “Hungarian ratatouille”. Lecsó comes in many variations and it can be served on its own, as a side or as a main dish, at any time of the day.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Hungarian

Keyword Lecsó, pepper, tomato stew, vegan, vegetarian

Total Time 27

Servings 4 people

Equipment

Cutting board
Chef's knife
Measuring spoon
Medium pot
Wooden spoon

Ingredients

6 medium tomatoes cubed
4 yellow wax peppers or banana peppers or cubanelle peppers cut into medium pieces
2 medium onions thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder
salt
ground black pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

In a pot, sauté the thinly sliced onions in vegetable oil over low heat, stirring frequently, until translucent. Do not let them burn. Salt lightly to help tenderize them. Add a small amount of water, if necessary, to keep them from sticking to the pan.
Add the cubed tomatoes, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the peppers (cut into medium sized pieces) and 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika powder, sprinkle with ground black pepper and cook for another 5-8 minutes. I do not like to overcook, because then the skin of the peppers cook off. Cooking tip: Do not burn the paprika, or it will become bitter.
You can have it with bread, with eggs, rice or sausage.

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Green pea soup with crispy cheese chips recipe

culinaryhungary — Sun, 30 Oct 2016 10:21:38 +0000

Green pea soup

is an easy healthy recipe to make and it tastes wonderful when served with crispy cheese chips. If you serve it without the cheese chips, it is a great food for vegans, also, it is gluten-free. Ideal weeknight dinner recipe.

Recipe

Ingredients for 2 people:

500 grams (17, 6 ounces) of frozen green peas
1 small onion, diced
1 coffee spoon of baking soda
100 grams (3,5 ounces) of good quality semi-dry cheese, grated
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
ground black pepper
salt to taste

Directions:

In a soup pot, sauté the onions in vegetable oil over low heat, stirring frequently, until translucent. Do not let them burn. Salt lightly to help tenderize them.

Add the frozen green peas, pour over 2 cups of water, sprinkle with ground black pepper, salt to taste and and cook for about 10 minutes.
Cooking tip: Add baking soda to the cooking water when you are boiling green vegetables such as beans, broccoli or green peas, so you can keep those greens green.

Meanwhile, you have time to make the cheese chips: Preheat oven to 375.

On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spoon the grated cheese by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart. Spread each mound to a 2-inch diameter.

Bake in oven for roughly 10-15 minutes or until crisp and golden. Cool completely on baking sheet. Remove from baking sheet using a thin spatula.

Using an electric blender puree the soup until smooth. Serve with the cheese chips on top.

Enjoy!

The post Green pea soup with crispy cheese chips recipe appeared first on Culinary Hungary.

Hungarian Potato Pasta (Krumplis tészta) Recipe

culinaryhungary — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 20:48:09 +0000

Hungarian Potato Pasta – Krumplis Tészta

Hungarian potato pasta is an easy traditional dish, budget-friendly, super simple and delicious. It is also called ‘grenadir mars’, however we mention only potato pasta in Hungarian homes. It is not an elegant dish, but a real comfort food that everybody loves. Traditionally it is made with home-made square pasta. It is a very cheap dish, often cooked at the end of the month when people’s budget for the month has been used up, but still had some potatoes, onions and dry pasta in the pantry.

How to make potato pasta?

You need fresh or dry square pasta, onion, potatoes, Hungarian paprika and ground black pepper. I do not boil the potatoes separately, I prefer cooking together with the onion and the paprika, this way the potatos absorb all the beautiful flavors. Prepare your pasta according to the instructions.

When the potatos is fork tender, mash them roughly with a potato masher or fork, then mix with the cooked pasta, sprinkle with ground black pepper. Make sure you have some pickles to serve with and you will also need lots of ground black peppers.

It is a no meat main course, even vegans can have it if you use no egg pasta.

What paprika to use?

Use Hungarian sweet paprika, never spicy. In Hungary we buy paprika from Szeged or from Kalocsa, I love both. I recommend purchasing real Hungarian paprika in your local deli or order online.

Make sure you do not burn your paprika. If you burn, it becomes bitter, the color will be brownish and you ruin the whole dish. Before you add the paprika to the sautéed onions, remove the pot from the heat, wait a 15-20 seconds, and then mix the paprika in.

Pride of Szeged
Hungarian sweet paprika
from Amazon

Hungarian Potato Pasta (Krumplis tészta)

Hungarian potato paprika is another traditional dish, budget-friendly, super simple and delicious. It is also called 'grenadir mars', however we mention only potato pasta in Hungarian homes.

It is a no meat main course, even vegans can have it if you use no egg pasta. Make sure you have some pickles to serve with and you will also need lots of ground black peppers.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Hungarian

Total Time 40

Servings 4 people

Equipment

Medium pots
Strainer
Chef's knife
Cutting board
Peeler

Ingredients

8.8 ounces dry square pasta 250 grams
17.6 ounces potatoes 500 grams, peeled, cut into smaller cubes
1 medium medium Spanish onion diced
1 tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika powder
ground black pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil sunflower, canola
salt
pickles to serve

Instructions

In a medium pot, sautée the onions in vegetable oil over low heat, stirring frequently, until translucent. Do not let them burn. Salt lightly to help tenderize them.
Remove the pot from the heat, add the sweet Hungarian paprika, stir. Do not burn the paprika, or it will become bitter.
Add the peeled and cubed potatoes and pour in just enough water to barely cover, salt to taste and cook until the potatoes are soft and gravy. Once potatoes are totally soft and the water is almost completely evaporated, mash potatoes roughly with a potato masher or fork.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted water according to package instructions, rinse and drain.
Stir pasta into the potato mixture, season with salt and ground black pepper.
Serve with pickles.
Enjoy!

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Cauliflower soup with paprika

culinaryhungary — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 14:40:34 +0000

Hungarian cauliflower soup

is another quick starter, a vegetarian meal and even vegans can have this soup if you serve it without sour cream. This version of cauliflower soup cooked with paprika which gives it a nice flavor and color.

Recipe

Ingredients for 4 people:

1 medium-sized head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 onion, diced
1 level tablespoon of sweet paprika powder
1 coffee spoon of ground caraway seeds
3 tablespoons of plain flour
4-5 tablespoons of vegetable oil
sour cream to serve
salt

Directions:

In a soup pot, sauté the onions in vegetable oil over low heat, stirring frequently, until translucent. Do not let them burn. Salt lightly to help tenderize them.

Add 2 liters of water to the sautéed onions. Put the cauliflower florets into the water, add 1 coffee spoon of ground caraway seeds, salt to taste and cook until tender.

Meanwhile, you have time to make the roux (to thicken your soup): In a pan, heat 4-5 tablespoons of oil, add 3 tablespoons of flour, stirring constantly. You need just enough oil to make the consistency of your roux not too thick and not too thin. It should spread out in your pan and bubble a little.
After 2-3 minutes of searing, when it starts to brown, take it off the heat, allow to cool and add 1 level tablespoon of red paprika powder. Now add some water (or liquid from the soup) to the roux to thin it.

Use a slotted spoon and gently remove 5-6 cauliflower florets from the soup, set aside. When serving, add the florets to the top of each bowl of soup.

Using an electric blender puree the soup until smooth.

Pour the roux back to your soup pot and bring the soup back to a boil.

Serve with sour cream.

Enjoy

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