A Sense of Home Found in a Steaming Bowl of Lecsó

Certain scents have the ability to teleport us back in time.

It just happened to me the other day, when my partner and I visited his parents in the French countryside. I stepped into the kitchen of my mother-in-law and the familiar aromas of cooking onions, paprika and tomato immediately transferred me somewhere else.

I wasn’t in a French cottage anymore. The unfamiliar environment turned into the place where I grew up.

I was 9 years old again. I could see the beige-red checked tiles on my grandmothers kitchen floor, feel the texture of the whitewashed walls under my fingerprints and my nose was filled with the scent of 'lecsó', simmering in a large pot.

But it wasn’t lecsó cooking on the stove, and that made me sad and nostalgic, longing for my long-lost childhood summers for days.

Lecsó was the healthy comfort food of my youth.

But it was more than that. Lecsó is a staple dish in every Hungarians repertoire, made fresh at home at late spring and early summer.

This delicious stew of paprika, tomato and onions is served on its own, or as a side dish with tarhonya (traditional Hungarian grated egg drop noodles), rice or crispy peasant bread.

The base recipe is vegan, but meaty versions can be cooked with smoked sausages, bacon or Frankfurter or with grease or lard instead of oil.

It's one of the dishes I first learned to rustle up as a child apprentice in my granny’s kitchen–it requires no skills to make it and basically can’t be screwed up.

And I take it with me everywhere I go.

I lived across continents in the last decade and this recipe never failed to aid my homesickness. The ingredients of this modest stew are simple and easy to get anywhere on the globe, so it became my go-to dish to make whenever I long for my home country, Hungary.

The hardest to find might be good quality paprika powder, but I never travel without my little spice box that is filled with typical Hungarian spices and ingredients - and one of them is paprika powder.

The secret of a luscious lecsó

Every Hungarian family has their own heirloom version of lecsó, and you can really make this dish your own. I love to play with the spice levels and different types of paprika powder I use - hot, sweet or smoked.

But there's one basic ingredient that if you don't get right, you can follow every step closely, your lecsó will never be lecsó. And this is paprika.

And no, I don't mean the powdered paprika spice that is also an ingredient here, but the vegetable itself. Ask any Hungarian, they will go nuts if you want to add bell peppers into your stew. It's basically forbidden.

Lecsó is made with yellow wax peppers, which we call as TV paprika. (TV stands for 'tölteni való' which translates to 'to stuff'). I also heard this type of paprika running by the English name of 'sweet banana peppers'.

So please, do me a favor and if you ever come across a recipe that allows you or (God forbid) calls for bell peppers, do not follow that recipe. It just won't work and you gonna miss out on something really special.

The Recipe

This recipe is the original method I learned from my grandmother, but I share some variations below that other members of my family cook.

Ingredients (for 2-3 person):

• 400g tomatoes, chopped in cubes
• 800g yellow wax peppers or banana peppers, cut in half and thinly sliced
• 2 medium sized onions, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon of Hungarian paprika powder (depending on the desired flavor, use sweet, hot or smoked)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon of dried thyme (optional)

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, heat up the oil over medium heat.
2. Sauté the chopped onion, stirring frequently, until fragrant and translucent. Add a small amount of water, if needed, to keep them from sticking to the pan and from burning.
3. Add the cubed tomatoes, cover with a lid and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the chopped paprika.
5. Remove the pot from the fire and stir in the paprika powder. Mix well and place it back over the fire. This step is important to avoid burning the paprika powder, because that will result in an unpleasant bitter taste.
6. Season with salt, black pepper and thyme.
7. Let your lecsó cook for an additional 8-10 minutes.

Variations:

My great-aunt is a fan of zucchini. So much she even added it to her lecsó. For this version, use a medium sized zucchini, cut it in half and either make thin slices or chop it into juilenne. Add it to the pot the same time as the paprika.

My mom loves to make a heartier, more filling version by scrambling a couple of eggs into her lecsó. For her version, beat up 2-3 eggs in a bowl and gently stir it in the pot after the dish is done, just right before serving. Like this you avoid overcooking the eggs.

For the meat lovers version, if you want to use sausage or bacon, ditch the oil and start by frying your sausage/bacon in the pot, and then add the onions and follow the rest of the instructions as given. If you rather use Frankfurter, then add it to the pot after the paprika is already stirred in and let them cook together.

A taste of home to take with you

I love everything smoked and by now I use smoked paprika as default in my own version of lecsó.

Every time I prepare this dish, I tear up a bit. My grandmother is no longer with us, but her memory will live forever with this cherished recipe.

I can't help but wonder what she'd think if she ever had the chance to try my smokey lecsó? But as I know her she'd probably just raise an eyebrow as she murmurs "to each their own", and keep spooning sweet paprika powder in the pot.