Lecho

Lecho is a vegetable stew made with peppers and tomatoes and in my case with carrots. Everything is perfectly balanced in this mild, slightly savory, slightly tangy, and slightly sweet dish. Lecho is perfect as a salad, as a side dish, as snack on a piece of bread and is perfect for canning when you need to use up your tomato harvest.

Traditionally, Lecho is a Hungarian dish which I didn’t know. Growing up my mom used to make it all the time so I always just thought that it was Russian. So, I guess this is our version of their dish:)

Where did Lecho Come from? is a good post that I found regarding the origins of the dish, if you’re interested in more details:)

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This Lecho recipe has bigger amounts as it is meant to can and preserve the vegetables through the winter. You can, however, cook a smaller portion of the recipe and just use it up within a few days. Works either way.

Ingredients for Lecho

Tomato juice (or tomatoes to make juice) – I like to use up my tomato harvest for this, so I make a tomato puree/juice myself.

Onions – any kind.

Carrots

Red bell peppers – You can add a little green or yellow for contrast.

Salt and Sugar

Oil – corn oil or sunflower oil. I’ve also used olive oil, but found the flavor to be too intense. I used extra virgin olive oil. So maybe another type would work better. The dish didn’t taste bad. But just you could really taste the olive oil taste in there, which I didn’t like that much.

How to Make Lecho

This Lecho recipe calls for tomato juice. Since I’m trying to use up as much garden tomatoes as I can, I made my own juice out of the garden tomatoes. If you will use tomato juice, just skip this next part.

Prepare Tomato Juice

I used about 6.5 pound (3kg) Tomatoes to make enough juice for this recipe. Note, you might need more or less depending on the type of tomatoes you use. I used a mixture of meaty, Roma, and cherry tomatoes.

Wash the tomatoes and skin them. The best way to skin is to cut a cross into each end and throw them into boiling water for about 30 seconds. Take them out and put into cold water. The skin will come off almost on its own.

Chop the tomatoes into fourths and add them to a big heavy-bottomed pan. I love using my kazan for this. A dutch oven would also be good.

Simmer the tomatoes for 10-15 minutes or until they let out juice. Then, using an immersion blender, finely puree the tomatoes. You can also pour this through a fine mesh sieve to get the seeds and bits of skin out of the mixture. I have done this with the seeds and skin and without and it works both ways.

If you don’t filter out the seeds and skin, you save yourself some time and the Lecho ends up being a bit thicker. Both versions taste the same.

Preparing Onions and Bell Peppers

While the tomatoes are simmering, coarsely chop the onions and the bell peppers and slice the carrots (I like to use my mandolin slicer for the carrots).

Cooking Lecho

Bring your tomato juice (or pureed tomatoes) to a boil. Add the sugar, salt, and vegetable oil. Mix well, and simmer for a minute.

Add the chopped onions and cook for 15 minutes.

Add the sliced carrots and cook for 15 minutes.

Lastly, add the bell peppers and cook for another 15-20 minutes.

Transfer the hot Lecho into sterilized jars and proceed with canning.

If you’re making a smaller portion for eating without canning, cool the Lecho and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

How to can Lecho

To can Lecho, start by sterilizing your jars.

Sterilizing jars: To sterilize jars, make sure they are clean and then submerge them in boiling water for 10 minutes. There should be enough water to cover the jars by about 1-2 inches. The jars can be left in the water until they are ready to fill. (Source)

The Russian Way to Can

When canning stuff, the Russians do not boil the jars after filling them up, at least I never remember this when growing up and my parents did a whole lot of canning because basically we lived from our garden and its produce the whole winter.

1. Once the jars are sterilized, fill them with hot Lecho. Place the lid on the top of the jars and while everything is still very hot, flip the jars over on their heads and place under a blanket or several layers of kitchen towels.
2. The jars should be well covered from all sides and should sit covered until they are fully cooled down (can take up to 24 hours or more).
3. Once the jars are cool, test if the jars sealed properly by pressing on the middle of the lid. The lids shouldn’t move at all. If a jar hasn’t sealed properly store it in the fridge and use up within a few weeks.

I’ve used this method in the past (and still do) and it works just as great as the American method of boiling the jars after filling. The jars seal normally.

Some of my stuff kept for 3 years (and going), and tasted great when opened. The important part is to make sure the liquid is hot when pouring into jars and the jars need to be hot, as well.

American way to can

Pour hot Lecho into the sterilized jars. Leave about 1/2 inch of space at the top of the jar. Close the jars with lids and rings.

1. Place full jars with Lecho jam into a canning pot and cover by about 1-2 inches of water. Process for 10-15 minutes.
2. Remove jars from the canner and let cool to room temperature (may take up to 24 hours). You might hear the lids pop when the jars seal.
3. Once the jars are cool, test if the jars sealed properly by pressing on the middle of the lid. The lid shouldn’t move at all. If a jar hasn’t sealed properly store it in the fridge and use up within a few weeks.

Visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation for the latest Canning guidelines. Another good resource for canning information is the USDA’s Complete Guide to Home Canning.

I hope you enjoy this Lecho stew dish as much as I do. It’s really something!

Looking for other preserving/canning recipes? check these out:

• Easy Adjika Sauce (Аджика)
• Recipe for Apple Jam without Pectin
• Easy No-cooking, No-canning Black Currant Jam

One last thing. If you make this Lecho recipe, make sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating here! I’d love to hear back from you and will do my best to answer and respond to every comment. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram if you make this recipe. I’d love to see the photos of the recipes you have made!