Lecsó

By ltrodrigu

Lecsó makes a fine side dish for roasted meats and poultry, or you can serve it as a relish for grilled fish. Spread it on slices of crusty bread for an appetizer, spoon it over pasta or, using the recipe below, make a meal of it with braised chicken thighs. Lecsó keeps well; cover tightly and refrigerate for up to a week.

Ingredients

• 2-ounce piece of smoked bacon, cut into 1/3-inch cubes (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 tablespoon sunflower or olive oil, or as needed
• 1 large yellow onion (6-8 ounces), peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
• 1 tablespoons Hungarian sweet paprika
• 1 pound Hungarian wax peppers, scored, halved, seeded and sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes (about 8 ounces), fresh or canned

Details

Servings 2
Adapted from online.wsj.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a large, lidded saucepan over medium heat, cook bacon, stirring regularly, until fat is mostly rendered, about 6 minutes. (Don't let the bacon get crisp or too brown.) Add oil to the pan so you have about 2 tablespoons fat in total.

Decrease heat to medium-low. Add onions and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until onion softens, about 8 minutes. Add paprika, peppers and remaining salt to pot and sauté, stirring, 1 minute. Add tomatoes, stirring to combine. Cover pan and decrease heat to very low. Stir every few minutes for the first 10 minutes, making sure stew is gently simmering.

Continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until peppers are soft and tender, about 45 minutes more. The stew should be thick; if it seems soupy, remove lid, increase heat to medium and simmer uncovered, stirring regularly, for another 10 minutes to evaporate some of the excess liquid. Serve hot or warm.