The recipe for aromatic lecho with honey for the winter is simple, and its preparation does not take much time. Preservation preserves the vitamin complex of ingredients, has a piquant taste and is ideal as a side dish for a variety of dishes. The Hungarian appetizer goes well with meat, potatoes, spaghetti, and can also be added to soups and stews, giving the dish a unique flavor.
Features of preparing lecho with honey for the winter
An integral part of preparing canned food for the winter is sterilizing containers and lids. Dousing a jar with boiling water does not mean killing the microflora. It is prolonged exposure to high temperature that protects the product from bacteria.
Food technologists believe that it is most reliable to use metal lids for winter preparations, which must be rolled up with a key. They are not as comfortable as screw-on ones, but they do not allow air to pass through. It is better to take small jars, since opened products are stored for about a day.
Selection and preparation of products for preparations
For the dish, you need to choose ripe, juicy tomatoes and peppers without damage. Trimming slightly rotten or limp vegetables can cause the preserves to quickly go to waste.
An alternative ingredient for homemade tomato puree is tomato paste.
It is diluted in water in a ratio of 1 to 4. Bell peppers are also cleaned and cut into small pieces. But if you plan to add the preparation to the soup in the future, then it is advisable to make the pieces as small as possible.
Preservation recipes
The highlight of these recipes is honey, which gives canned vegetables an original flavor note. The preparation time for lecho is about 1.5 hours.
Simple recipe
The yield is about 10 servings. The tomato, if desired, can be replaced with 1.5 liters of tomato paste with water or juice.
What you will need:
- 1.5 kilograms of tomatoes;
- 1.5 kilograms of bell pepper;
- 1 tablespoon vinegar 9%;
- 1 tablespoon salt;
- peppercorns and allspice - 5 pieces each;
- 150 ml sunflower oil.
How to cook:
- After washing, the tomatoes should be peeled by dipping each slightly cut vegetable in boiling water for a minute. Afterwards, the tomatoes are crushed with a blender or minced through a meat grinder.
- Tomatoes, honey, salt, oil, spices are placed in a pan and cooked for 20 minutes. When cooking, to avoid burning, it is recommended to stir the mixture periodically.
- The washed and seeded pepper is cut into small strips.
- Add the pepper pulp to the boiled tomatoes and simmer for another 20 minutes.
- Lastly, vinegar should be added, after which the lecho is poured into prepared jars and rolled up.
The jars are turned upside down, placed in a dark place and wrapped in a blanket or towel at night.
Honey lecho with tomato and zucchini
The recipe makes 8 servings. The zucchini for this lecho should be chosen young and without seeds.
Required ingredients:
- 500 grams of zucchini;
- 500 grams of pepper;
- 500 grams of tomatoes;
- 100-120 grams of liquid honey;
- 3 cloves of garlic;
- 1 tablespoon salt;
- 1 tablespoon vinegar 9%.
Cooking steps:
- Tomatoes are scalded with boiling water, peeled and chopped with a meat grinder or blender.
- The peel is also removed from the zucchini. Next, the vegetable is cut into small cubes.
- Tomatoes, zucchini, honey and salt are placed in a container. Everything is cooked over low heat for about 20 minutes.
- The pulp of the peeled pepper is added to the container with the stewed ingredients and simmered over low heat for another 20 minutes.
- A couple of minutes before it’s ready, add vinegar and add finely chopped garlic.
- The resulting preparation is spooned into prepared jars, poured with boiled sauce on top, rolled up and sent to a dark, cool place.
Further storage
The standard shelf life of canned vegetables is 2 years. In order for the blanks to be stored for maximum time, it is necessary to place them in a place where direct sunlight does not penetrate. The optimal storage temperature for lecho is from 0 to 12 C, relative humidity should not exceed 75%. The opened product should be consumed within 1-2 days. The main thing to consider when choosing a storage location is the temperature, which should not be below zero. From the cold, the cans run the risk of bursting and exploding, and in this case the lecho will need to be thrown away.
Regardless of where the lecho is stored - in an apartment, basement, on a balcony or mezzanine, it is important to devote time to periodically inspecting the preservation to ensure its integrity. Eating a spoiled product can result in, at a minimum, an intestinal disorder, or at a maximum, a sad outcome.
If the surface of the lid is swollen and deformed, it means that a breeding ground for microflora has appeared in the jar. If the contents of the container become cloudy, change color, or mold becomes noticeable, then you should not regret such products, but should throw them away immediately.
