Zucchini lecho for the winter is a classic Hungarian dish that is prepared by many housewives. Various ingredients are used during its preparation. Quite often, in addition to zucchini, onions, tomatoes and peppers are added there. Some people do not prepare squash lecho for the winter, but prepare it as a separate dish, to which smoked meat, eggs or sausage are added.
Currently, there are many different recipes that use spices and vegetable oil. Most often, this treatment is made for winter preparation.
Main Ingredients
Before you cook lecho with zucchini, you need to understand the main ingredients.Any simple recipe includes four main ingredients:
- onion;
- tomatoes;
- bell pepper;
- zucchini.
Zucchini must be chosen very carefully, since they are the main ingredient. For cooking, it is recommended to buy young zucchini, which are covered with thin skin. Only from them can you make a tender and delicious lecho. However, sometimes it is not possible to purchase them and you have to use overripe zucchini. In this case, before using them, you will have to peel them and chop them very finely.
To prepare spicy lecho with pepper, you should use peppers that have thin skin and fairly juicy walls. It is recommended to buy the Lecho or Banana variety, but you can prepare a tasty dish from vegetable peppers.
Tomato paste or tomatoes are also added to the dish. Lecho with tomato paste has a richer color and taste, as evidenced by reviews from housewives. It is recommended to use late varieties of tomatoes, as they are very sweet and juicy. If tomatoes are replaced with tomato paste, then preference should be given to a thick paste that does not contain starch.
Quite often, salad onions are added to zucchini lecho for the winter. When choosing this ingredient, you need to pay attention to ensure that it is not too bitter. If the onion is too bitter, it will negatively affect the taste of the dish.
Container and storage
To make winter preparations, you should figure out in advance what kind of container to use for this.
It is recommended to preserve in half-liter jars. Such containers are the most convenient, since the dish can be stored for no more than ten days if opened.If you use jars that are too large, the lecho may spoil.
The number of cans that will be needed for twisting directly depends on the ripeness of the products used and their density. On average, you get about three half-liter cans of lecho. If too juicy tomatoes are added to the dish, you will need a little more cans.
It is recommended to store prepared preparations in a dark room or basement. Under ideal storage conditions, lecho in jars will not spoil for two years. In rooms with temperatures above 20 degrees, the shelf life is reduced to one year.
Basic recommendations
Before you prepare lecho for the winter from peppers and zucchini, you need to familiarize yourself with the basic recommendations that will help with this:
- It is advisable to use only young zucchini or zucchini no longer than 20-30 cm. They have crispy flesh and thin skin, which is ideal for this dish.
- It is advisable to add vinegar to the preservation. It adds a little punch to bland vegetables.
- The zucchini should not be cut too finely so that winter zucchini lecho does not look like zucchini caviar. It is recommended to cut them into small cubes 1-2 cm.
- To ensure that the tomato paste is rare and has no skin, it is necessary to filter it through a sieve. If it is not there, then before grinding the tomatoes you need to peel them.
Recipes
There are such delicious recipes for zucchini lecho for the winter that you will lick your fingers.
Recipe one
To prepare zucchini lecho in a slow cooker for the winter, you will need the following ingredients:
- kilogram of zucchini;
- 40 g sugar;
- 30 g salt;
- 60 ml vinegar;
- 80 ml oil;
- kilogram of tomatoes;
- 300 g onions;
- 350 g carrots.
First you need to start preparing the jars. In this case, half-liter and liter containers are used. The lecho will remain hot in them for a long time. If the dish is prepared for the winter without sterilization, then it will be enough to just wash the jars and place them on a towel. However, many housewives prefer to sterilize them before twisting them. The simplest method is steam sterilization. In this case, place a bowl of water on the gas stove. It is brought to a boil, after which a sieve is placed on the container, on which the jar must be placed.
The jar is removed from the bowl only after water begins to flow down its walls.
After sterilizing the jars, you can begin preparing the vegetables. First, the tomatoes are divided in half so that the place where the stem meets can be cut out. Then the tomatoes are twisted in a meat grinder, poured into a small bowl and cooked for half an hour. At this time, you can prepare the onions. It is cut into straws or small rings. You should also peel and grate the carrots.
Preparing zucchini begins with trimming the stalk. Then you should cut off the skin of the vegetable if it is too hard. After this, the zucchini should be cut. It is cut lengthwise into several pieces, which then need to be cut crosswise. Young zucchini need not be peeled.
After preparing the tomato paste, add oil, sugar, salt and vinegar. However, some housewives make lecho without vinegar. The liquid is mixed for several minutes, after which the previously prepared ingredients are added to it. Lecho is cooked for 30-40 minutes. After this, it is distributed into jars and rolled up with lids.
Recipe two
Sometimes lecho is prepared with the addition of cucumbers for the winter.In this case, to prepare the preserve you will need the following ingredients:
- kilogram of zucchini;
- 500 g pepper;
- 300 g cucumbers;
- 100 g sugar;
- 50 g salt;
- 200 ml vinegar;
- 200 ml oil;
- 250 g onions;
- kilogram of tomatoes;
- 100 g of onion and garlic.
First you should prepare the containers for preservation. As last time, it is recommended to use liter or half-liter containers. Before twisting, they are thoroughly washed with water, sterilized and dried.
Preparing vegetables begins with tomatoes. They are washed and ground in a meat grinder. Then the red pepper is chopped and also passed through a meat grinder. The resulting liquid is poured into a small saucepan and placed on a gas stove. It should be boiled for 20 minutes, after which butter, sugar and salt are added to it.
In parallel with preparing the tomato paste, chop the garlic, carrots and onions. Then you should start preparing the zucchini. First, they are thoroughly washed and cut into small slices. They are dipped in tomato paste and cooked in it for 20-35 minutes. A few minutes before the end of cooking, add vinegar to the pan.
The prepared dish is poured into jars, then rolled up with sterilized lids and turned upside down.
Conclusion
It’s quite easy to prepare winter lecho from zucchini with ketchup or pepper. To do this, you need to study the cooking recommendations and recipes with photos in advance.
