Lecsó is what Hungarian kitchens do when the market stalls around Budapest overflow with peppers in high summer. Sweet pale yellow peppers are cooked down with onion and tomato until soft and jammy, seasoned with paprika and often enriched with smoked sausage or eggs stirred through at the end. It is a side dish, a light supper and the base of other dishes, and every family insists theirs is the correct one.

The Hungarian Grand Prix falls right in pepper season, so lecsó is as close to the weekend as food can get. It is also one of the few dishes that tastes exactly as good on a hot day as on a cool one.

The lecsó

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil or lard
• 4 oz (115 g) smoked kolbász or smoked bacon
• 1 large yellow onion
• 2 lb (900 g) Hungarian wax peppers
• 1 1/2 lb (680 g) ripe tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika
• 4 large eggs

Method

1. If using sausage or bacon, put it in the cold skillet with the oil, set it over medium heat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring now and then. Lift it out with a slotted spoon onto a plate, leaving the red fat behind. If not using it, just heat the oil.
2. Add the onion to the fat and cook over medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add the pepper rings and cook, stirring every couple of minutes, for 10 minutes.
4. Take the pan off the heat, sprinkle in the paprika and stir for 20 seconds. Add the tomatoes and salt, return to medium heat and stir. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, then uncover and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until thick. Taste and add the sugar if it is sharp, and more salt if it needs it. Stir the sausage back in.
5. Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt in the small bowl. Turn the heat to low, pour the eggs over the lecsó and stir gently and slowly for 2 to 3 minutes.

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