Ingredients
- 8 large Hungarian white conical peppers
- 100g/3½oz tomato purée
- 250g/9oz coarse minced beef
- 40g/1½oz half boiled (unpolished) rice
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
- 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- ½ l/17½fl oz of water
- ½ bunch of celery, chopped
- 1 bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon of red paprika powder
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Hungarians like hearty meals. Although meat has priority, the general opinion is that no meat tastes good without vegetables. The Hungarian kitchen favours root vegetables, such as carrot, root parsley and celeriac. Lettuce has changed from being a small seasonal crop into the most modern vegetable available throughout the whole year. The fresh pickled gherkin is one of the best solutions against thirst in the summer. Another important product is the watermelon.
Traditional Hungarian ‘gulyás’ or ‘paprikash’ and other specialities consist mostly of tomato, pepper and onion. The tasty "L'etcho" consists only of these three vegetables!
Preparation
Preheat the oven 180 degrees C/ 350 degrees F/ gas 4. Wash the peppers and create a small lid by making an incision under the green stalk. Carefully remove the seeds from the inside. Leave the green stalk it will look nice later.
Pour the oil in a pan, bring to heat and add the chopped onion and let it sweat. When nice and golden add the garlic, the paprika powder, sea salt and the freshly ground black pepper. Stir well and let cook for a few more minutes. Meanwhile chop the parsley. Add the minced beef, egg, three quarters parsley and rice to the onions. Mix well and cook a little. Let the mixture cool for a while and stuff the peppers with it. Transfer them into the oven dish, alternate with the green stalk up and down.
Pour the water in a pan, add the tomato purée, chopped celery and a pinch of sea salt, bring to boil. Pour it over the peppers and place them in the preheated oven. Let them cook for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining parsley over the peppers and serve with (unpolished) rice.
Tips from the author
This recipe will serve 4 as a main meal