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Delicious lecho with rice for winter

Delicious Lecho with Rice for Winter

A tasty vegetable-and-rice preserve for winter! Lecho with rice is a full meal in itself that you can put up for the cold months. In winter, a jar of it can stand in for lunch or dinner, round out a side dish or some meat, or shine on its own. This salad-style relish is quite simple and quick to make. The ingredients are basic and inexpensive, and at harvest time, with produce from your own garden, it costs next to nothing.

Snezhana

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Tomatoes

Carrots

0.5

Bell pepper

0.5

Onion

0.5

Garlic

Rice

Vegetable oil

Sugar

Salt

Table vinegar

Allspice

Black peppercorns

Bay leaf

Paprika

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 10 % 2 g

Fats 29 % 6 g

Carbohydrates 62 % 13 g

110 kcal

GI: 43 / 43 / 14

Cooking method

Step 1:

Get the ingredients ready. For this preserve, it's best to use long-grain, non-parboiled rice so it doesn't turn to mush after cooking and during storage. Wash the vegetables. Peel the carrots and grate them, or, if you're making a large batch, chop them in a food processor.
Step 2:

It's best to use ripe, smallish tomatoes. If the tomatoes have tough skins, it's better to remove them by pouring boiling water over the tomatoes. Wash them, cut out the stem end, and cut each one into large pieces — or into quarters if they aren't very big. You can also just purée the tomatoes in a meat grinder or blender until smooth.
Step 3:

Wash the bell peppers and let them drain. Cut out the stem and seed core. Cut the pepper flesh into strips or cubes.
Step 4:

Peel the onions and cut them into rings, half-rings, or cubes. Peel the garlic and chop it finely with a knife.
Step 5:

Rinse the rice thoroughly, several times, until the water runs clear.
Step 6:

Put the prepared tomato mixture in a large enameled pot and add the salt, sugar, and vegetable oil. Stir and set over the heat. To keep the mixture from scorching and ruining the flavor of the lecho, stir it constantly from the very start, ideally with a wooden spoon. Cook the mixture for 5 minutes from the moment it comes to a boil.
Step 7:

Then add the other prepared vegetables to the pot: carrots, bell peppers, onions, and garlic. Bring the mixture back to a boil and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the spices: peppercorns, allspice, bay leaf, and ground paprika. You can add any other spices you like. Cook the mixture for 5 more minutes, then remove the bay leaf so it doesn't turn the dish bitter.
Step 8:

Prepare the jars ahead of time. Wash them in cold water with a baking-soda solution and sterilize them over a water bath, in the oven, or in the microwave. Wash and boil the lids.
Step 9:

Add the dry, rinsed rice to the vegetable mixture. Cook the preserve for about 20 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally with a spatula. The rice won't cook through completely in that time, but it will finish cooking while the jars are sterilized. Ladle the lecho into the jars. Seal them with lids, turn them upside down, wrap them tightly in a blanket, and leave them overnight. Once the jars have cooled, move them to a cool place for storage. Enjoy!