Canned Bell Pepper Lecho with Tomato Paste

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Gather everything you need for the bell pepper lecho with tomato paste: peppers, tomato paste, water, garlic, salt, sugar, and peppercorns.

2. Step 2:

   

   Wash the peppers, remove the stems and seeds, and cut each one in half. Use peppers of different colors for a prettier finished dish. Peel and wash the garlic.

3. Step 3:

   

   Add the tomato paste and water to a pot, stir until smooth, and set it over high heat.

4. Step 4:

   

   Next add the salt, sugar, bay leaves, finely chopped garlic, and peppercorns.

5. Step 5:

   

   Cut the peppers into strips about 1/2 inch (1 cm) wide, or a little wider — that helps the peppers keep more of their flavor. If the peppers are very long, cut the strips in half.

6. Step 6:

   

   Add the peppers to the pot of tomato sauce and stir everything together.

7. Step 7:

   

   Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook with the lid partly on for about 20 minutes (don't forget to stir occasionally).

8. Step 8:

   

   Meanwhile, sterilize the jars however you prefer. Here, the jars were sterilized in the oven: set the clean jars (and lids) on a rack in a cold oven, turn the heat to 350–400°F (180–200°C), and leave them for thirty to forty minutes. If you put the jars into an already-hot oven, the glass may crack from the sudden heat.

9. Step 9:

   

   Spoon the finished lecho into the hot jars (this is a must!) and screw the lids on tight.

10. Step 10:

    

    Wrap the jars in a warm cloth and leave them to cool completely. Then store them in the fridge or a cellar. Your fragrant lecho with tomato paste is ready! This amount makes about 2.3–2.5 quarts (liters) of lecho.