Hungarian Lecsó

Wash the bell peppers, cut them in half, remove the stems, seeds and white membranes, then slice into rings or strips about 1 cm wide. Cut the tomatoes into wedges and finely chop the onion. Slice the sausage (if using) into rounds 0.5 cm thick.

In a dry skillet, or with a splash of oil, fry the sausage over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned, then transfer to a plate.

In the same fat, add the onion along with the oil (2 tbsp total) and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until soft and translucent, without letting it brown.

Lower the heat to minimum or take the skillet off the heat, stir in the paprika and mix quickly for 10-15 seconds until fragrant — the paprika must not scorch, or it will turn bitter. Immediately add the tomatoes and a pinch of salt, return to the heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.

Add the bell peppers, stir, partially cover the skillet and simmer over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are tender and the sauce has thickened.

Return the browned sausage to the skillet, season with salt and black pepper to taste, and simmer for another 5 minutes uncovered to reduce the sauce slightly.

Serve hot with fresh white bread or boiled potatoes.