Arkhangelsk Cook Shares Lecho Recipe with a Secret Ingredient

Experienced homemaker Elena Agafonova from Arkhangelsk shares a simple recipe for lecho, revealing cinnamon as the secret ingredient that gives the vegetable appetizer a subtle aroma.

Oct 22, 2026

Fresh tomatoes and peppers retain their flavor.
Source:
Elena Agafonova

Summer is drawing to a close, which means it«s time to get busy making preserves for the winter. Experienced homemaker Elena Agafonova has shared a simple recipe for a tasty lecho. She revealed the secret ingredient that will make the appetizer special.

You will need:

bell peppers — 3 kg (6.6 lb);
red tomatoes — 3 kg (6.6 lb);
onions — 1 kg (2.2 lb);
vegetable oil — 200 ml (one cup);
sugar — 1 cup;
salt — 2 heaped tablespoons;
9% vinegar — 100 ml (half a cup);
garlic (a couple of cloves per 0.5-liter jar);
the secret ingredient — cinnamon.

The recipe, Elena says, is as simple as can be:

Wash and dry the tomatoes, then cut them up and purée them with a blender. Put them on the heat and add the salt, sugar, and oil. While the mixture cooks, prepare the peppers and onions.
Chop the peppers and onions. Don«t cut them too small, or everything will cook down into a mush. Make the pieces fairly large.
Once the tomato mixture comes to a boil, add the peppers and onions and simmer everything for about 10–15 minutes, until the peppers are soft.
Pour in the vinegar and simmer for another five minutes or so.
Sterilize the jars and drop a couple of garlic cloves into each one.
Once the whole mixture is ready, add the cinnamon — literally just a pinch — to give it a subtle aroma.
Spoon it into the jars, seal with lids, and wrap them in a towel.

Enjoy your meal.

Elena Agafonova lives in a country house, restoring it with her own hands and keeping a beautiful blog. In a year she has turned an ordinary dacha into a paradise for a remote worker — complete with a cozy stove and a handmade kitchen. We will soon be telling the story of how this northerner managed to set up life outside the city.

Earlier, Elena Agafonova shared other secrets with us:

she showed six ways to cook zucchini;
she explained how to make tasty pickled tomatoes;
she explained how to keep summer greens tasty for many months;
she shared a recipe for a spicy tomato gourloder (a fiery hot pepper and tomato condiment);
she explained how to properly cook mushroom soup.

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