I Saw What You Froze Last Summer!

Hey all,

As a way to have foods out of season, I cooked/prepped and froze a bunch of them at the end of last summer.  For the next few weeks, I'll be thawing them out and waiting for fresh summer fruits and veggies, and tell you how they came out.

I defrosted 2 things:  A container of caponata (eggplant relish) and a roasted bell pepper/tomato sauce.  I was pleasantly surprised by the caponata (circa September, 2010) - I thought the eggplant would become mushy, but it held its texture very well.  The flavor was not the same as "fresh" - but in some ways it was better.  The flavors had, as the cookbook types say, "married". 

We think nothing happens after we freeze things, but as my dad used to say:  "Freezing doesn't stop the march of time, it just slows it wayyyyyy down."  The caponata tasted more finished - things had melded together.  I cooked up some whole wheat pasta and used the caponata as a sauce.  I just brought it to room temperature - it's not as good hot - then I added the cooked pasta.  It was delightful!

As far as the pepper/tomato sauce, it's not completely thawed yet, so we'll have to wait until Thursday or Friday to see how it is.  Tomorrow night (Thursday) I have a volunteer commitment, so I may not make it here, but I'll DEFINITELY see you Friday for Fun with Fennel. 

In the meantime, I'll see you at the market!