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!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Coming Tomorrow: I Saw What You Froze Last Summer
Hi all!
Tomorrow evening I'll be using the contents of last September's Freezer Mania (program note: you're supposed to hear a booming, echoing voice when you read that). I froze peppers, tomatoes, eggplant. . . We'll see how it held up and cooks up. True confession: I have a cold tonight and all I want is a can of over-processed, badly-farmed chicken soup. Instead, I'm having a hot rum toddy. Okay, not exactly what the doctor ordered, but no chickens were harmed in the making of this cure!
Until tomorrow, I'll see you at the market!
Tomorrow evening I'll be using the contents of last September's Freezer Mania (program note: you're supposed to hear a booming, echoing voice when you read that). I froze peppers, tomatoes, eggplant. . . We'll see how it held up and cooks up. True confession: I have a cold tonight and all I want is a can of over-processed, badly-farmed chicken soup. Instead, I'm having a hot rum toddy. Okay, not exactly what the doctor ordered, but no chickens were harmed in the making of this cure!
Until tomorrow, I'll see you at the market!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Fish In Foil
Hi there!
Tonight I'm going to give you my "go to" fish prep. This is guaranteed to work with everything from salmon to red snapper. If you have parchment paper, you've probably already made "fish in paper" or en papillote. If you don't happen to have any parchment handy, tear off a piece of aluminum foil about 6-8" long. Put a little olive oil and/or butter onto the middle of the right side of the foil. Put the fish on top, add a little more olive oil/butter, and if you like, a spoonful of capers, or some fresh herbs like thyme, tarragon, or dill. Seal the pouch around the fish and place it in a baking dish (better safe than sorry). Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes for a 1/3 pound piece of fish.
Don't add lemon or acid of any kind until the fish is cooked - it will react with the aluminum in the pouch. In fact, if you find you like this preparation, it's worth investing in a roll of parchment paper so that you're not cooking in aluminum all the time. To use the parchment paper, you cut a heart shape big enough to allow a few inches around the fish. You put the fish on the right side of the heart and fold the left side over it, then start crimping the paper at the point at the bottom, around into the "V" at the top. From there, the procedure's the same.
I got the fish at the farmer's market, at the California Star Seafood stand (better known as the big white tent with the blue-and-white coolers). If you're not fortunate enough to have fresh fish readily available, feel free to use the frozen. Follow the thawing directions on the package and look for fish that are sustainably raised or harvested. Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch (http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx) is a great resource for wading through those complicated waters (pun entirely intended).
Until next time, I'll see you at the market!
Tonight I'm going to give you my "go to" fish prep. This is guaranteed to work with everything from salmon to red snapper. If you have parchment paper, you've probably already made "fish in paper" or en papillote. If you don't happen to have any parchment handy, tear off a piece of aluminum foil about 6-8" long. Put a little olive oil and/or butter onto the middle of the right side of the foil. Put the fish on top, add a little more olive oil/butter, and if you like, a spoonful of capers, or some fresh herbs like thyme, tarragon, or dill. Seal the pouch around the fish and place it in a baking dish (better safe than sorry). Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes for a 1/3 pound piece of fish.
Don't add lemon or acid of any kind until the fish is cooked - it will react with the aluminum in the pouch. In fact, if you find you like this preparation, it's worth investing in a roll of parchment paper so that you're not cooking in aluminum all the time. To use the parchment paper, you cut a heart shape big enough to allow a few inches around the fish. You put the fish on the right side of the heart and fold the left side over it, then start crimping the paper at the point at the bottom, around into the "V" at the top. From there, the procedure's the same.
I got the fish at the farmer's market, at the California Star Seafood stand (better known as the big white tent with the blue-and-white coolers). If you're not fortunate enough to have fresh fish readily available, feel free to use the frozen. Follow the thawing directions on the package and look for fish that are sustainably raised or harvested. Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch (http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx) is a great resource for wading through those complicated waters (pun entirely intended).
Until next time, I'll see you at the market!
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