gourmet store in your freezer

This tip will make you feel as if you are eating more interesting foods more often, and so is all about getting value out of your time and enjoying the good life, without going out to eat!

I noticed that whenever I make a really complicated dish, like my roasted butternut squash white lasagna, that while I’m making every pan in the house dirty… I’m also creating lots of interesting flavors in many components that make this dish taste so good. Now I’ve taken to simply making extra roasted butternut squash cubes, sauteed mushrooms and spinach, basil pesto and freezing the overage of complicated ingredient ‘clusters’ for a repeat performance in another dish later in the month.

All of a sudden, a quick pasta dinner takes on new complexity when previously lovingly roasted butternut cubes are tossed with cream for a yummy sauce, or the mushroom-spinach mixture makes a Sunday morning omelet worth staying home for…..

So, here’s the tip:

If you are cooking the big-ticket, time consuming item, cook extra of the components of it… and freeze it up in ziplock bags, marked with the date. Vegetables, sautees and roasted items are particularly handy. So are caramelized onions and any heavily herbed or seasoned garnishes, and  fancy hors d’oeurvres. Then, when you are uninspired (or tired), whip these ingredients into otherwise one-pan quick dinners and make them taste like a million…..

Buon Appetito!

Tags: freezing, gourmet, ingredients, preparing meals, save time