Frozen Vegetables in the NY Times

Dog3 said:

"Leila" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Mark Bittman and I are so in tune. The Minimalist Cook (also wrote
"How to Cook Everything", a cookbook we recommend around here
frequently) writes in the NY Times today about discovering frozen
vegetables.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/16/dining/16mini.html?ex=1266296400&en=5
18bc4adba6683f7&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland

Sheldon, among others, was commenting on this same topic recently.
I've certainly had good results with frozen spinach, and find that
frozen green beans make pre-schoolers very happy. Safeway's organic
frozen veggies are also a great value compared to fresh organic
produce out of season.

But Bittman expands my thinking with recipes for chicken in a pot,
pepper fried rice, and penne with ricotta and peas.

Most of the time I don't buy produce out of season (making some
exceptions) so I just wouldn't cook with fresh red peppers at this
time of year, as Bittman does. THere's plenty of tasty winter produce
here in California to tide us over until March or April. But frozen
produce is also a lifesaver when you have an ongoing family health
crisis and people still need to be fed (without calling for takeout).
Our emergency dinner for the kids involves frozen store brand ravioli
dressed with olive oil and parmesan cheese, frozen peas or green
beans served with either butter (peas) or lemon juice and olive oil
(beans), and fresh "baby" carrot sticks. Fruit and a small cookie
for dessert. The teenaged babysitter can handle putting this meal
together when necessary.

Bittman suggests another way for cooking frozen green beans that I
plan to try.

Hope this gives you some good ideas for midwinter meals.

Leila

Very interesting read Leila. Thanks for posting the link. The recipes
to the right of the article are also interesting. I liked the pepper
fried rice and the penne. The other 2 were great also.

Michael

Yep, nice article. I much prefer frozen if I can't buy fresh in season.
Fresh out of season is way to expensive - sorry but I'm not paying $3 for a
tiny bunch of asparagus in February. It also kills me they charge twice as
much (at least here) for "trimmed" fresh bunches of broccoli. It may be a
convenience for busy people but I'd throw the stalks in the freezer and use
them later to make veggie stock. Much less costly to buy frozen florets
when it's out of season.

Jill

"Leila" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Sheldon, among others, was commenting on this same topic recently. I've
certainly had good results with frozen spinach, and find that frozen
green beans make pre-schoolers very happy. Safeway's organic frozen
veggies are also a great value compared to fresh organic produce out of
season.

I think that author was a victim of eat locally grown produce in season
thinking. Yeah, that means I don't eat vegetables all winter. I mean,
that's great if you live in a temperate climate of some sort, but ... ain't
nothing growing here now! Except house farms, but that's another
story. At any rate, I would be lost without frozen vegetables and I
can't imagine why they would be snubbed. Nice baby brussels sprouts,
corn, broccoli florets, peas especially, I could go on and on. They
are all delicious to me. Right out of the freezer at the supermarket.

nancy

Dog3 wrote:
[snip]]

Quoted message said:

The recipes to
the right of the article are also interesting. I liked the pepper

fried

Quoted message said:

rice and the penne. The other 2 were great also.

Good article, good recipes, but who wants fried rice with nothing but
bell peppers? He could have taken some shrimp out of the freezer, too,
and an egg out of the 'fridge....

-aem

Michael said:

Very interesting read Leila. Thanks for posting the link. The recipes to
the right of the article are also interesting. I liked the pepper fried
rice and the penne. The other 2 were great also.

I couldn't get to the recipes without subscribing (which I don't want to
do). Would you please post them, especially the chicken in the pot recipe?

Bob

Bob wrote:
[snip]

Quoted message said:

I couldn't get to the recipes without subscribing (which I don't want

to

Quoted message said:

do). Would you please post them, especially the chicken in the pot

recipe?

Quoted message said:

All they want from you in order to register is an e-mail address. You
can make one up using hotmail or yahoo or google and then never look at
it again. Or not. Just so you know. When I registered a few years
ago I was of course expecting to be added to many spam lists but it
didn't happen.

-aem

Bob <virtualgoth@die_spammer.biz> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Michael said:

Very interesting read Leila. Thanks for posting the link. The recipes to
the right of the article are also interesting. I liked the pepper fried
rice and the penne. The other 2 were great also.

I couldn't get to the recipes without subscribing (which I don't want to
do). Would you please post them, especially the chicken in the pot recipe?

For future reference you can use www.bugmenot.com to bypass mandatory
registrations.

One time on Usenet said:

Michael said:

Very interesting read Leila. Thanks for posting the link. The recipes to
the right of the article are also interesting. I liked the pepper fried
rice and the penne. The other 2 were great also.

I couldn't get to the recipes without subscribing (which I don't want to
do). Would you please post them, especially the chicken in the pot recipe?

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/16/dining/161mrex.html

Recipe: Chicken in a Pot

Published: February 16, 2005

Time: About 90 minutes

1 large chicken, about 5 pounds, cleaned and trimmed
4 cups stock or water
1 large onion, whole and unpeeled
1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms, optional
1/2 cup pearl barley
1 pound frozen chopped green beans
1/2 pound frozen corn
1/2 pound frozen diced carrots
4 tablespoons butter, more or less
Salt and pepper
Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish.

1. Put chicken in a large pot, and add enough stock and/or water to come
about halfway up its sides. Add onion and, if you're using them, the
mushrooms, and bring to boil over high heat. Partially cover, and adjust
heat so liquid simmers gently.
Advertisement

2. After about 30 minutes add barley and continue to cook. The chicken
will be done about 30 minutes later. (Cut into it to make sure; the
juices will run clear, and there will be only a trace of pink at leg
joint.) Remove it to a platter and keep warm. Remove onion, and discard.

3. Add vegetables to pot, with butter and some salt and pepper, and
raise heat to high. Cook until mixture is thick and most of the visible
liquid gone. (If this happens before vegetables are tender, add some
water or stock and continue.) Carve chicken, and serve with vegetable
mixture. Garnish with parsley.

Yield: 6 servings.

--
J.J. in WA ~ mom, vid gamer, novice cook ~
"You still haven't explained why the pool is
filled with elf blood." - Frylock, ATHF

I buy frozen organic berries, too - my Atkins-obsessed husband eats
them with Splenda and cream. The kids also love canned peaches (not
organic) even if they're in "light syrup". The store brand goes on sale
regularly and provides a nice pantry treat in winter. Canned peaches
are no substitute for fresh - they're a dish in of themselves. Perfect
kid food, not for everybody!

Leila

Dog3 said:

Very interesting read Leila. Thanks for posting the link. The recipes to
the right of the article are also interesting. I liked the pepper fried
rice and the penne. The other 2 were great also.

The penne recipe I've been making for years, it's supreeeemely easy and
quick (like me!), "fancy" enough to serve to company. Add some red pepper
flakes for spice (and color) if you so desire...

Another quick dish using frozen green beans is to stir fry them with some
ground pork. Add soy sauce, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, chili oil, sesame
oil, whatever. Garnish with sesame seeds Served over rice it's quite
tasty. Shrimp also work well with this, as does diced chicken...

I've been using a lot of frozen veg this winter, they are on sale often. My
freezer is fairly full of them in fact. I like the little frozen whole
onions, it beats the tedium of dealing with the fresh ones...

Like the article sez, there is no diff between say Bird's Eye and store
brand frozen vegetables. My store often has them on sale for the same
price. You will however pay a lot more for the fancy "side dish" types of
things with butter sauce, etc....

--
Best
Greg

Matthew Venhaus said:

Bob <virtualgoth@die_spammer.biz> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Michael said:

Very interesting read Leila. Thanks for posting the link. The recipes

to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the right of the article are also interesting. I liked the pepper

fried

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

rice and the penne. The other 2 were great also.

I couldn't get to the recipes without subscribing (which I don't want to
do). Would you please post them, especially the chicken in the pot

recipe?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

For future reference you can use www.bugmenot.com to bypass mandatory
registrations.

It's always been my practice to post the whole article (if it's Usenet; on
message boards this is sometimes prohibited). It's a PITA when you have to
register to read the article and it's a PITA to use bugmenot. Lots of folks
will just skip the article, thus diminishing the utility of one's post.

On the occasions when I don't post a whole article I will provide a precis
of the article for the readers, it's simple common courtesy. Nothing bugs
me more than someone simply posting a URL without giving me a reason as to
why I should bother to click it on.

--
Best
Greg

Nancy Young said:

I think that author was a victim of eat locally grown produce in season
thinking. Yeah, that means I don't eat vegetables all winter. I mean,
that's great if you live in a temperate climate of some sort, but ...

ain't

Quoted message said:

nothing growing here now! Except house farms, but that's another
story. At any rate, I would be lost without frozen vegetables and I
can't imagine why they would be snubbed. Nice baby brussels sprouts,
corn, broccoli florets, peas especially, I could go on and on. They
are all delicious to me. Right out of the freezer at the supermarket.

I in fact prefer frozen Brussel sprouts, the fresh ones can really be hit -
or - miss as to whether they are bitter or not...

--
Best
Greg

Leila said:

I buy frozen organic berries, too - my Atkins-obsessed husband eats
them with Splenda and cream. The kids also love canned peaches (not
organic) even if they're in "light syrup". The store brand goes on sale
regularly and provides a nice pantry treat in winter. Canned peaches
are no substitute for fresh - they're a dish in of themselves. Perfect
kid food, not for everybody!

I find myself eating a lot of canned pineapple lately...

--
Best
Greg

Dog3 said:

I rely heavily on certain frozen veggies during the winter. I have yet to
experiment with canning. We can usually get decent fresh brussel sprouts,
carrots, potatoes, celery and a few root veggies at the supermarket but
just about everything else is lousy. I buy frozen spinach, asparagus,
broccoli, cauliflower, green beans etc. They are fine as long as they are
not cooked to death. Tomatoes (several varieties) are purchased in the
can. I also buy frozen fruits like peaches, strawberries, raspberries,
blueberries. They usually wind up in my smoothies at night 😉

Here ya go Michael, all kinds of frozen fruit in up to 30 pound tins:

https://www.reasonsprairiepride.com/page9.php

This place is what we in the Midwest call a "meat locker", a processing
place that sells bulk meat and vegetables. You can order a whole cow or
two, they will process it for you and even store it if you wish. You can
also bring in your own Elsie or Porky or pet deer and they will process it
for you...

AFAIK they became popular before home freezers were common. And up until
1940 or so many farm folk didn't even have electrical fridges, as there was
little rural electric service...

The meat (beef and pork) is local so it is very good quality. This
particular place also features exotic imports like elk, venison, ostrich...

I remember those big 30 pound "lugs" (actually big gold cans) of cherries
that my mom used to buy...some were for pies and some were for just
eating...good stuff!

Any other Midwesterners here familiar with meat lockers?

--
Best
Greg

Gregory Morrow said:

Another quick dish using frozen green beans is to stir fry them with

some

Quoted message said:

ground pork. Add soy sauce, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, chili oil,

sesame

Quoted message said:

oil, whatever. Garnish with sesame seeds Served over rice it's

quite

Quoted message said:

tasty.

Yes. Or, stirfry fermented black beans and garlic, chopped, for a few
seconds, then the pork, a bit of soy and wine, then the green beans,
and finally a bit of water to make it saucy.

-aem

Dog3 said:

"Gregory Morrow"
<[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Matthew Venhaus said:

Bob <virtualgoth@die_spammer.biz> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
> Michael wrote:
>
> > Very interesting read Leila. Thanks for posting the link. The
> > recipes

to

Quoted message said:

> > the right of the article are also interesting. I liked the pepper

fried

Quoted message said:

> > rice and the penne. The other 2 were great also.
>
> I couldn't get to the recipes without subscribing (which I don't
> want to do). Would you please post them, especially the chicken in
> the pot

recipe?

Quoted message said:

>
For future reference you can use www.bugmenot.com to bypass mandatory
registrations.

It's always been my practice to post the whole article (if it's
Usenet; on message boards this is sometimes prohibited). It's a PITA
when you have to register to read the article and it's a PITA to use
bugmenot. Lots of folks will just skip the article, thus diminishing
the utility of one's post.

On the occasions when I don't post a whole article I will provide a
precis of the article for the readers, it's simple common courtesy.
Nothing bugs me more than someone simply posting a URL without giving
me a reason as to why I should bother to click it on.

Well, I posted 4 recipes which were unrelated to the original article that
was posted. IMO it is much better to post a snippet of the article and

then

Quoted message said:

the link. Either way, it doesn't seem to matter much if you post a link or
the article. I suppose if the media wants to get [censored] about copyright
infringement over posting the entire article, we will hear about it 😉

Yup...I am still waiting for the _New York Times_ to sue me over articles of
theirs I've copied to Usenet. Often whenever I've done so on other groups
some academic crank - type has to get all on my case about "copyright
infringement" and such ;-)

--
Best
Greg

Dog3 said:

"Gregory Morrow"
<[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Dog3 said:

Very interesting read Leila. Thanks for posting the link. The recipes
to the right of the article are also interesting. I liked the pepper
fried rice and the penne. The other 2 were great also.

The penne recipe I've been making for years, it's supreeeemely easy
and quick (like me!), "fancy" enough to serve to company. Add some
red pepper flakes for spice (and color) if you so desire...

Oh stop. Dams is the ng trollop :-)

I think we need a Male Division :--p

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Another quick dish using frozen green beans is to stir fry them with
some ground pork. Add soy sauce, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, chili
oil, sesame oil, whatever. Garnish with sesame seeds Served over
rice it's quite tasty. Shrimp also work well with this, as does diced
chicken...

This sounds really good. I wonder if peanut oil would be good. Just
speculating.

Sure. In any case sesame oil is just a flavoring agent, not a cooking oil
per se. A few dabs of chili oil goes a LONG way, just add it to the peanut
or whatever oil...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I've been using a lot of frozen veg this winter, they are on sale
often. My freezer is fairly full of them in fact. I like the little
frozen whole onions, it beats the tedium of dealing with the fresh
ones...

Like the article sez, there is no diff between say Bird's Eye and
store brand frozen vegetables. My store often has them on sale for
the same price. You will however pay a lot more for the fancy "side
dish" types of things with butter sauce, etc....

My freezer is stuffed. I've got steaks, ground meat and all kinds of
veggies. I've also got Marie Callander's pot pies. Maybe 20 of them. The
big ones. They are good in a pinch and especially if you are sick.

I got Stouffer's mac 'n cheeze for 99 cents last nite for a friend last nite
(our grocery store is adjacent to our local groggery - how conveeeeenient!),
I picked up a few for myself. I've not tried any of their stuff before but
at that price...

I've still got diced red and green bell peppers from the autumn farmer's
market in the freezer...I should really use those soon.

--
Best
Greg

Following up my own post, I use the "petite whole green beans" for
this. We like them better than the cut-type, and I don't think the
french cut beans hold up to more than the lightest cooking.

-aem

aem said:

Gregory Morrow said:

Another quick dish using frozen green beans is to stir fry them with

some

Quoted message said:

ground pork. Add soy sauce, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, chili oil,

sesame

Quoted message said:

oil, whatever. Garnish with sesame seeds Served over rice it's

quite

Quoted message said:

tasty.

Yes. Or, stirfry fermented black beans and garlic, chopped, for a few
seconds, then the pork, a bit of soy and wine, then the green beans,
and finally a bit of water to make it saucy.

Fresh long or "snake" beans are good for this too in place of green beans...

Oh I forgot to add that brown sugar is another ingredient one can add. Adds
a nice sweetness to the spice...

--
Best
Greg

Leila said:

Mark Bittman and I are so in tune. The Minimalist Cook (also wrote "How
to Cook Everything", a cookbook we recommend around here frequently)
writes in the NY Times today about discovering frozen vegetables.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/16/dining/16mini.html?ex=1266296400&en=518bc4adba6683f7&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland

"Who'd ever eat frozen vegetables?" Archibald Gardiner Monks, when asked
to be an investor in the start up now known as Bird's Eye Foods. A.G.
was still using an ice box at the lake house when this was proposed to
him, so I guess I can understand the no.

I buy them and use them when fresh in season isn't an option. Decent
article. Thanks for sharing.

Jessica