Frozen vegetables, faithful companionsStefaNikolic (Getty Images)
You open the refrigerator and the abyss stares back at you: a
Lovecraftian
emptiness stiffens your expression.
Half a fossilized lemon and a Greek yogurt from a very remote past are the only objects that greet you from absolute nowhere, with no option to improvise any recipe with it, no matter how simple it may be.
There is only one possible course of action: entrust yourself to the Almighty and open that thing called the freezer.
At the bottom of the icy receptacle, wedged in a mass of frost like a mammoth in the Siberian ice, is that package of croquettes or frozen green beans that will save you from starvation.
They are the frozen lifesavers: you only pay attention to them when there is no other choice, but they have much more to offer than it seems.
These foods deal with a bad reputation that they still have not been able to shake off today.
They are still plan B, the “we accept octopus as a pet.”
I try to dispel myths with the help of dietitian and nutritionist Susana Hernández: “We always refer to deep-frozen foods, we must make it clear: some are a good option and others are not, but not because of the freezing itself, but because of the basic food. ”.
As a general rule, they do not lose their properties, “as long as the food is maintained in appropriate conditions throughout the marketing process and, once purchased, until consumption,” she explains.
Recommends frozen foods, as long as they are healthy food.
“Consuming them allows us to enjoy out-of-season foods – the best quality ones are those that are frozen in the same place where they were collected – and often at a better price,” he adds.
Thus, with the respect that sub-zero food deserves, we have decided to snoop in our own and other people's freezers, and ask people related to gastronomy what foods they hide under the permafrost.
Put on your anorak and gloves, this is going to get colder than the fourth season of True Detective.
The green freezer
Frozen vegetables and legumes are my most precious resource, and something tells me that there is a legion of Spanish consumers out there who also worship them with the most severe discretion.
They are healthy and, furthermore, even a drunk chimpanzee with no cooking skills – like a server – would be able to cook them.
So, my freezer is never short of several bags of peas.
He is a leguminous vice that has haunted me since I became emancipated;
I like to live with the certainty that I will always have little green pearls waiting for me in the freezer.
My favorites, and may the purists forgive me, are
the white label peas from El Corte Inglés:
I have gotten used to them, they seem very grateful to me and now I am terrified of changing teams.
Sometimes I add some of those sneaky potatoes that languish in the pantry into the pot.
A good splash of olive oil when everything arrives on the plate and case closed: if providence has left me a little Iberian ham from the night before, I click my heels, turn around and salute the ring.
Frozen peas are the best invention in the worldMÒNICA ESCUDERO
The frozen pea brotherhood is larger than it seems.
For the renowned gastronomic influencer Edu García (@bravasbarcelona) it is imperative to have this legume in the freezer, to counteract the spoon breakfasts and binges that he gobbles up during the week for work reasons.
Edu tells me that his favorites are the
extra-fine Summum peas from Findus
, a variant that I have also consumed for a while with a high degree of satisfaction.
“They are like pipes, and together with a chicken breast they solve many dinners,” he says.
The pea, always very fine, also occupies a place of honor in the refrigerator of the popularizer Anna Mayer, who does not forget the always effective
spinach, in her case also Findus
.
“It is important that they are leafy, not chopped, and of a good brand: they are not superior to fresh spinach, but they are similar and you don't have to clean them.”
Add them still frozen to a stew or soup or, if you only need the spinach, in a covered pan, without adding more water.
On the other hand, the gastronomic journalist Alexandra Sumassi shows us her select freezer and recommends the
green asparagus El Campanillo
.
“There are fresh ones in supermarkets all year round, but most are imported, with what that entails (less quality and not exactly positive for the environment).
These are from Extremadura and are deep frozen at their optimal harvest time,” he comments.
Combines very well with the Mireia Font tablecloth
In the cold, never miss a bag of artichokes, a vegetable that for Mónica Escudero, editor and coordinator of this house, has infinite possibilities and advantages.
“They are available all year round and come clean and ready to put in a stir-fry, tortilla, etc.
They are a staple in lentil or chickpea stews, they fill a pasta dish and, if they are halfway good, you can put them in a cream or sauce without fear of leaving fibers behind,” she says.
She points out the
Verleal chopped artichokes
and
the Burruezo artichoke stock
as her favorites.
“The Hacendado thistle
,
with an almond sauce, has also gotten me out of more than one trouble (even though it's not Christmas),” says Escudero.
Mikel López Iturriaga, director of El Comidista, is also an artichoke fan.
He confesses by the light of the candelabra.
"I'm one of those who buy fresh artichokes, clean them, peel them, cook them..., but when no one sees me, I also buy the
mini artichoke hearts from La Sirena
,
which can be cooked or sautéed without defrosting."
He uses them mainly in dishes where it doesn't matter if the artichoke is a little soft: a pasta, a cream, a rice or a spread.
“They are also quite good if you cook them al dente and then marinate them in olive oil with garlic, rosemary or aromatic herbs,” he says.
Croquettes below zero
A freezer without croquettes is a sad freezer: frozen croquettes are the nutritional basis of student flats and a source of joy for adults who barely know how to fry an egg.
They have the highest rate of saved dinners in Spain.
Granted, they would not be the healthiest option, and you also have to fry them – if possible, fine – but along with peas, they are a fixture in my freezer.
The last ones I tried were a gift from a friend and I still think about them: they are the
Pepe & Cro croquettes
(could it be that there was one with tripe?) and I fervently recommend them.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Pepe&Cro Croquetas (@pepeandcro)
Following the croquetil
thread
, I enter the refrigerator of food journalist Abraham Rivera.
Although he admits not being a big user of frozen products, he says he was surprised by Cristina Comenge's
Oído Cocina Gourmet croquettes
.
“I really liked them, perfect flavor, with a very fine béchamel and a not excessive batter,” he says.
Signature pieces also rest in Alexandra Sumassi's freezer:
croquettes from La Cocina de Senén
.
“My favorites are the Iberian ham ones – it must be noted, they are Iberian – and the porcini mushrooms with potatoes.
They are very well made, and if you fry them well, they look like they belong in a restaurant.
They solve any impromptu visit,” she says.
Also have
tortillas,
ready with a flick of the pan, very worthy of taking into account.
A little of this and a little of that
If we dig a little deeper into this imaginary freezer, we may come across a box of prawns that, Escudero points out, are very useful.
“I'm a fan of
La Sirena's peeled cooked prawns
;
What differentiates them from others that I have tried is their cooking point: smooth, tender and a good size, far from others that look like dry, leathery and tiny mummies.
They work great in a legume or potato salad, or to top off any cream with a hard-boiled egg and turn it into a great dinner,” he says.
They also always have
some Heura
– an alternative to meat based on vegetable proteins – whether they are bites, 'chorizo' or meatballs.
“Since my husband is a vegetarian, it is a great resource when the rest of the family eats, for example, a vegetable stir-fry with chicken.”
With frozen prawns you can make salads like this Mònica Escudero
Is there anything that doesn't improve with some good mushrooms?
Alexandra Sumassi opens her freezer again to recommend the
El Campanillo mushrooms
.
“It has chopped
Boletus edulis
of national origin, collected in season.
The product is good and I usually have it for stews or stir-fries.”
Don't leave yet, because Sumassi also takes us to the Repsol gas station in Abéjar, Soria.
“They have excellent
frozen mushrooms from the Tohersa brand
.
The majority are national, although there are from other countries.
There is a lot of variety and it is crazy to go there: you get everything and the bags are big.”
Tohersa and the gas station have a family bond, which is why the average customer can purchase such exquisite mushrooms in such an unusual location.
Our colleague Julia Laich entrusts herself to the experience of her mother's freezer and recommends a “frozen fish, unprocessed and very practical for different preparations”,
5Océanos' salted cod.
“For example, you can add it to a simple chickpea stew – which you may have made with a sauté of garlic, onion and tomato, boiled chickpeas and broth – to which you add the cod loins at the end so that it cooks.” "Just for a few minutes."
Plus, it comes cut into portions, which is always a bonus.
For Patricia Piñana and Vane Duran, art historians and fans of good food, there are two things that save them from the most complicated moments – both culinary and emotionally – cannelloni and soups.
For the first, they turn to both
La botiga dels canelons
and
Canelonnia
(both are artisans, and have gluten-free and lactose-free options).
For the second, if you are in Barcelona, they recommend
Eat Your Soup!
,
individual vacuum-packaged and frozen soups, in generous portions and with suggestions to easily turn them into a unique dish.
They also recommend having some of your favorite chocolate ice cream on hand – theirs is the
vegan from Paral.lelo Gelato
–
, which does not solve a meal, but it can give another perspective to the day.
do it yourself
Finally, a recognition to the most crafty.
Believe it or not, there are people on this planet who prefer to make their own frozen foods, like ice cream maker Christian Rosa from Gelato Lab, Madrid.
His freezer is never short of a good tupperware of ragù, “the bolognese” for friends.
“I make a good pot and then save the sauce, that saves my life many times.
A little paste and it's solved,” she says.
If you want to throw around, here you have a lot of ideas for sauces, stocks and stews to be your own supplier, and in the suggestions for
batch cooking
that we have been leaving you month by month over the last few years, there are also many freezables.
I, for one, will never question an Italian's freezer again.
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