Fix, Freeze, Feast - Kati Neville [53]
4. Into each of the sandwich bags, measure 1 cup cheese. Seal bags.
5. Into each of the five labeled 1-gallon freezer bags, place one bag of onion mixture, one bag of cheese, and 4 slices of French bread.
6. Seal and freeze.
TO COOK ONE ENTRÉE
1. Completely thaw one entrée in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat the oven broiler.
3. Place four ovenproof bowls on a rimmed baking sheet and divide onion mixture among them. Add 1 cup boiling water to each bowl. Top each soup with a slice of French bread. Divide the cheese evenly over the bread slices. Broil just until cheese melts and browns. Take care when serving the soup: the bowls will be very hot.
CHAPTER FIVE
SAUCES, MARINADES, AND FLAVORED BUTTERS
One spring a couple years ago I thought it would be a good idea to order 10 sauce-tomato starts for the garden. The plants must have thought it was a good idea, too, since they rewarded me with hundreds of delicious tomatoes at the end of summer. Tomatoes from the warehouse work perfectly in this recipe also, as they’re sold in 2- to 3-pound packages. If you don’t grow your own, buy them at the club. —KN
CHIPOTLE ROASTED-TOMATO SAUCE
MAKES 7–10 CUPS
7½–9 POUNDS FRESH ROMA TOMATOES
6 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, halved and seeded
1½ pounds onions, sliced
1½ teaspoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon salt (optional)
7 one-pint freezer bags, labeled
1. Preheat the oven to 475ºF.
2. Rinse and slice tomatoes in half lengthwise. Arrange in a single layer in several baking dishes. Sprinkle salt over the tomatoes. Add chipotle peppers and onions to each baking dish; mix to combine. Drizzle oil over the vegetable mixture. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until tomatoes are soft and onions are beginning to brown.
3. Cool tomatoes enough to handle. Slide skins off. Remove chipotle peppers and discard.
4. Using a food processor and working in batches, spoon tomatoes and onions into processor’s bowl with a slotted spoon so that the juices can drain back into dish. Purée tomatoes and onions until smooth. Add juices from the baking dish if sauce is too thick. Discard remaining juice.
5. Divide sauce among freezer bags.
6. Seal and freeze.
TO ENJOY
1. Completely thaw one bag in the refrigerator.
2. Use in a recipe calling for tomato sauce for a chipotle-enlivened dish, or simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes and pour over your favorite pasta.
RECIPE SUGGESTIONS
Our Chipotle Roasted-Tomato Sauce is excellent with cheese ravioli and other pasta dishes. You will also find it in: Cinco Layer Bake (page 62) and the Tex-Mex variation of Cajun Braised Skillet Chops (page 116).
We use the Basic Red Sauce on the following page in many more recipes. It’s a true staple in our freezers. You will find it in: Beef Barley Soup (page 104), Black Bean and Vegetable Chili (page 168), Chicken Parmigiana (page 28), Classic Chili (page 94), Classic Lasagna (page 80), Feta and Spinach Lasagna Rolls (page 152), Manicotti (page 159), Pork Loin Ragout (page 133), Pork Ragout Lasagna (page 134), Spanish Rice (page 85), Vegetable Lasagna (page 160).
This all-purpose tomato sauce is used in some of the recipes in this book. It can be used anywhere a red sauce is needed. This simple sauce is not cooked before it’s frozen. Six to eight cups is a good amount to package for a meal for four to six people. —LT
BASIC RED SAUCE: LARGE BATCH
MAKES ABOUT 40 CUPS, OR 10 QUARTS, OR 2½ GALLONS
1 (111-OUNCE) CAN TOMATO PASTE, HALVED (SEE NOTE), OR 4 (12-OUNCE) CANS
8 cups hot water
½ cup dried parsley
½ cup minced onion
¼ cup minced garlic (about 36 cloves)
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 (106-ounce) can tomato sauce, or 4 (28-ounce) cans
1 (102-ounce) can diced tomatoes, or 4 (28-ounce) cans
Several 1-gallon freezer bags (number will vary)
NOTE: Use half of the tomato paste for this recipe and freeze the other half in a freezer container or freezer