The vegetable stir-fries sold in supermarkets that are already frozen are an ideal way to make a quick dinner, like this rustic stir-fry from Mercadona. But we can also make our own vegetable preparations that can be used both as a stir-fry and as a base for making a stir-fry. The trick is in the way of freezing the vegetables as chef Nuria Garrido explains to us.
The author of 'Cooking Without Stress' comments on her social networks that since she learned to do this in the chef course “the lack of ideas for dinner was drastically reduced” and that, although it takes time, it is worth it because it allows us to have the vegetables ready to use at any time and without them being soft when frozen.
What the cook does is prepare three vegetable bases but without cooking them completely. If we freeze them raw they can be very watery and soft, and not all preparations are a stir-fry, sometimes they are used for a stir-fry. “So that the vegetables do not become soft when defrosting, the secret is a “lightning” sauté over very high heat: only 3 or 4 minutes,” explains Garrido. “The goal is to make them al dente so that they finish cooking when you reheat them.”
What we will do is cut all the vegetables and put them in the pan with a splash of oil over high heat. Then we always let it cool. It is vital that after quick sautéing, we let them cool completely spread out on a tray because if “we put them hot or wet in the bag they will become a block of ice,” explains the expert. For freezing, and following Alfredo Vozmediano's trick with broths, we are going to freeze in zip bags on which we will put the date and name but flattening them so that they look like a sheet of paper. “This way they take up less space and you can “break” only the amount you need,” says Garrido.
The first of the combinations is what she calls “wardrobe background”. It is a mixture of red pepper, green pepper, onion and zucchini that you cut into medium cubes or strips and that is used to make some eggs on the plate, a quick ratatouille or use it as a garnish on a dish of roast chicken, grilled meat or baked fish.
The second combination is what Garrido calls “Umami” because it has mushrooms, which will always give more flavor to the dish. It is a mixture of mushrooms, leek, carrot and green pepper that we will cut into julienne. This mixture is perfect to make an Asian stir-fry with noodles, to add to a broth and make a soup in 10 minutes or to use as a base with some chickpeas to make a vegetable stew.
For the third we will use pumpkin, carrot, onion and leek that we will cut into brunoise. It is useful, for example, to make a pumpkin cream if we cook them with a little broth and grind them together with turmeric and black pepper, but Garrido also explains that it is ideal for a vegetable curry and that you only have to “add curry paste and coconut milk in a pan” along with the vegetables to have it ready.
Although it may seem tedious, you will only cut once and sauté the vegetables first, and with that simple gesture you will save a lot of time when cooking every day. In addition, it is especially practical if you have vegetables in the refrigerator that are going to go bad and you don't know what to do with them, because although Garrido's combinations are great, you can prepare your own mixtures with what you have at home. As long as you follow the previous sautéing, the result will be great.
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