Deceptively Delicious recommends making up big batches of purees and then freezing 1/2 a cup in a freezer bag. Then when you want to make a recipe, just thaw out the puree and start cooking. I also had some carrots on hand, so I made up a carrot puree as well.
Summer Squash Puree
Ingredients:
summer squash, however much you want to make
Start Cooking:
1. To prepare the squash, cut off the ends and then cut into 1 inch chunks.
2. Steam for 6-8 minutes.
3. Puree in the food processor or blender for about 2 minutes. You might have to stop and scrape down the sides.
Carrot Puree
Ingredients:
Carrots, however many you want to make
a few teaspoons of water
Start Cooking:
1. If you are using whole carrots, peel them and trim the end, then cut into 3 inch chunks. I had shredded carrots on hand, so I just used them as is. You can also use baby carrots as is.
2. Steam for 10-12 minutes.
3. Place in food processor or blender and blend for about 2 minutes. You will need to add some water here in order to get a smooth creamy texture. You might also need to stop and scrape down the sides.
Tips and Hints:
1. When I made the summer squash puree, not all of the squash fit in the food processor at once. I needed to make the puree in batches.
2. Make sure you label the freezer bags with what is in them!!!
3. Freeze in half cup portions; most recipes call for 1/2 cup of whatever puree you are using.
I ended up with 9 bags of summer squash puree, 1/2 cup each and 3 bags of carrot puree, 1/2 cup each. So what am I going to make with all this puree?
Applesauce Muffins with Carrot
Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins with Carrot
Blueberry Lemon Muffins with Summer Squash
Burgers with Carrot
I can tell you about squash! There are 2 big categories of squash: summer squash and winter squash. All of the many types of squash that fall under the summer squash category are thin skinned and don't store for very long (so you eat them in the summer). All of the different kinds of squash that fall under the category of winter squash are thick skinned and store well (so you could pick them, keep them as they are in your root cellar, and eat them in the winter). Zucchini and straight-neck yellow squash are both specific types of summer squash. Some types winter squash are butternut squash, spaghetti squash, and acorn squash. There are hundreds of varieties of each, and they are all delicious :)
ReplyDeleteSo incredibly impressed!!!
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