How to properly freeze asparagus
How to properly freeze asparagus in order to delight household members with tasty and healthy dishes in winter? Why is the “queen of vegetables” good? What exactly can you make from frozen asparagus?
How to properly freeze asparagus?
The perennial plant asparagus, better known as asparagus, comes in white, green, purple, and pink varieties. The first shoots of the gourmet vegetable appear in April and retain their delicate structure until mid-June. It is during this period that asparagus must be harvested, trying to preserve its valuable composition as much as possible.
Asparagus is an ideal product for losing weight: 100 g of a vegetable contains only 21 kcal. The shoots of the plant are 95% water. In addition, they are rich in fiber, zinc, potassium, iron, vitamins A, C, group B. The vegetable contains asparagine – an amino acid necessary to maintain the balance of the nervous system.
Preparation for freezing is carried out in the following order:
- wash asparagus, remove damaged parts, cut;
- a colander with pieces of vegetables is dipped into a pot of boiling water;
- blanch the asparagus for three minutes with the lid closed;
- then the colander is briefly immersed in ice water;
- take out vegetables, let the liquid drain;
- the asparagus is transferred to a container, which is tightly closed with a lid.
Before placing vegetables in the freezer, it is advisable to stick a label on the container with the date and name of the contents.
How to use frozen asparagus?
Do not defrost asparagus before cooking, as it will lose both flavor and vitamins. The easiest way to cook a vegetable is to boil it in water with a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of sugar. Immerse the pieces in boiling water and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. After the allotted time, the water is drained.
Boiled asparagus can be stewed with meat and potatoes. Frozen shoots make a delicious omelet. To prepare it, grease the mold with butter. Boiled asparagus is placed in it, vegetables are poured with beaten eggs. Slices of cream cheese are placed on top. Bake until golden brown.
For those who are on a diet, but love to eat deliciously, the recipe for the “Chicago” salad is useful. To prepare it you will need:
- 200 g frozen asparagus;
- a can of canned tuna;
- 50 g of crayfish necks;
- 4 eggs;
- 2 the tomato;
- a bunch of lettuce.
Put lettuce leaves, pieces of boiled asparagus, strips of tomato on a large plate. Tuna is placed in the center, slices of boiled eggs and crayfish necks are placed around the pieces of fish. At the end the salad is poured with Provencal mayonnaise. Bon Appetit!
Next, see the video on how to cut trout for salting