Frozen Peppers

[Honeyofachef]

Hi Everyone,

I have a question that some of you I'm sure will think is silly. I froze peppers in freezer bags late last fall. I had been told that I shouldn't cook them before I froze them. I washed and cut them in and put then in freezer bags containing 2 peppers. They are all red, yellow and orange. I was wondering if they could be used in stir fry, meat sauces, fajitas or would they be to soggy once they are thawed. I thought maybe I should just make tomato soup and add the peppers to that.

I would appreciate any advice on how to use them up. Thanks so much.

[Sue]

I use that kind of thing in cooked salsa.
What you do is plop them in a saucepan, along with some chopped onion and garlic and some spicy pepper like jalapeno. Add tomatoes or tomatillos, and possibly about 1/2 cup water or so. Cook until the onion get soft then puree the whole mess in a food processor, season with salt, pepper and a bit of ground cumin, maybe some chopped cilantro.
I think you'd like it. You can serve that over braised pork or grilled chicken breast, maybe as an enchilada sauce. Or even with chips or over eggs, ranchera style.

Something else you can do is to flavor up soups with that, or add it to meatloaf mix or a pepper-based spaghetti sauce.

I don't recommend them for stir-fry since you'd really want those to be crisp-tender and not mushy. Same thing with fajitas. But there are tons of good uses for them.

[ChanaBen-Ezra]

Hello Honeyofachef! I freeze mine before cooking, with peppers however I have had no luck with stir-fry they tend to be soft and soggy but they are good for sauteeing

[QueenBea]

Frozen peppers do get soft when thawed therefore not so great in stir fry, but they are perfect for pasta sauces.

[Kchurchill5]

Agree with all. Perfect for soups, sauces. You can dice them and add to a spaghetti sauce, or even in a pasta dish. Add to meatloaf, gazpacho, omlettes, fritattas, etc. Puree to make a great sauce to served over grilled proteins. But, NO stir fries or fresh salsas.
I freeze mine all the time without cooking. I have 5 pepper plants, and I use them all the time.

[Honeyofachef]

Thanks so much for all of your great ideas! I knew I came to the right place. Sue, I like the idea of cooked salsa and then using it like an enchilada sauce and I hadn't thought of putting them in the meatloaf. QueenBea and Kchurchill5 I like the idea of pasta sauces and soups. Thanks again for your help.

[Kchurchill5]

I have done this before; and, I don't like freezing twice, but this does work. Thaw, then puree. Put in ice cube trays and freeze.

These cubes are great to add to sauces, soups, etc. You would never know, there are peppers; but, the flavor is amazing.

A quick recipe for pasta:

Saute shallots and garlic in olive oil. Add 3-4 of these peppers cubes and let them melt. Once melted, add heavy cream and simmer until slightly thickened.
Now, you have a pepper cream sauce.

Garnish with fresh basil and toss with baby spinach and pasta. A great veggie dish. Side or main dish. No need to blanch the spinach - just add the spinach to the pasta after it is drained; it wilts right up.

[Shadows1]

We use frozen peppers ( our own ) in everything peppers are called for except fresh salad.
If using in stir-fry put in next to last still frozen and they are not soggy!

[Kchurchill5]

You are right shadows. I should say they are NOT soggy; they just are NOT AS crisp as fresh; but, they are still absolutely delicious.

I said not in stir fry; and, I should clarify, based on what Shadows mentioned.

I do use them in my pepper steak stir fry; and a couple of chicken dishes. I guess FOR ME, if the stir fry cooks a few minutes so the peppers are really tender soft; I don't mint using the frozen ones.
If, I am using one of my shrimp stir fries; where all the veggies need to be crisp tender; I wouldn't use them.

So, YES, they will work for some of my stir fries, absolutely. Just my opinion. but shadows is right, they are not soggy or mushy; I guess that wasn't the best term to use.

[Deepster]

I also use them all the time in pasta dishes!! I also use them in frittatas, and I eat LOTS of frittatas