Vegetables need to roast before they freeze

A more frugal and ecologically sound approach would be to use up your clean yogurt and cottage cheese containers or commercially made plastic storage containers.

* Mark each package clearly with the amount and description of the contents and the freeze date. Do this before filling the container; it gets real messy otherwise.

* You need roasting pans that are large enough to hold the vegetables in a single layer or your vegetables will be steamed rather than roasted and will lack that caramelized depth in flavor. If you don’t have large, shallow pans, use two pans and place them side by side in the oven.

* Lightly oil the pan before adding the vegetables; it aids in browning and helps in clean-up.

* I like to combine my vegetable mixture in a bowl and then toss with the olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper, before tumbling them out onto the roasting pan.

* During roasting, shake and stir the pan every 10 minutes or so for even roasting, because the vegetables toward the edges always cook faster.

In a food processor, blend together 2 cloves of garlic, 1/2 cup of mixed fresh herbs (such as basil, rosemary, thyme, chives, and parsley), the zest and juice of 1 small lemon, 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, and about 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper.

Drizzle this mixture over a bowlful of julienned vegetables (2 small yellow summer squash, 2 small zucchini, 1 red bell pepper, 1 yellow bell pepper, 1 carrot, 1/2 sweet onion), and toss to coat evenly. Tumble them into a roasting pan and roast in a 425-degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are lightly browned and very tender.

Let the mixture cool and then pack into freezer bags and freeze.

* For a Southwest style soup: Roast corn kernels, chunks of red or green sweet bell pepper, chunks of yellow onion, cloves of garlic, a handful of chopped fresh cilantro and a sprinkling of cumin powder. Let the mixture cool and then pack into freezer bags and freeze.

* Got a huge sweet red pepper crop this year? Roast up a big batch of them to produce wonderful cream of red pepper soup later on. After roasting, the peels will slip off easily.

* From cookbook author Andrea Chesman (“The Roasted Vegetable”) comes this wonderful green bean treatment that transfers nicely to freezer fare: Trim the ends from 2 pounds of fresh green beans before placing them in a large roasting pan. Drizzle them with about 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and toss to evenly coat each bean with oil. Sprinkle on some coarse sea salt or kosher salt, then spread the beans apart so they’ll roast in an uncrowded single layer. Roast them in a 500-degree oven for 15 minutes, or until the beans are well browned, shaking the pan occasionally for even cooking. Remove from oven and cool.

Combine trimmed green beans with slices of onion, garlic cloves, and a handful of basil, then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in a 400-degree oven until the beans are very tender. Let the mixture cool and then pack into freezer bags and freeze.

Beets are wonderful roasted

But roast them, unpeeled, in a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil (or in a baking dish and cover), in a 350-degree oven until tender (about 1 to 1 1/2 hours). Let cool, then peel and pack into freezer bags and freeze. These are great to use in a classic borscht recipe.

Slice 2 or 3 large, sweet onions into 1/4-inch thick rings and arrange on a oiled roasting pan. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then roast in a 450-degree oven for about 15 minutes. Turn the slices over and continue roasting until very tender and browned. Let the onions cool and then pack into freezer bags and freeze.

In a very large roasting pan, slice and combine 8 ribs of celery, 1 leek (white and pale green parts), 1 onion, 1 carrot, and 6 cloves of garlic; drizzle with canola oil and roast in a 450-degree oven until the vegetables are very browned and tender, about 35 to 40 minutes.

Scrape the vegetables into a large pot, along with 7 cups of water, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 2 teaspoons of peppercorns, 1 bay leaf, 11/4-inch thick slice of fresh lemon, and a couple sprigs of thyme; pour an additional 1 cup of hot water into the roasting pan and stir-scrape up all of the cooked-on bits of vegetable and add this to the pot.

Cover and simmer about 30 minutes, let cool, and then strain through a sieve, pressing with a spoon to extract as much flavor as possible; adjust seasonings, adding additional soy sauce and perhaps some salt and pepper.

Let the mixture cool and then pack into freezer bags and freeze; makes about 7 cups.

Basic roasted vegetable bisque

4cups chicken broth (or roasted vegetable broth)

1cup peeled and diced potato (I prefer medium-waxy potato, such as Yukon gold)

3cups of roasted vegetable mixture, thawed

About 1 1/2 cups of half-and-half

About 1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Salt to taste

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, combine the chicken broth with the potato. Cover and simmer until the potato is almost tender but still slightly firm. Add the thawed roasted vegetables and continue cooking, covered, until the potato is very tender. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Puree in batches in a blender or food processor. Return the mixture to the pot and stir in enough half-and-half to reach the desired consistency. Add pepper and salt to taste.

Note: If the roasted vegetable mixture that you’re using doesn’t contain onions or garlic, consider adding some to the potatoes and broth during the initial cooking phase; the flavor profile will be richer.

Makes about 8 cups of soup.

Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis, Ore., food writer, cookbook author and artist. Readers can contact her by e-mail at janrd@proaxis.com.