Courtney Roulston: How frozen produce puts the freeze on cost and food waste

Celebrity chef and Coles ambassador Courtney Roulston reveals how using frozen produce can save you time, money and reduce your food waste in your kitchen.

Everyone loves the idea of a crisper bursting with fresh produce, but for Australians wanting to trim their grocery bills, adding frozen goods to their trolley shouldn’t be overlooked.

Celebrity chef Courtney Roulston says using frozen or canned goods now makes a lot of sense.

“There’s been this kind of stereotypical thing for years that canned and frozen food is secondary to fresh, but after Covid, where people had limited time to get to the store, and the recent floods which have limited access to fresh produce, people are leaning into it a little bit more.”

Roulston, an ambassador for Coles, says frozen foods can ease the cost burden at the checkout.

“Using frozen can help with saving money, there’s less waste – you know, you grab a bag out of the freezer, you use what you need, and you pop the rest back in. It helps with longevity of the produce, and it’s consistent in quality and also convenient.

Coles ambassador and celebrity chef Courtney Roulston.

“It saves time because there’s minimal prep – say with veg, they’re chopped, peeled and ready to go. So there’s a lot of positives to incorporating them to make your life easier and to give you a little bit more control over the cost of your shop.”

Roulston says snap-freezing fruits and vegetables retains their high nutritional value, and using veg in meals such as curries, stews and casseroles with lots of flavours means most people would never realise they were frozen in the first place.

She says she always has these items in her own freezer:

1 Frozen peas: I love adding things like lemon zest, feta cheese and almonds to elevate them, and they’re great with a pie during the winter.

2 Pastry: Filo or puff pastry for last-minute tarts, sausage rolls and children’s recipes.

3 Mixed berries: Often more convenient and consistent than fresh. Great for jams, crumbles, cobblers, and syrups for ice cream.

4 Spinach: Takes up less space, lasts longer and doesn’t go slimy. Great for creamed spinach to go with steaks or adding into soups or smoothies.

Tip: Don’t overcook frozen vegetables. They generally need less time because they may be par-cooked or they’re softened from defrosting. If roasting, give them room on the tray.

Smashed pea and broccoli tart.

SMASHED PEA AND BROCCOLI TART

SERVES 6. PREP 5 MIN. COOK: 25MIN

Ingredients:

2 sheets Coles frozen puff pastry

1 egg, beaten

1.5 cups Coles frozen broccoli florets

1 cup Coles frozen peas

1 clove garlic, peeled

½ cup whole roast almonds

Juice and zest of ½ lemon

¼ cup olive oil, plus extra to serve

¼ cup Parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve

4 balls bocconcini mozzarella, roughly torn

1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, crushed

¼ cup dill, sprigs picked

Method:

Step 1. Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C.

Place the 2 sheets of pastry on top of each other and roll out into a rectangle.

Place the pastry onto a lined tray and mark a boarder 1.5cm from the edge with a

sharp knife. Spike the inside section of pastry with a fork. Brush a thin coating of

egg over the pastry and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden. Set aside and allow

to cool slightly.

Step 2. Steam the broccoli and peas for 5 minutes, or until tender. Run under

cold water to cool then drain well. Place the broccoli and peas into a food

processor with garlic, 1/3 cup of the almonds, lemon juice, oil, Parmesan and a

pinch of salt and pepper. Blitz until the mixture is a chunky pesto consistency.

Roughly chop the remaining almonds.

Step 3. Spread the pea mixture onto the pastry. Scatter over the mozzarella,

olives, dill, lemon zest, almonds and a little extra olive oil and cracked pepper

before serving.

Easy berry crumble.

EASY BERRY CRUMBLE

SERVES 4. PREP: 10 MIN. COOK: 30MIN

Ingredients:

500g bag Coles frozen mixed berries

90g brown sugar

100g plain flour

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

100g chilled butter, cubed

50g rolled oats

60g flaked almonds or macadamia nuts

Ice cream to serve

Method:

Step 1. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C.

Place the berries and 40g of sugar into a pot over a medium heat. Bring up to a

simmer and cook for 5 minutes, or until starting to turn jammy. Pour the berry

mixture into a baking tin and set aside.

Step 2. Place the remaining sugar into a mixing bowl with the flour, cinnamon

and butter. Using clean fingers, rub the mixture until it looks like rough

breadcrumbs. Stir through the oats, almonds and a pinch of sea salt flakes.

Step 3. Scatter the crumble mixture over the berries and bake in the oven for 25

minutes or until golden and crispy. Serve warm with ice cream.

* Recipes by Courtney Roulston