Keep Ellen Cooking!
Support New Pages!
|
|
|
|
jen 05/06/13 |
I am making pene ala vodka for my sons baptism. I would like to make it a couple of weeks in advance. Does it freeze well? Any tips on keeping it aldente? |
|
ellen 05/06/13 |
Nope. Not very well. It overabsorbs the sauce and is dry and chewy later. You CAN make it 2 days ahead, use real durum/semolina pasta, hold in fridge in baggies or covered. You CAN freeze the pasta and sauce separately, thaw in fridge, assemble and bake. Cook al dente, drain in colander as usual (I rinse with ice water to cool very quickly) and lightly toss the pasta in olive oil, cooking spray or butter to prevent sticking. Stir it often to cool thoroughly. Bag it in freezer bags, not too full, so it is less than 2 inches thick in the middle. Label and date your bags, lay flat in the freezer. Must thaw overnight in fridge to mix and reheat. Ridged or twisty pasta freezes better than regular spaghetti. |
|
jen 05/07/13 |
OK , so Ive scratched alla vodka from the menu , what to do ? Is there a pasta dish that would freeze well , and would only require thawing and reheating ? I'm going with a Italian theme ,THANKS for your time ! |
|
ellen 05/07/13 |
You can freeze lasagna after assembling, before cooking- would that do it? Here is an adaptable recipe for a guide, you could add in your mushrooms, etc; onceamonthmom.com/simple-down-home-lasagna/ 2 8x8= 1 9x13; 5 8x8= 1 12x20x2 steam table pan |
|
ellen 05/07/13 |
Here is another: chaosinthekitchen.com/2010/09/lasagna-oamc/ |
|
jen 05/07/13 |
Im sorry, I should have said that I am trying to avoid a cheesey baked dish. What do you think about a pasta with peas and marinara sauce. would that freeze well? |
|
ellen 05/07/13 |
OK, I can only suggest that you make the pasta plain and freeze, sauce separate, and mix and bake day of. |