Us Brits love Italian food - it can't be denied. But not all foodies know you can freeze most of your favourite Italian delicacies to be enjoyed at a a later date. If this sounds like you, then you are in luck because celebrity chef Aldo Zilli has dished out his top tips for when it comes to enjoying Italian cuisine at home.
Talking to The Mirror, he confirmed there's a variety of dishes you can freeze safely - pasta included. What's more, he recommends batch cooking lasagne, risotto, and the like, for families looking to make their money stretch further.
The Italian-born chef thinks many will turn to his native-cuisine when looking to save money during the cost of living crisis, and it is easy to see why, given Italian food can be made cheaply, without the need to compromise on taste. "It is accessible. It is inexpensive," but it also "family food", as Aldo points out.
As such, he advises families to make the most of batch cooking, and whether you have a large family or not, you can freeze any delicious leftovers for another time.
"If you have a family, Italian batch cooking is very good, you can freeze your food," recommended Aldo. " Make a big lasagne then portion it up and put it in the freezer. Make a melanzane parmigiana or aubergine parmigiana then portion it and put it in the freezer.
"Make fresh pasta and put it in the freezer, make gnocchi and put it in the freezer. All these things can be frozen and used as and when you need them and cooked from frozen."
Yes, you read that right. In what is likely music to the ears of busy home chefs, you can cook lots of the dishes straight from frozen.
"Pasta can be cooked from frozen, gnocchi can be cooked from frozen, it takes three or four minutes and that’s it," said Aldo. And it is the same for arancini too. " You can make a big risotto, you can make arancini, you know the risotto bowls, you can freeze them as well, then you fry them from frozen," he added.
Lots of dishes have a long lifespan in the freezer too. For instance, fresh pasta can last for a couple of months in the freezer, according to the expert.
While his tips work for homemade or store-bought meals, it is home cooking he recommends.
Aldo said: "I would urge people to cook from scratch more, to make fresh pasta from scratch if they can. Get zero zero flour, strong flour, keep it in the cupboard and just make it when they can.
"Make it fun for the kids and enjoy cooking at home rather than getting takeaways and ready meals."
For those wanting to try the chef's food for themselves, Aldo Zilli has just announced his residence at Lucarelli's on the Fifth Floor of London's Harvey Nichols opening November 7th.
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