Can you freeze gnocchi

Makes 3 generous or 4 slightly smaller main-course or 6 generous first-course servings. Place the potatoes in a large pot with enough cold water to cover. Bring the water to a boil and cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are easily pierced with a skewer but the skins are not split, about 35 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and let them stand just until cool enough to handle. The hotter the potatoes are when they are peeled and riced, the lighter the gnocchi will be. Working quickly and protecting the hand that holds the potatoes with a folded kitchen towel or oven mitt, scrape the skin from the potato with a paring knife.

Press the peeled potatoes through a potato ricer. Alternatively, the potatoes can be passed through a food mill fitted with the fine disc, but a ricer makes fluffier potatoes and therefore lighter gnocchi.

Spread the riced potatoes into a thin, even layer on the work surface, without pressing them or compacting them. Let them cool completely.

In a small bowl, beat the egg, salt, pepper, and nutmeg together. Gather the cold potatoes into a mound and form a well in the center. Pour the egg mixture into the well. It should take no longer than 3 minutes to work the flour into the potato mixture; remember, the longer the dough is kneaded, the more flour it will require and the heavier it will become.

As you knead the dough, it will stick to your hands and to the work surface: Repeatedly rub this rough dough from your hands and scrape it with a knife or dough scraper from the work surface back into the dough as you knead.

Wash and dry your hands. Dust the dough, your hands, and the work surface lightly with some of the remaining flour. Cut the dough into six equal pieces and set off to one side of the work surface. Place one piece of dough in front of you and pat it into a rough oblong. When you first begin making gnocchi, until your hands get the feel of the dough, you may find it easier to cut each piece of dough in half to roll it. Sprinkle the rounds lightly with flour and roll each piece quickly between your palms into a rough ball, flouring the dough and your hands as needed to prevent sticking.

Hold the tines of a fork at a degree angle to the table with the concave part facing up. Dip the tip of your thumb in flour. Take one ball of dough and with the tip of your thumb, press the dough lightly against the tines of the fork as you roll it downward toward the tips of the tines.

As the dough wraps around the tip of your thumb, it will form into a dumpling with a deep indentation on one side and a ridged surface on the other. Set on a baking sheet lined with a floured kitchen towel and continue forming gnocchi from the remaining dough balls. Repeat the whole process with the remaining pieces of dough.

At this point the gnocchi must be cooked immediately or frozen. Bring six quarts of salted water to a vigorous boil in a large pot over high heat. Drop about half the gnocchi into the boiling water a few at a time, stirring gently and continuously with a wooden spoon. Cook the gnocchi, stirring gently, until tender, about 1 minute after they rise to the surface.

You can cook the gnocchi all at once in two separate pots of boiling water. If you make a double batch of gnocchi, I strongly recommend cooking them in batches in two pots of water. Remove the gnocchi from the water with a slotted spoon of skimmer, draining them well, and transfer to a wide saucepan with some of the sauce to be used.

Cook the remaining gnocchi, if necessary. When all the gnocchi are cooked, proceed according to the directions for saucing and serving in each recipe. When saucing gnocchi, remember this tip: If the sauce is too dense or the gnocchi seem too dry, use some of the gnocchi cooking water to thin the sauce and moisten the gnocchi, as you would with pasta dishes.

Serves Takes 40 minutes to make, 30 minutes to cook each batch takes minutes. Freezable Vegetarian recipes. Nutrition: per serving Calories kcals Fat 2. Remove recipe Save recipe. Save Remove recipe Save recipe Print. Ingredients 1kg evenly sized floury potatoes such as king edward g flour preferably Italian 00 , plus extra for dusting 2 tsp fine sea salt Good grating of fresh nutmeg 4 tbsp beaten free-range egg Generous knob of butter Handful of fresh parsley, chopped.

Method Boil the potatoes in their skins in a large pan of lightly salted water for about minutes or until soft to the centre when pierced with a knife. Drain, then carefully peel off the skins while still warm. Mash the flesh thoroughly using a potato ricer or by pushing it through a sieve with a wooden spoon , then put back into the pan over a gentle heat for a few minutes to dry out.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt and nutmeg. Stir in the potato with a round-ended knife. Make a well in the centre, add the beaten egg and work into the mixture with the knife until well combined. Bring the mixture together lightly with your hands until it just forms a coherent lump. Lightly flour the work surface and shape the dough with your hands into an 18cm square about 1. Cut 12 or so strips of dough about 1. Cut each length into 1cm pieces.

To shape the gnocchi, press each one gently onto the tines of a down-turned fork to form a ridged pattern on one side. Remove each from the fork by rolling it off from one edge along the tines so it folds over on itself like a curl of butter. With a resealable plastic bag, place the gnocchi one by one. When the plastic bag is filled with gnocchi, squeeze out as much air as you can, seal, then stick in the freezer.

To defrost gnocchi, simply transfer the dumplings from the freezer to the fridge. Leave the gnocchi to thaw for several hours to overnight. It is important that the dumplings be completely thawed before reheating or cooking. For leftover sauced gnocchi, you can reheat the dish in the microwave. Transfer the dumplings to a microwave-safe bowl, stick in the microwave and nuke on high at 10 seconds intervals or until gnocchi is reheated thoroughly.

Pour the leftover, sauced gnocchi into a skillet and simmer on low until the dumplings are heated through. You can add a little more of the sauce if the dish becomes too dry. At this point, you can also add your favorite mix-ins, such as parmesan cheese, olive oil, etc. When the gnocchi is cooked through, serve immediately. Cook the gnocchi as directed in the recipe. Prep the defrosted gnocchi the same way as fresh gnocchi.

For defrosted, uncooked gnocchi, boil a pot of water then drop the thawed gnocchi one by one. Since the gnocchi has been defrosted, it will take some time before each one floats, which takes 2 minutes or so. When the gnocchi floats, it is done cooking.

Just scoop all the floating gnocchi and cook as directed in the recipe.