View Full Version : Spaghetti Sauce - fixed up for the Food Dryer
Wise Old Owl
11-09-2011, 23:03
Sauces can be problematic - if you are using a fruit roll up sheet - Spaghetti will stick so non-stick spray and spread it thin to dry it... opps now it has little flavor when soaked with the dried Spaghetti, so make sure you use angel hair - easy to reboil...
So how do you put the flavor back in for FBC?
How about two massive table spoons of mild salsa - to the sauce - make sure there is no kero - it makes it stick worse... so Ragu is a 3 to 1 ratio in making the sauce.
Do it separately from the noodles.
I dry the sauce seperately. You can pour the sauce into a fine sieve and drain off some of the liquid. This helps it dry faster.
coach lou
11-09-2011, 23:52
Moma mia, what are you guys talking about!!!
Wise Old Owl
11-09-2011, 23:56
Coach - its about making good food Freezer Bag style. Super light and easy to reconstitute.,,
coach lou
11-10-2011, 00:02
I'll send you my dads recipe, you won't need the salsa!
I'll send you my dads recipe, you won't need the salsa!Please. Good sauce. Quickly. These guys need help. Not to mention all the readers going "yechhh!"
Wise Old Owl
11-10-2011, 01:05
What a few peppers and onions in your spaghetti sauce - oh you have never dehydrated and reconstituted...... on the trail
My wife has a really cool expression of her affections for winers - "Grow a pair."
coach lou
11-10-2011, 01:07
I'm willin', but it will have to be on the AT
Read somewhere that if you want to cut down on grains, you can substitute cabbage in any pasta dish.
Just throwing that out there.
coach lou
11-10-2011, 09:17
WOO... don't mind WIL & me......alot of us I-talians in Connecticut!
The Old Boot
11-10-2011, 10:07
Try using parchment paper instead of the plastic 'jerky/fruit roll up' trays that come with the dehydrator. It will peel right off when the sauce is dry so no need to spray anything with oil.
I just did my first and second batches of jerky made with ground meat. I used the two plastic trays that came with for the first batch. Of course with only two trays I had to use parchment paper for the rest of the jerky. About half way through the drying time, I went to turn the ones on the plastic trays over...the bottom side was noticeably wetter than the top side. When dried, those pieces of jerky had curled up lengthwise from the uneven drying. The ones on the parchment paper remained flat. They also dried faster.
Good thing I tried both before ordering more of the plastic trays, they got crossed off the shopping list and the two I have will gather dust in the drawer.
I use the fruit rollup tray. i start with a can of tomato sauce (100% tomato without any other ingredients). after the sauce is dry break it up and add dry onion, herb, etc. in a seperate bag for the pasta. in camp boil the pasta about half way then add the sauce ingredients. This seems to work well for me.
HeartFire
11-11-2011, 07:46
Don't dry the sauce separately - cook the pasta, add the sauce to it and put that in the dehydrator. Then it goes into just one freezer baggie.
I have found that dehydrating (and then over time) fpds tend to lose some of their spice, so I heavily spice everything -(I'm talking hot sauce here). I like spicy stuff so..
but, if you do dry things like sauces, soups etc that form a brittle sheet, to make it rehydrate faster, you need to pulverize it. Use a small coffee grinder, this will turn it into a powder. Great for soups etc unless you want them to remain with some chunkyness. Then, use just a rolling pin to break it up.
I agree with Heartfire. I cook spaghetti sauce as I usually do,then make the pasta (I find that elbow macaroni works better than spaghetti), drain, pour the sauce over the pasta, and spread on teflon trays in the dehydrator (I have an Excalibur). I spread the mixture fairly thinly, and after several hours turn it over and move the trays around to speed the drying. When it's done, I crumble it by hand into small chunklets and measure into meal-size portions (maybe 3/4 cup to 1 cup), place into ziplocs. Stored in a freezer, these keep for many months without losing their taste.
HeartFire
11-11-2011, 13:17
Tiptoe - I too have an Excalibur (9 tray) so I put one meal per tray, that way you don't have to guess about portion size after it dries. I use angel hair pasta rather than regular spaghetti, but I may try the elbow's next time.
I find that elbows are easier to eat with a spoon.
HeartFire, I have the 5-tray model, so it's probably more efficient for me not to dry by portion. I just put everything in a big bowl and then use a measuring scoop.
BobTheBuilder
11-11-2011, 13:45
I have a dehydrator and do some FBC, but I have to admit (heresy!) that Mountain House spaghetti with meat sauce is not only better than mine, it is the best trail meal I have ever found.
I do a lot of meals FBC, but that one I leave to the pros.
Agree whole-heartedly about putting cooked pasta in the sauce before dehydrating. Also, big yes to pulvarizing and one portion per tray. It just makes everything way easier on the trail.