I've been putting some thought into comfort foods for my 8 day trek planned for this summer and decided I'd like to have a go at making a good homemade tomato soup that's light to carry, non-perishable and can be made on site without any fuss.
I don't like cup-a-soups; I've never found one that doesn't taste like chemicals but I cannot deny how handy they can be. With this in mind, I've tried to recreate their simplicity using the new dehydrator.
For the soup I used:
Two medium onions roughly chopped
Two stalks of celery roughly chopped
Two large carrots diced
Four medium potatoes diced
Dessert spoon of Tomato puree
A can of chopped tomatoes
An oxo cube
Dessert spoon of Salt,
Dessert spoon of Sugar
Crushed black pepper
2 dried bay leaves
Now, as I intended to dehydrate the soup I softened the onion, celery, potatoes and carrot using just a tiny amount of Olive Oil with loads of crushed black pepper (fat doesn't dehydrate so use sparingly)
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When softened, I added the tin of tomatoes, salt, sugar, tomato puree, bay leaves and covered in beef stock made from the oxo cube. If I was making the soup for instant consumption I would have used homemade stock, but as I could not say for sure just how much fat there is in my own stock I opted for oxo as I could see that it was less than 5% saturated fat.
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I simmered the soup for about twenty five minutes and removed the bay leaves before liquidising and passing through a sieve to remove any residual tomato skins, strings of celery etc.
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After confirming that the taste was right, I measured the soup to see how much I had before putting it through any other processes- this would give me an idea how much the finished product would make; I had just under two litres.
I put the soup back on the hob to reduce it down by about 20% before spreading thinly over five trays in the dehydrator and dehydrated at 52degrees.
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Here is a view of the soup "leathers" after dehydrating. They can be left like this and you can tear off strips as required and rehydrate with boiling water.
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I transferred my leathers in to a food processor and blitzed for a few minutes. The end result was 2 litres of soup reduced to 350ml of dry mix with a consistency of somewhere between pot noodle and tropical fish food and the smell was intense.
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But was it a success?
Well, I so happen to share my home with a tomato soup snob. A connoisseur who looks upon anything non "Heinz-y" with deep suspicion and ultimate rejection. I was nervous offering up a bowl for supper last night for the ultimate in taste tests.
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And that's a thumbs up!
Good stuff. That's the ultimate test passed. :D
Aye- little madam came in from school there and demanded more for her lunch!
How do you measure the water for re-hydration? Just guess?
When I finished making the soup I measured how much I had in terms of volume and I had roughly 2 litres (approximately ten cups). I then divided the dehydrated mix in to ten portions so that when rehydrating in a cup I'm just filling the cup with boiling water.
Have you tried dehydrating beer yet? Now that would be a real winner. :D
:D
Not yet- but you may be surprised how often I've been asked that in the last two weeks :D
Not even slightly surprised. This is Scotland. :lol:
Moving into entrepreneurial mode, I am happy to supply dehydrated water at 50p a pint (plus P&P).
Quote from: Alan on December 10, 2013, 07:32:03 PM
This is the confirmation :8) are there no nutrients lost in the drying process?
My head's buzzin with all the different stuff I've read but I think that's why fruit and veg are dehydrated at a lower temp than meat as it keeps more nutrients in. Think I may have read that you loose some vitamin C
Quote from: Element on December 10, 2013, 07:21:05 PM
I recall a tv program about 2yrs back where a hippy girl from Bristol made fruit leathers in her oven and after watching - I tried it myself and they were surprisingly tasty and great to eat but a bit chewy. I made them from raspberries I think..
E.
Yeah those look good. I've been putting off trying it as I feel I may end up just making those over and over instead of trying other stuff :D
Another type to consider is the making of biltong from beef, venison, ham and whatever and taking it to the still bendable/chewy stage. Mmmmmmmmm - - Yumpy yumble :D :D I suppose cold air-dried fish from the Faroes and eskimos is similar with very dry cold air.
Most vitamins survive dehydration- thus vitamin pills- there are exceptions such as alpha tocopherol (vitamin E) which is an oil.
Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) should survive at the drying temperatures previously mentioned.
Drying has long been extant as a means of preserving food (and the nutrients therein), fresh might be better but that is not the issue here.
I doubt that much will be lost in this process.
Inchlaggan- supplier of vitamin rich organic dehydrated water.
See my website (youreamug.com) for details.
Forum Members only offer- 2 pints for the price of 2 litres!
Quote from: Bobfly on December 10, 2013, 08:32:53 PM
Another type to consider is the making of biltong from beef, venison, ham and whatever and taking it to the still bendable/chewy stage. Mmmmmmmmm - - Yumpy yumble :D :D I suppose cold air-dried fish from the Faroes and eskimos is similar with very dry cold air.
I hadn't heard of biltong before- having now googled it I can see that it does sound yummy! must try. :D
Great thread Brian, some of the fancy restaurants my brother has worked in dehydrate food to intensify it before cooking again.
He made me a lobster soup like that (just made from the shells) was one of th nicest things I've eaten
Quote from: Harpo on December 10, 2013, 09:47:05 PM
Great thread Brian, some of the fancy restaurants my brother has worked in dehydrate food to intensify it before cooking again.
If you have any recipes, get them fired up! My biggest problem just now is finding inspiration for what to try next to take with me on my big trip.
So far I've made chili Macaroni which was ace and Tommy soup.
Next I want to try a curry and spag bol (although most of my curries use a lot of fatty oil- have to think of a way round that)
I've dried some fruit and veg with mixed results, banana being awesome- pear tasting like shit :D
Quote from: bushy palmer on December 10, 2013, 10:07:41 PM
If you have any recipes, get them fired up! My biggest problem just now is finding inspiration for what to try next to take with me on my big trip.
So far I've made chili Macaroni which was ace and Tommy soup.
Next I want to try a curry and spag bol (although most of my curries use a lot of fatty oil- have to think of a way round that)
I've dried some fruit and veg with mixed results, banana being awesome- pear tasting like shit :D
I'll see if my bro has any recipes. You don't need much oil for a curry, especially thai ones. Try that low cal spray oil?
I think "real curries" do use a fair bit of fat. This is just something you'd have to experiment with I suppose.
Quote from: Harpo on December 10, 2013, 11:37:16 PM
I'll see if my bro has any recipes. You don't need much oil for a curry, especially thai ones. Try that low cal spray oil?
It's mainly Chinese and Indian curries I make which both use lots of oils- Chinese curries begin by flavouring oil with lots of garlic and chili before adding flour to form a paste. Indian curries of course start off life with copious amounts of ghee.
I do make a wicked lentil curry which may be ideal. I dare say I can cut down the amount of oil I use at the beginning- plus there's no meat.
Ive been doing a Thai red curry and have the remnants for my tea tonight.
I add all the ingredients and give it a blitz before frying the paste. The main liquid ingredient is coconut milk which you add after the paste is cooked.
I used seafood mix the other night but you can use anything. Not sure how the coconut milk would de-hydrate for packing but is worth a try.
Real tasty.
Billy
Dried meat would work well in Thai curries I reckon. The paste can be bought in Chinese supermarkets in tubs (red, green and others), which is an acceptable substitute for freshly made these days and you can take what you need in those little plastic containers that kebab sauce comes in. Very light. Coconut milk is already available in little cakes, not unlike soap bars, and again just take what you need with you then melt it in some hot water before using, or chuck it straight in the pot with the paste and a little water. The paste is fried off in a little oil first to bring out the flavour. Fish sauce and concentrated lime juice are a must have and can be taken in those little bottles that are used for food flavourings, as they're plastic, weigh nothing and seal well. Fresh coriander keeps for a day or so if in a Tupperware type container to stop it getting crushed - if you're lucky, but worth a go for the added flavour.
I make the rice first (Thai Fragrant or Jasmine) in a separate pot and covered wel with tinfoil to keep warm out of any cold winds. And if you've got any of Andy Fachan's chillies take them too! Thai stuff is amongst my favourite Trangia dishes as it's so satisfying and easy. It's right up there with my saffron infused Paella! :lol:
If you use coconut milk you will need to check the oil content, it can be up to 20% oil depending on the type.
Jim
I've mainly been concentrating on stuff which rehydrates well enough with no direct heat (ie stick it in the thermos flasks with boiling water)- this way things don't really stick to the sides and doing the "dishes" should be a simple enough matter of rinsing out the flasks.
Those curry pastes that you talk about from the chinese supermarkets are ace- I'm a big fan and reckon for camping they probably can't be beat. They do require direct heat though and hence stick to the side of the pot. I reckon I'll probably take one of those along but use it as the last meal- so that when I struggle to get the pot clean, I'm not giving everyone the shits :D.
Quote from: bushy palmer on December 11, 2013, 01:59:16 PM
I reckon I'll probably take one of those along but use it as the last meal- so that when I struggle to get the pot clean, I'm not giving everyone the shits :D.
Are you using unlined aluminium pots Brian? If so, they are a real pain and everything sticks in my experience I switched to non-stick for my Trangias and only use the plain aluminium pan for boiling water now, if at all. I'd never use a frying pan that isn't non-stick due to the time wasted scrubbing the buggers out. Makes a big difference and often a bit of kitchen paper is enough to wipe them clean. :)
Most Chinese supermarkets sell coconut milk as a powder in sachets. We buy Instant Coconut Cream Powder from the See Woo (next to the Glasgow Angling Centre) in 250gm bags. That could perhaps be added later as the powder to your other dried mixture ingredients once they are prepared?
This is all getting far too complicated. As veteran of two Himalayan botanical expeditions I expect a certain standard of catering so I'll likely go "Raj Style" again and take porters to carry everything.
I'll probably also take along that cute little Taiwanese serving girl, See Woo. :lol:
The locations I use on fishing trips take a very dim view of one cooking one's own meals in one's suite.
And the Trangia sets the smoke alarm off.
For fire alarm reasons one should surely use the Trangia in the en-suite, and then use the bidet for the washing up which is what they are for.
Quote from: River Chatter on December 11, 2013, 03:58:33 PM
Are you using unlined aluminium pots Brian?
Aye spot on!
They're from my trangia. All the other meals I have planned will simply be a case of boiling the Kelly and dehydrating in the thermos food flasks.
Quote from: River Chatter on December 11, 2013, 03:58:33 PM
Are you using unlined aluminium pots Brian? If so, they are a real pain and everything sticks in my experience
A handful of sand / gravel from the side of the burn or loch, cleans em out in no time with little effort, I usually carry 15ml of wshing up liquid, a couple of drops before the gravelling helps.
I use nature's scouring pad, a stalk of heather clears out most of it especially if you pour a little warm water in the pot when you finish eating to keep it soft. I find gravel or mud tends to scratch the insde of the pot and lets food cling to the inside. It even works on burnt porridge :)
Quote from: Otter Spotter on December 12, 2013, 10:26:06 AM
A handful of sand / gravel from the side of the burn or loch, cleans em out in no time with little effort,
Yup, that's my method - never failed me yet. I do have a non-stick lid on my mini trangia and that I use to fry the odd egg. No sand or gravel on that one.