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Making a hearty backcountry power dinner is my kind of meal. Nutritious and high in complex carbohydrates, pasta sticks to your ribs! Given the upcoming trip to New Hampshire, the White Mountain Boys would surely be pleased with "g's" first home-grown, dehydrated meal for seven. Compact and light, the Boys will be arguing over who'll carry this one into base camp!

Preparation, Dehydrating & Cooking:

This meal is prepared in three stages. Part one prepares the mushrooms. Part two prepares the spaghetti sauce. Part three describes the instructions for hydrating food and cooking on the trail.

Part One - At home: Gently wash and dry mushrooms. Cut mushrooms into 3/8" slices. Immediately place mushroom slices on dehydrator trays (probably four). Set the temperature to 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Mushrooms should not overlap. When mushrooms are completely dehydrated, they should be crisp and brittle. Some may dry faster then others. Remove from dryer as required and let cool. Label and store in heavy zip-lock bags in the refrigerator or freezer. Drying time: 8 hours.

Part Two - At home: Dice the green pepper, onion, garlic and parsley. In a large bowl mix these ingredients plus the crushed red pepper to the three cans of diced tomatoes. In a blender, "chop" and then "puree" the mixture until smooth. In a stew pot, bring the sauce mixture to a low boil and simmer for 5 hours. Stir regularly. When reduced to 1/3, refrigerate to cool. To dehydrate, you will need two trays with inserts for liquids. Ladle sauce into trays/inserts evenly. Dehydrate until sauce is "dry as a bone," leathery and crisp. Drying time: 10-12 hours.

Remove dehydrated sauce carefully from trays using a plastic spatula. Let cool. Break into pieces. Using a covered blender, grind until a powder. Label and store in a small, air tight plastic container in the refrigerator. You will need 1+ dry measured cup of powdered sauce to re-hydrate at camp with 6-8 liquid cups of warm water (depending on the desired thickness and quantity of your spaghetti sauce). Although the rule of thumb seems to be a 1:3 ratio of powdered sauce to warm water, 1:6 seems to work well because I start with a very thick sauce before dehydration.

Part Three - On the trail:

This is a great meal to conserve fuel with. One burner works well.
Heat enough warm water to cover and soak dehydrated mushrooms in (approx. 20 min). Cover pot.
In gradual steps, stir in 6 liquid cups of warm water to 1 dry measured cup of powdered spaghetti sauce. As this sauce sits, it will thicken. Add 1-2 liquid cups of water to get desired quantity and/or thickness. Let sit for 10-15 minutes. Stir periodically.
Using the 4 Qt. covered pot, heat water for pasta. Cook per instructions for the pasta you purchased (usually 10-12 minutes). I like penne or tortellini because its compact and indestructible in your pack. If you are using one burner, remove pasta from the heat 5 minutes before it's done so you can heat the spaghetti sauce.
Using the 3-Qt. Covered pot, add hydrated mushrooms to the spaghetti sauce and bring to a quick simmer.
Drain pasta, add sauce and top with grated cheese. ENJOY!