Pasta??

[swingbolder]

I miss pasta.

I made "zucchini pasta" with the spiral slicer a couple of times and found it very unsatisfying -- too crunchy and wet, not at all like pasta.

Has anyone made "raw pasta" out of other ingredients and found the texture to be more like cooked, wheat pasta? If so, please post!

[VeganVixen]

I typically find that yellow squash taste ALOT more nuetral and "pasta-like" than zuchinni -which I dont care for anyways

[veggie]

I personally prefer radish pasta!

[VeganVixen]

like daikon radish?

[asil]

I like carrot pasta. But it's the only one I've tried so ....

[joy]

How did you prepare the zucchini pasta? That makes a difference.

You might try this: take zucchini (aim for the smallish ones, as they tend to have a gentler flavor), then make thin threads with a regular vegetable peeler. Include a bit of green with the threads, and stop when you reach the seeded part. Toss together in a bowl with a clove of pressed garlic, a few teaspoons of olive oil, and a pinch of sea salt. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes- 1 hour (or longer). Before serving, squeeze the excess liquid from the zucchini threads. Use like pasta.

I love this served with a garlicky sundried tomato and basil sauce.

[VeganVixen]

I use (and think swingbolder,not sure though) a spirulizer that gets the whole zuchini stranded.....does the other way make a big difference?

[DotfromOz]

I just got a spiral slicer and picked up several zukes yesterday, so I haven't tried this yet.

Would it make a difference, do you think, to whirl the strands of zucchini in a salad spinner right before topping them with sauce?

[yeahbethany]

I think I understand what you are saying, swingboulder. for a true starchoholic (like I was), zucchinni pasta just doesn't cut it until you break the addiction.

When I first went raw, I found that not-too-ripe bananas helped with the starch cravings.

Hope this helps.

[tracyinfo]

I miss pasta.

I made "zucchini pasta" with the spiral slicer a couple of times and found it very unsatisfying -- too crunchy and wet, not at all like pasta.

Has anyone made "raw pasta" out of other ingredients and found the texture to be more like cooked, wheat pasta? If so, please post!

Someone mentioned in a earlier thread, that after spiralizing the zucchini, they wrapped it in paper towels to aborb the excess water. That may help!

-Tracy

[swingbolder]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I'm skeptical, but I'm gonna try them!

[Rawkinlocs]

Swingbolder,

One day (before we got rid of our stove) I was making stir-fry for my husband. I sliced up some zucchini with the veggie peeler and then made thinner strips by hand (didn't want them "angel hair" fine) and when I cooked them, it was amazingly pasta-like!

So-ooo, something I tried and you might want to as well...I REALLY like the idea of spinning it through the salad spinner after slicing...tried the paper towel and it just kinda clumped all together and was a mess for ME...but you could spin it dry and then toss it with a little oil and lay it on the dehydrator (assuming you have one) WHILE you are making the sauce.

After the sauce is made, then take it out of the dehydrator and prepare as usual. It might not be a dead-ringer, but it will get rid of some of the crunch and wetness and make it closer to pasta IMHO.

[FinallyRaw]

I have a spiral slicer but prefer using the vegetable peeler for zucchini spaghetti, it doesn't get as wet as using the spiral slicer. This is one of my favorite meals, I have it quite often............YUM.

[rawpriestess]

I like what Rawkinloks had to say about the oil and dehydrator.

The way I do it, is I put the sauce (I use marinara) on the zucchini, and then I put it all in the dehydrator, I like my sauce like this, as I don't care for the suace, unless it is a little thicker and more done tasting.

This warms the sauce and the zucchini, and also takes out the extra water.

Then I add some of Alissa's meatloaf recipe, in balls, as meatballs, they are super delicious in this way.

Hope you like it.

[RawTruth]

For me, it's the sauce that makes the zucchini/squash pasta more than just palatable. (I alternate between Alissa's marinara and the Boutenko's Unspaghetti sauce -- with an occasional pesto for variety.) And ... it took a while for me to get the hang of the spiralizer. Once I did, though, I just whip it out (the meal, I mean) -- it's so fast. I'm going to try the suggestion of putting the whole thing in the dehydrator to warm it. I tried just the angelhair and left it too long and it shriveled up to nothing :p . Boy, was I disappointed.

Also, it helped for me to realize that raw recipes are NOT going to be duplicates of the cooked food dishes they're named after. No way. They are usually very different and by just reveling in the freshness and the tastes, we can enjoy it for what it is.

Hope this helps.

[DotfromOz]

Remember those zucchini I mentioned having gotten a few postings back? Well, instead of spiralizing them for pasta, I decided to try doing zucchini chips in my new Nesco.

Sliced 3 zukes and dehydrated 'em. (Got 'em waaaaay too thin...gonna hafta tinker with the thickness.) Anyway, I was checking to see if they were dry enough after a couple of hours. Top two trays were.

And while practicing the mesh sheet flex to get them off without tearing...ummmm...I ATE two full trays of them, they tasted THAT good! :D :D :D

So, the question I have is, would that be the rawie's equivalent of shoveling food into your face directly from the fridge? :eek:

[Rawkinlocs]

Dot, put your thinly sliced zucchini on your fruit roll tray and they don't shrivel up as much and you don't have to worry about them sticking to the mesh tray! I found this out a long time ago and now, I still slice them thinly with the spiral slicer (slicing blade) and just put them on the fruit roll tray rather than the mesh. They still dry fast, but perhaps not AS fast as if on the mesh and they turn out better and have a light, crispness.

RawTruth, if you DO dehydrate the spiralized zucchini, don't leave it too long...again, just as you're making the sauce OR as you stated (haven't tried this one yet) both the sauce and the "noodles" might do well. But if you leave it too long, it will shrivel to practically nothing.

[RawTruth]

But if you leave it too long, it will shrivel to practically nothing.

Yeah, no kidding. I was so disappointed -- they almost disappeared!