For the life of me, I can't figure out why our home-canned sauce separates out
when I put it on a bed of spaghetti. Within seconds, there's a nice thick
sauce on top, with a bunch of water lying on the plate, which I always have to
drain off. But for pizza and lasagna, I've found a solution. I carefully
pour out a pint of sauce fresh out of the jar, and onto a tilted cutting board
over the sink. It's thick enough to stay in place, but within seconds, the
water begins to seep out. After about 20 minutes it's the most beautiful,
thick sauce you've ever seen. Then I add the herbs and spread it on the
dough. Really helps to make a delicious, crispy pizza. I have one underway
this moment, actually. : ) Thought I'd pass on a good tip!
Ken

Ken Anderson wrote:
>
> For the life of me, I can't figure out why our home-canned sauce separates out
> when I put it on a bed of spaghetti. Within seconds, there's a nice thick
> sauce on top, with a bunch of water lying on the plate, which I always have to
> drain off. But for pizza and lasagna, I've found a solution. I carefully
> pour out a pint of sauce fresh out of the jar, and onto a tilted cutting board
> over the sink. It's thick enough to stay in place, but within seconds, the
> water begins to seep out. After about 20 minutes it's the most beautiful,
> thick sauce you've ever seen. Then I add the herbs and spread it on the
> dough. Really helps to make a delicious, crispy pizza. I have one underway
> this moment, actually. : ) Thought I'd pass on a good tip!
> Ken



A coffee filter set in a sieve/strainer might do the trick, too,
without the danger that your whole sauce would slide down the
cutting board into the sink and down the drain. :-(

gloria p

"Ken Anderson" > wrote:

>For the life of me, I can't figure out why our home-canned sauce separates out
>when I put it on a bed of spaghetti. Within seconds, there's a nice thick
>sauce on top, with a bunch of water lying on the plate, which I always have to
>drain off. But for pizza and lasagna, I've found a solution. I carefully
>pour out a pint of sauce fresh out of the jar, and onto a tilted cutting board
>over the sink. It's thick enough to stay in place, but within seconds, the
>water begins to seep out. After about 20 minutes it's the most beautiful,
>thick sauce you've ever seen. Then I add the herbs and spread it on the
>dough. Really helps to make a delicious, crispy pizza. I have one underway
>this moment, actually. : ) Thought I'd pass on a good tip!
>Ken

I'd say you are not cooking the sauce long enough before canning it.
If, while the sauce is simmering, you take out a tablespoonful, put it
on a plate and it separates, it has not cooked long enough.
It should pretty well reduce by half but, it has to be watched very
carefully and stirred almost constantly for the last while to prevent
scorching.
I made a stirrer that fits my stockpot, powered by a barbecue
rotisserie motor, that takes the worry out of the job.

Ross

"Ken Anderson" > wrote:

> For the life of me, I can't figure out why our home-canned sauce separates out
> when I put it on a bed of spaghetti. Within seconds, there's a nice thick
> sauce on top, with a bunch of water lying on the plate, which I always have to
> drain off. But for pizza and lasagna, I've found a solution. I carefully
> pour out a pint of sauce fresh out of the jar, and onto a tilted cutting board
> over the sink. It's thick enough to stay in place, but within seconds, the
> water begins to seep out. After about 20 minutes it's the most beautiful,
> thick sauce you've ever seen. Then I add the herbs and spread it on the
> dough. Really helps to make a delicious, crispy pizza. I have one underway
> this moment, actually. : ) Thought I'd pass on a good tip!
> Ken
>

I solved this problem by placing the spaghetti on a slice of garlic
bread first. :-)

"Ken Anderson" > wrote in message
...
> For the life of me, I can't figure out why our home-canned sauce separates
out
> when I put it on a bed of spaghetti. Within seconds, there's a nice thick
> sauce on top, with a bunch of water lying on the plate, which I always
have to
> drain off. But for pizza and lasagna, I've found a solution. I carefully
> pour out a pint of sauce fresh out of the jar, and onto a tilted cutting
board
> over the sink. It's thick enough to stay in place, but within seconds,
the
> water begins to seep out. After about 20 minutes it's the most beautiful,
> thick sauce you've ever seen. Then I add the herbs and spread it on the
> dough. Really helps to make a delicious, crispy pizza. I have one
underway
> this moment, actually. : ) Thought I'd pass on a good tip!
> Ken

For the life of me I cannot figure out whether you are talking about pizza
sauce (which we do not use) or pasta sauce. Not all sauces are thick, but
those that are meant to be, stay as we want them because pasta in the
Italian home is quickly drained at just before al dente and tossed in the
hot pan of sauce, cooking for a minute, maybe. The smoking hot pasta
absorbs the watery, but tasty, part you are draining off.
Artusi would then have you add a bit of butter, but modern Italians will use
a glug of good olive oil very often.

il Sat, 06 Mar 2004 08:37:44 GMT, "Judith Umbria" ha scritto:


> For the life of me I cannot figure out whether you are talking about pizza
> sauce (which we do not use) or pasta sauce. Not all sauces are thick, but
> those that are meant to be, stay as we want them because pasta in the
> Italian home is quickly drained at just before al dente and tossed in the
> hot pan of sauce, cooking for a minute, maybe. The smoking hot pasta
> absorbs the watery, but tasty, part you are draining off.
> Artusi would then have you add a bit of butter, but modern Italians will use
> a glug of good olive oil very often.

Ooh, what part of Umbria are you from? 'Il cuore verde' as the
tourist office says. :-)


--
Cheers,
Loki [ Brevity is the soul of wit. W.Shakespeare ]

"Loki" > wrote in message
...
> il Sat, 06 Mar 2004 08:37:44 GMT, "Judith Umbria" ha scritto:

> Ooh, what part of Umbria are you from? 'Il cuore verde' as the
> tourist office says. :-)
>
>
> --
> Cheers,
>
I live in Citta di Castello, in northern Umbria. Off the beaten track and
just wonderful for it.

il Sun, 07 Mar 2004 18:21:26 GMT, "Judith Umbria" ha scritto:

>
> "Loki" > wrote in message
> ...
> > il Sat, 06 Mar 2004 08:37:44 GMT, "Judith Umbria" ha scritto:
>
> > Ooh, what part of Umbria are you from? 'Il cuore verde' as the
> > tourist office says. :-)
> >
> >
> > --
> > Cheers,
> >
> I live in Citta di Castello, in northern Umbria. Off the beaten track and
> just wonderful for it.

I do believe I've been there. If it's the town I'm thinking of, I
attended an open air concert during the Jazz festival some years ago.
The Army Band, or Carabinieri, or some other uniformed bunch were
playing in a tiny square. We all sat on trestles.

I miss italian food ;-) (just to keep on topic) those cheeses
mmmmmmmmmm. antipasti double mmmmmmmmm.
--
Cheers,
Loki [ Brevity is the soul of wit. W.Shakespeare ]

It may not be the sauce. It may be the pasta. My Mom's did that
occassionally fresh from the pot. I only had it happen rarely. I find that
the pasta needs to either be drained and set aside until it's quite free
from steam and slighty sticky or the paste needs to be put into the sauce
and cooked together for a couple minutesso that any excess water is
evaporated and sticks to the pasta. Also, never rinse the pasta. The
slightly starchy water helps the sauce adhere.

D.

"Ken Anderson" > wrote in message
...
> For the life of me, I can't figure out why our home-canned sauce separates
out
> when I put it on a bed of spaghetti. Within seconds, there's a nice thick
> sauce on top, with a bunch of water lying on the plate, which I always
have to
> drain off. But for pizza and lasagna, I've found a solution. I carefully
> pour out a pint of sauce fresh out of the jar, and onto a tilted cutting
board
> over the sink. It's thick enough to stay in place, but within seconds,
the
> water begins to seep out. After about 20 minutes it's the most beautiful,
> thick sauce you've ever seen. Then I add the herbs and spread it on the
> dough. Really helps to make a delicious, crispy pizza. I have one
underway
> this moment, actually. : ) Thought I'd pass on a good tip!
> Ken
>
>

"Ken Anderson" > wrote in message
...
> For the life of me, I can't figure out why our home-canned sauce separates
out
> when I put it on a bed of spaghetti. Within seconds, there's a nice thick
> sauce on top, with a bunch of water lying on the plate, which I always
have to
> drain off. But for pizza and lasagna, I've found a solution. I carefully
> pour out a pint of sauce fresh out of the jar, and onto a tilted cutting
board
> over the sink. It's thick enough to stay in place, but within seconds,
the
> water begins to seep out. After about 20 minutes it's the most beautiful,
> thick sauce you've ever seen. Then I add the herbs and spread it on the
> dough. Really helps to make a delicious, crispy pizza. I have one
underway
> this moment, actually. : ) Thought I'd pass on a good tip!
> Ken
>

Hey Ken, I don't know how you prepare your sauce, but I solved the same
problem by draining my tomatos (crushed and canned at whichever factory) in
a strainer over a pot and then cooking/thickening that watery liquid before
adding the rest of the crushed tomatos. Takes to make sauce, but I don't
have a water problem anymore. I also add spices and herbs to the water
while it thickens. I figure it can't hurt!

--
Mark W. Stevens
www.goatlike.com - unusual watercolors
eBay Id: goatlike