Roger's View of the World, Love and Seafood Gumbo!
Seize the Day! Put no trust in the morrow! — Horace
Our very hearty lasagna recipe!
Sit back and enjoy!
Roger Freberg
Part of the joy of cooking is in finding the best way to please yourself and those important to you!
A real meat lasagna is one way to appease the carnivore as well as the pasta lover. My daughters always loved a lasagna chock full of: olives, mushrooms, sausage in a lovely modified Marinara sauce with ground beef! Of course, plenty of cheese all around including Mozzarella, Romano, Parmesan, Ricotta and a few surprises!
Our secret to a great lasagna cheese layer is just the right mixture: 7 eggs, 2 lb. Ricotta, 1/2 cup, Parmesan, 1/2 cup Romano, Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder and fresh herbs: parsley &/or dill. Chef Kristin has this mastered! (She’s probably smiling now because Kristin knows we add much more cheese than we show in our recipe).
However, it helps if you start with a great tomato based sauce… like our our “5 Chefs Marinara!” You can always build around something great! We also like to add a dollup or so of sour cream to smooth it out! (sssshhh… that’s a secret!)
So, are you curious?
Here’s our Recipe for our delicious “Meatsa Lasagna!”
Roger Freberg
One of the first cookbooks to buy — after you break out of the basic — is “Larousse Gastronomique”… the classic text of French Cuisine (cuisine means ‘kitchen’). Most people know ‘Larousse’ only for the cookbook, but the truth is that they prepare books on a variety of subjects, including an illustrated medical book.
The first American edition of “Larousse Gastronomique” appeared in 1962 and instantly became an American favorite… however, the first French edition was in 1938 which is also a fun read. The fact that it is in color adds to the charm and it’s over 1000 pages long!
So, where do you start your child? Personally, I have always presented the ‘Better Homes and Garden Cookbook’ as the first cookbook for a young person’s collection. It’s simple ( it actually tells a novice how to boil an egg!) and offers a few variations that are likely to be impressive to others… which is key.
Next, I encourage a young cook to add books of personal interest: books on cookies, candies, crab cakes, cheese, bread and more exotic and fun items like ‘Paella’. After all, the library should be built around what you like — and those around you — might enjoy!
other fun books include:
Great American Cookbook ( an easy cookbook utilizing manufacturer’s packaged products)
The Silver Spoon ( a great Italian Cookbook now printed in America)
and any PTA cookbook can be fun and easy. (I even own one from Jo’berg , South Africa!… a favorite!)
Here’s a great listing of some of the great cookbooks! (The listing is far from complete. No mention of the St Francis Cookbook, Luchow’s, or any of Helen Corbitt’s… but still a great list!)
Remember, excellent cooking is to be shared and enjoyed with others… prepare something for someone you love!
Roger Freberg
Someday, buy the Epicurean by Charles Ranhofer … so many wonderful ideas! Careful! Many of the recipes are designed for groups of 20! But then… the eclairs are marvelous!
Unfortunately, cooking with budgetary or time constraints has an effect on the final product. Quality ingredients and adequate preparation always produce a product you will be proud of… besides, making a wonderful Marinara Sauce is so easy… and yes… so American!
Got some time and want to try something fun!
Roger Freberg
So, if you want to make something memorable for a special occasion and you are ready to throw yourself into making the best… here’s a few ideas on how to approach upgrading your recipes:
Let’s look at a completely Italian-American Invention… “Marinara Sauce”:
Survey the Ingredients lists from various recipes:
We should also look at ‘Spaghetti Sauce’ recipes… so I added a few additional items that occur in some of these sauces at the bottom of the list.
As you can see, there are a lot of similarities… but the differences are significant and reflect issues of ‘cost’ and ‘steps.’
Developing the proportions and the steps are next….
Roger Freberg