Basil Pesto2 cups fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2/3 cup olive oilAdd all ingredients except olive oil to a food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped. Turn to low and slowly add in olive oil. Process until smooth.Garden Marinara12 ripe Roma tomatoes
1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon white wine vinegarIn a large pot with 4-6 cups of water, add in Roma tomatoes. Bring to a boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat. Pour off hot water and replace with cold water. Allow to cool. Remove the tops of the tomatoes with a knife and peel off all remaining skin. Add to a food processor with the can of undrained San Marzano tomatoes. Pulse on low until completely pureed. In a Dutch oven over low heat, add the olive oil, onion, celery and garlic. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until translucent and tender. Stir in tomato paste until blended. Add in tomatoes and remaining ingredients. Simmer for 2 hours, stirring frequently.Homemade Pasta6 cups all-purpose flour
6 whole eggsPlace the flour on a clean, flat surface and make a well in the middle. In a bowl, beat the eggs, then pour into the well of flour. Slowly incorporate the flour in the eggs to begin forming the dough. Continue to knead until the dough comes together and is smooth. Divide dough into 2 portions and wrap with plastic wrap. Allow to rest for 1 hour. Roll out dough on a floured surface until very thin. You should almost be able to see through it. If you have a pasta machine, follow the directions for your desired pasta. If you do not, simply use a pizza cutter and cut strips to the thickness you prefer. Allow to dry on a floured surface for about 5-10 minutes.Click here to return to the table of contents.Ryn’s (Momma’s) Lasagna (the Cheat and Eat Kind)1 pound ground beef
Salt
Pepper
1 (24 ounce) jar Ragu
1 teaspoon minced garlic (optional)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (optional)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 small container cottage cheese
2 (8 ounce) packages grated mozzarella (or grate your own or use one package 2-4 cups depending on how cheesy you like things, I like CHEESE!)
2 eggs (hard-boiled and chopped)
1 box lasagna noodles
Several pinches salt (for noodle water)Put two pans of water on to boil, one big one for the lasagna noodles that includes a few healthy pinches of salt, one for the hard-boiled eggs. Hard boil your eggs, drain, rinse under cool water, de-shell when they’re cool enough to handle and chop. As per instructions on the box, boil the lasagna noodles. When noodles are al dente, drain and rinse with very cold water. Handling them carefully so as not to break them, lay out on a clean dishtowel.
Preheat oven at 350 degrees and grab yourself a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
Brown ground beef in large skillet or medium saucepan having seasoned it with salt and pepper. Drain any excess grease. Add jar of Ragu. If faking it to make it and pretending to be chefy, add garlic, oregano and pepper flakes so your jar of Ragu might taste some modicum of homemade. Simmer this for a bit just so the flavors can coalesce, but not so long that it reduces.
Assemble your lasagna by starting with a layer of the meaty Ragu sauce at the bottom, then noodles (overlap the edges a hint as you lay them out), then spread some cottage cheese, sprinkle the chopped eggs, scatter some mozzarella, coat with meat sauce and repeat, until you run out of stuff, ending on meat sauce and a dusting of mozzarella.
Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes until bubbling and yummy-looking with the cheese browned. Let it sit for a bit before you dig in.KA Note: Needless to say, the first recipe is Suzanne’s, the second is mine.
You see, Suzanne created this lasagna recipe and I’m all for lasagna in any form. Bonus, I knew Ryn made lasagna in Dream Chaser. Then I read the proof pages for Dream Chaser and was reminded that Ryn is no culinary dynamo, and she made the only recipe she knew, one her mother taught her. I also saw that I gave her the lasagna my mother gave me, except I bastardized it because I didn’t have Mom’s recipe, and I lived in England, and calling her cost a fortune, we were poor as dirt, and she did not do email. So I had to make it up from memory. My ex-husband is a lasagna connoisseur and he adored this lasagna. Shh, don’t tell him it’s totally a cheat!
Therefore, obviously, I had to give both versions to you.
