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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
My daughter doesn’t realize that I’m worth more alive than dead, because I’m sure she’s trying to kill me. She’s being very clever about it, though; she’s trying to make it look like a heart attack.
She has often expressed the wish to eat vegetarian, but she is systematically eliminating the vegetarian foods that I can cook with. She doesn’t like tofu, she is only just tolerant of falafel (I’m still trying to perfect a recipe that she might like), and she outright hates the pre-made meatless meatballs and “meat patties.” Even quinoa, as simple and innocuous as it is, sits on her plate uneaten.
How can I cook vegetarian if she is systematically eliminating all of the popular vegetarian dishes? That banging noise you hear is my head against the refrigerator; a few more good hits and I’ll be exposing brain.
However, she does like vegetarian lasagna, which, if you’ve ever made it you will know, is a labor-intensive dish (both vegetarian and meat-packed types). But it’s OK – I love my daughter and if she requests a vegetarian dish that she will actually enjoy, it’s my pleasure to put in the effort. Why not? I like a challenge!
The root word for lasagna is said to come from the Greek, either from “lasana” meaning a stand for a pot, or possibly “laganon” which is a sheet of pasta cut into strips. Either way, the Romans adopted the word into the Latin and it lived on into the Italian language.
There was a wild rumor that the British invented the dish since the recipe for “loseynes” (pronounced “lasan”) is found in Britain’s oldest cookbook, “The Forme of Cury.” I was going to write down the recipe as it is written in the book but old English is very difficult to read so it would have almost appeared as gibberish.
My best translation of what the cookbook says is, “make a dough and dry it, then make several layers with cheese and sauce, then cook.” That’s it, pretty simple, no other recipe needed, and I’m going to follow that example.
Oh, and did you notice? There’s no meat in this recipe. Lasagna was originally a vegetarian dish.
To give the English their due, “The Forme of Cury” is the oldest recipe for lasagna currently on record. The cookbook was compiled in the year 1390, and the discovery made quite a number of British hearts flutter with pride, but the fact that Britain was once a Roman province makes the idea of lasagna being an aboriginal British invention not quite believable. And while they smugly claim they invented lasagna, they have yet to explain why it has a Greek name.
However, also to the Brits' credit, they are a little truer to the original lasagna idea in that, to this day, they prefer it made with a white (béchamel) sauce as opposed to the tomato sauce that Italians and Americans favor. Tomatoes hadn’t even made their appearance in Europe when this first recipe was recorded, and wouldn’t be used popularly for another 400 years.
The traditional flat noodles with ruffled edges are a throwback to when the pasta was rolled out with simple rollers and then set out in the sun to dry, which resulted in a pasta similar to what we expect when we think of lasagna noodles. In Italy lasagna noodles are usually flat without the ruffle.
The original recipe for lasagna describes layers of dough with sauce between the layers, and baked into more of a flat cake. It eventually evolved into the casserole type dish that we recognize.
Since lasagna was a dish that was cooked in an oven and only the wealthiest homes possessed those, lasagna was considered a very special dish. Even as ovens became common in every home, the many steps and lengthy preparation involved relegated the dish into a rare treat.
Nowadays, with so many time-saving kitchen gadgets, prep time can be managed reasonably. You can even purchase no-boil noodles and put them in without cooking. Yes, please! Less work is better!
I use a mandolin to slice all of the vegetables, and wear a special protective glove so I can use it extra fast without having my fingertips become part of the finished dish (I purchased the glove at The Kitchen Gallery). The mandolin gives you perfect slices quickly and uniformly, much better than using a knife. Besides, you really don’t want to show off a large collection of razor sharp knives if your child is trying to kill you.
Before we get started with the recipe, something I highly recommend is to use a disposable aluminum pan. If you’ve ever washed a lasagna pan, you know what I’m talking about and will love the idea. If you are going to make lasagna you might as well make two at a time and freeze one for a later date.
The great thing about lasagna is that you don’t really need a recipe. You put a cup of pasta sauce on the bottom of a 9-inch by 12-inch baking dish, then a layer of the no-boil noodles, and then go to town any way you want.
I like to start with some ricotta and then just layer on ingredients as I go. Keep in mind that you don’t want to make the layers too thick or tightly packed. You want the cheese to have room to melt downward and the sauce have gaps to bubble upwards so the flavors can meld. Gaps in the layers are good.
When choosing what to put in the lasagna remember there are no rules about what the layers should be. Some suggestions would include zucchini, shiitake or portabella mushrooms, butternut squash, spinach leaves, diced tomatoes and onions or leeks, sliced garlic, eggplant, fresh basil, oregano and thyme.
I also recommend at least three types of cheese; I use mozzarella, Parmesan and ricotta. And let’s not forget, you’ll want your favorite tomato sauce intermingled throughout.
To be totally honest about my own recipe, I also add a layer of my own personal roasted bell pepper sauce in there which we’ll talk about it another day.
As you can tell, with all this pasta dough and cheese and sauce, this is not exactly health food. I didn’t say it wouldn’t be rich, I just said it doesn’t contain meat. You’ll have to excuse me for a moment, I have to make an appointment to change my will.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and put a cup of sauce on the bottom of the pan, spreading it out to cover the entire surface. Add a layer of no-boil lasagna noodles then (my preference) a layer of cheese, then lay a few layers of whatever you chose for veggies, followed by another cup of sauce, noodles, cheese, and then a couple more layers of your favorite ingredients. You don’t have to spread the ricotta too thin since the layers will compress it and the heat of the oven will cause it to flow.
When you’ve completed all of the layers, top it all with a nice layer of shredded mozzarella and Parmesan and a sprinkling of herbs, which will give it a nice color as it bakes.
Cover it with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes or until a knife can pierce the center easily.
Carefully remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese starts to get golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes. This is a very important part of the process, as it gives the melted cheese an opportunity to reset and hold everything together when you cut it. Serve.
Ross A. Christensen is an award-winning gardener and gourmet cook. He is the author of "Sushi A to Z, The Ultimate Guide" and is currently working on a new book. He has been a public speaker for many years and enjoys being involved in the community. Follow him on Twitter, http://twitter.com/Foodiefreak .
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The town hall will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10, at the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center, on Country Club Drive between 9th and 10th streets.
County staff will provide updates on the Lake County Redevelopment Agency activities and other issues of interest including local enforcement activities.
The agenda includes an update from community organizations and the topic of how citizens can help the health of Clear Lake.
This is an opportunity to participate in an open forum discussing critical issues of concern to the Lucerne Community.
For more information, contact Rushing at 707-263-2368 or by email at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
On Wednesday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that he had signed a gaming compact with the 210-member tribe, an important step in clearing the way for the new gaming facility, which will be located on Highway 20 next to the Upper Lake County Park.
“I am pleased we were able to reach an agreement with the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake that benefits the members of the tribe as well as the local community and the state,” said Schwarzenegger.
Tribal Chair Sherry Treppa Bridges said the new casino will have 349 slot machines, six table games, sitdown and fast food restaurants, and a retail shop in a roughly 34,000-square-foot facility, with about 175 employees.
But if the tribe wants to break ground on its new $25 million casino this fall in time for a scheduled spring opening, they must still receive the Legislature's approval, Bridges said.
Bridges said the tribe believes it has a legislative sponsor who will work to get the matter before the Legislature before its last day of business for the session, which is Sept. 11.
After the tribe's land was received into federal trust last fall, the Habematolel immediately began the compact negotiation process, Bridges said.
The 112-page compact Schwarzenegger signed with the Habematolel this week – which has an additional 111-page appendix based on federal regulations for internal gaming controls – follows a blueprint similar to other recently negotiated compact, according to Schwarzenegger spokesman Jeff Macedo.
The compact will run through Dec. 21, 2030, and allows a maximum of 750 slot machines at one gaming facility. Under the compact's terms, the tribe will share 15 percent of annual net win revenues with the state.
Macedo said recent compacts have varied in how they've determined how much of the gaming proceeds will go to the state. The 2004 compacts varied between different options, including per-device fees and two-tier systems.
He said each compact is negotiated as a package. “Each one is negotiated on a tribe-by-tribe basis,” Macedo said.”
The Habematolel's compact provisions calls for binding arbitration before a retired judge for disputes over patron injuries and gambling; environmental protections including a requirement that the tribe prepare an environmental impact report and negotiate mitigation of any off-reservation impacts with the county; the right for employees to collectively bargain; the participation in the state's worker’s compensation system and unemployment insurance program, compliance with federal and state occupational health and safety standards, and enhanced employment discrimination provisions.
In addition, the tribe has agreed to comply with standards that meet or exceed the federal National Indian Gaming Commission standards, will meet or exceed the California Building Code and Public Safety Code and address issues of problem gambling through training, advertising and signage.
The tribe also has agreed to pay into the state's Revenue Sharing Trust Fund when it operates over 349 slot machines. That fund provides $1.1 million annually to each of the state's non-gaming tribes.
County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox credited the tribe for its proactive approach to working with local government. “The tribe went out of their way from day one,” Cox said.
He said the Habematolel and the county have worked out a memorandum of understanding that will help cover law enforcement, traffic, fire and emergency services and more. The agreement was entered into in July of 2006.
“We didn't want them to pay any more than they would have to pay if they were a private business,” said Cox.
The tribe won't be paying taxes, but instead has agreed to an in-lieu contribution that would be an amount equivalent to the property tax value of their 11-acre site, Cox said.
The Habematolel also have agreed to pay a small contribution to the county's marketing department until they build a lodging facility, at which time they would pay an amount equal to the 9-percent transient occupancy – or bed – tax paid by accommodations, he said.
In addition, the tribe has contributed $378,000 to the Lake County Sanitation District, as Lake County News has reported.
Cox said those funds were used for capacity expansion in the Upper Lake area, which was needed regardless of whether or not the casino is built.
Bridges said tribal leaders have been extremely busy in recent weeks, trying to facilitate the necessary work in the Legislature.
Thursday was the last day to get a bill gutted and insert the language approving the compact, and Bridges said it was going to take some maneuvering to get it quickly through committees and to the floor of the legislative houses.
On Monday, when they started discussing the need for the bill with legislators, Bridges said they weren't totally welcomed. However, she added, “We have made some major movement in at least getting through the process.”
The tribe has other work to do in a short amount of time, including completing a few more steps before finalizing its environmental impact report on the casino, said Bridges.
“We expect to open the doors next spring,” said Bridges. “We're targeting May. We've got a very aggressive schedule.”
The groundbreaking is expected this fall, and the building will be handled by the general contractor that did Twin Pine Casino's major expansion, Bridges said.
To view the compact and related appendix please visit http://gov.ca.gov/pdf/press/2009UpperLakeCompactFinal.pdf and http://gov.ca.gov/pdf/press/2009UpperLakeCompactAppendixA.pdf .
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Authorities also arrested at the scene 58-year-old Richard David Blount of Cobb, who appeared to be attempting to set a fire. However, Blount's actual role in the main fire hasn't yet been determined.
South Lake County Fire Protection Battalion Chief Rich Boehm said the fire was dispatched just minutes before noon. It was located in the area of Observation Road and Loch Lomond Road.
A total of about 45 firefighters from South Lake County and Cal fire, as well as inmate crews, responded and got to work quickly, said Boehm.
Several aircraft also had helped with the firefighting effort, Cal Fire reported.
There was a structure that a person was living in that “went real fast,” Boehm said. He estimated the amount of adjacent wildland that burned was about an acre in size.
Shortly after the fire was dispatched, the Lake County Sheriff's Office received a request for assistance from Cal Fire, which reported that two subjects were at the scene obstructing firefighters, according to sheriff's Capt. James Bauman.
Bauman said several patrol units responded to the fire. As deputies were on their way, Cal Fire further reported that the subjects were threatening the crews as they battled the blaze and one of the subjects was screaming that he “was the devil.”
When deputies arrived at the scene, Cal Fire personnel led deputies to an area of the fire line where the two subjects had apparently fled, Bauman said.
Bauman said deputies found Blount kneeling at the fire line trying to light matches. They confronted him and, following a brief struggle, took him into custody.
While he was being arrested Blount threatened to kill one of the deputies, said Bauman.
Blount was immediately transported from the scene of the fire and booked at the Lake County Jail on felony charges of arson and threatening a peace officer, as well as a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest, said Bauman.
He said it's unknown who was the second subject who had been reported to be obstructing Cal Fire crews at the scene, as that individual left prior to the deputies’ arrival.
Boehm said Blount is known to locals as having “some problems,” and his part in the actual fire isn't certain. Officials are continuing to investigate the cause, said Boehm.
Firefighters were expected to have completed mop up on the fire area around 5 p.m. Friday, Boehm said.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at