Lasagne

Chop the onion, carrot and celery very finely, no bigger than 5 mm. Heat the olive oil and 30 g of the butter in a wide, heavy pan over medium heat. Cook the vegetables for 8–10 minutes, stirring, until soft and golden. Add the beef and pork, break them up with a spoon, season with salt and cook for 10–12 minutes, until the liquid has gone and the meat is browned and starting to stick to the pan. Browning is where the depth of the ragù comes from.

• onion150 g
• carrot100 g
• celery100 g
• olive oil2 tbsp
• butter30 g
• minced beef300 g
• minced pork150 g
• saltto taste

Pour in the wine and let it bubble for 2 minutes, scraping up the browned bits, until the smell of alcohol is gone. Stir in the tomato paste, the passata, 100 ml of the milk and the water, with a little salt and pepper. Bring to a bare simmer, cover with the lid slightly open and cook for 90–120 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. It is ready when the sauce is thick, dark and glossy and a line drawn through it stays open. Add a splash of water if it dries out.

• white wine100 mL
• tomato paste2 tbsp
• tomato sauce400 mL
• milk100 mL
• water250 mL
• saltto taste
• black pepperto taste

Warm the remaining 700 ml of milk in a small pan. Melt the remaining 60 g of butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute without letting it colour. Add the warm milk a ladle at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Simmer gently for 8–10 minutes, whisking, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon like thin custard. Season with a pinch of nutmeg and salt, and cover the surface to stop a skin forming.

• butter60 g
• wheat flour60 g
• milk700 mL
• nutmeg1 pinch
• saltto taste

Heat the oven to 180 °C. Grate the Parmigiano Reggiano. In a 20 x 30 cm dish, spread a thin layer of ragù, then lay down sheets of pasta, a layer of ragù, a layer of béchamel and a sprinkle of cheese. Repeat for four layers of pasta in all, about three sheets each, keeping the layers thin and even. Finish with the last of the béchamel, spread to the edges, and the remaining Parmigiano. Do not precook dried sheets: the sauces are loose enough to soften them.

• pasta250 g
• Parmigiano Reggiano80 g

Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake at 180 °C for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for 10–15 minutes more, until the top is golden, the edges are crisp and the sauce bubbles at the sides. A knife slid into the centre should meet no resistance. Leave the lasagne to rest for 15 minutes before cutting. The layers set as it cools slightly, and a rested slice stands up on the plate instead of sliding apart.