Real Italian Lasagna

For the pasta

Create a well on your worktop with both flours and pour the eggs in the middle. Mix with a fork to start, then use your hands when the eggs and flour start to bind together. Knead with energy by stretching and pulling your dough back together. This will activate the gluten in the flour, giving you an elastic dough. 

When smooth and elastic, and all is absorbed and incorporated, wrap the dough and let it rest for about 30 minutes in the fridge. 

With the help of a pasta machine, roll the dough into thin rectangular sheets about 1mm thick. Let them dry, floured, for 15 minutes on your bench, and then pass them again in the machine at the same setting. This will make them more porous. Dust with a little flour and keep the pasta sheets between parchment, ready to be used.

For the béchamel

Melt the butter in a casserole pan and add the flour. Cook and mix with a spatula for about 3 minutes until you have a golden roux. 

Pour in warmed milk and bring everything to the boil while sporadically mixing with a whisk. Season with salt and grated nutmeg and set aside.

For the ragù

In a large pot, roast the minced meats with olive oil and butter until lightly browned and caramelised. 

Add the chopped vegetables and sweat for a few minutes while mixing every now and then. 

Create a bouquet with the herbs, wrap it in kitchen twine and add it to the pot. 

When everything is golden, pour in the wine, let the alcohol evaporate, add the tomatoes and season to taste.

Simmer slowly for a couple of hours and add water or stock if needed and a spoon of tomato paste for a richer flavour. 

When ready, add a splash of milk to the ragù to mitigate the tomato acidity. Keep ready on the side.

To build the lasagna

Grease a deep oven-proof dish with butter and spread béchamel and ragù on the bottom. 

Add the first pasta sheet and cover with a few spoons of béchamel and ragù and a few little knobs of butter, plus plenty of grated grana padano. 

Repeat the layering until you have reached the top of the dish or have a 5-layer lasagna at least. Remember to dress each layer equally and not to leave areas of the pasta uncovered, especially on the last layer, which will crisp up a little when in the oven. 

Bake at 160°C for about 45 minutes until golden on top. If the lasagna is getting too dark on the top but still looks very runny, cover with foil and cook for a few more minutes.