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Lasagne alla bolognese the way Emilia-Romagna builds it, thin pasta layered with a long cooked meat ragu and white bechamel. No ricotta anywhere near it.
Cook the chopped onion, the 100 g carrot and the 12 g garlic in the 15 ml olive oil over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the 400 g beef and 200 g pork and fry for 10 minutes until the liquid has gone and the meat browns.
Stir in the tomato paste, the 400 g canned tomatoes and 100 ml of the milk, season and simmer with the lid ajar for 60 minutes until thick and glossy. A short sauce makes a watery lasagna, so give it the full hour.
Melt the 5 tablespoons butter, whisk in the 0.35 cup flour and cook 2 minutes, then add the remaining 500 ml milk in stages, whisking, until it thickens into a pourable white sauce. Season with the nutmeg and salt.
In a 20 by 30 cm dish alternate lasagna sheets, ragu, a ladle of bechamel and grated parmesan, four layers deep. Every pasta layer needs bechamel rather than ricotta, which is what keeps the slices creamy instead of grainy.
Finish with bechamel, the 150 g mozzarella and the last parmesan. Bake at 190°C for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is golden brown and the edges bubble.
Rest for 15 minutes before cutting so the layers set and hold their shape on the plate.
