Instructions

Bolognese

1. Combine the vegetables and garlic in a processor and mix until they're finely chopped.
2. Heat a large Dutch oven or saucepan on the stovetop, add the oil, and once hot, add the vegetables and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until soft and starting to brown a bit.
3. Add the pork and beef (and pancetta or bacon, if using) and cook until brown. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a spoon as you stir if it's getting dark. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another few minutes. Add the liquid ingredients - red wine first, allowing to reduce for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes, milk, and stock. Add the bay leaves.
4. Simmer the sauce, uncovered, for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. You may need to add more chicken stock (or water) if the sauce starts to get too dry. When it's done, fish out the bay leaves and leave to cool for 20 minutes (refrigerate when cool if assembling lasagna the next day).

Pasta

1. Combine the flour, eggs and salt in a food processor. Mix until it starts to come together (test it with your hands). If it doesn't stick, add a little water (just a couple of teaspoons at a time). Remove from the processor and work it into a ball on a floured surface. Let rest for an hour under a bowl or in cling wrap at room temperature.
2. Once it's rested, separate into several equal pieces (about 1/2 cup each) and run them through your pasta roller. Start with the widest setting, running through at least a couple of times, before moving to the next level.
3. When starting out, it's better to work the dough through a few times on the widest setting (0 or 1). Run it through once, then refold the dough, turn it 90 degrees, and run it through again. Repeat a few times, and then just run it through at this setting without folding. You should start to feel the dough turning “plastic” and smooth. Once you get to this stage, move the rollers together one level and run it through again. You can add a little flour if the strip is sticking to the roller too much.
4. Repeat a couple of times at each level before moving down to the next.
5. Lay the rolled noodle onto your floured surface and cut to fit your lasagna dish. You can be very approximate with noodle lengths, since you can easily cut pieces to fit into a layer.
6. Stack the noodles between floured wax paper when you've made more than you can fit on your countertop.

Sauce

1. On medium heat, melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add the flour, stir and cook for a minute. Add 1/4 cup of the milk in a slow drizzle, whisking constantly until smooth. Add another 1/4 cup and whisk until smooth. Then add the rest and whisk again.
2. Add the salt, garlic, nutmeg, and few grinds of black pepper, bring the mixture to a lower simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.
3. Turn off heat and stir in fontina, a handful at a time, until melted. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Assembling

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a 9x13-inch rectangular baking dish, spread 1/4 cup of the béchamel. Add the first pasta layer, cutting pieces as needed to fill the dish. Ladle 1 generous cup bolognese sauce over the noodles, spreading it evenly. Drizzle 1/2 cup béchamel over the bolognese. Sprinkle the layer with 1/3 cup parmesan cheese.
3. Repeat this process (pasta, bolognese, béchamel, parmesan) until the dish is filled (you might get 4 or 5 layers) and end with a layer of pasta. Spread over a 1/4 cup of the béchamel (or whatever you have left) and sprinkle 1/3 cup of parmesan.
4. Bake for around 40 minutes until bubbly and browned on top. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes before cutting.