Baked Lasagne with Meat Sauce

Ingredients

• •2 quantities Bolognese Meat Sauce
• •egg pasta sheets made with 3 eggs or
• •14 ounces dried lasagne
• •1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• •3 tablespoons butter
• •Béchamel Sauce:
• •3 cups milk
• •1 bay leaf
• •3 mace blades
• •1/2 cup butter
• •1/4 cup all purpose flour
• •salt and ground black pepper

Directions

1. 1Prepare the meat sauce and set aside. Butter a large, shallow casserole, preferably either rectangular or square.
2. 2Make the béchamel sauce by gently heating the milk with the bay leaf and mace in a small saucepan. Melt the butter in a medium heavy-bottomed pan. Add the flour, and mix well with a wire whisk. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Strain the hot milk into the flour and butter, and mix smoothly with the whisk. Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring constantly and cook for 4 to 5 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
3. 3Make the pasta. Do not let it dry out before cutting it into rectangles measuring about 4 1/2 inches wide and the same length as the casserole (this will make it easier to assemble the lasagne later). Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. 4Bring a very large pan of water to a boil. Place a large bowl of cold water near the stove. Cover a work surface with a tablecloth. Add salt to the rapidly boiling water. Drop in 3 or 4 pasta rectangles. Cook very briefly, about 30 seconds. Remove from the pan, using a slotted spoon, and drop into the cold water for about 30 seconds. Pull them out of the water, shaking off the excess water. Lay them out flat without overlapping on the tablecloth. Continue with all the remaining pasta and trimming.
5. 5To assemble the lasagne, spread one large spoonful of the meat sauce over the bottom of the dish. Arrange a layer of pasta in the dish, cutting it with a sharp knife so that it fits well.
6. 6Cover with a thin layer of meat sauce, then one of béchamel. Sprinkle with a litlle cheese. Repeat the layers in the same order, ending with a layer of pasta coated with béchamel. Do nto make more than about six layers of pasta. Use the pasta trimmings to patch any gaps in the pasta. Sprinkle the top with grated Parmesan cheese, and dot with butter.
7. 7Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until brown on top. Remove from the oven and let stand for about 5 minutes before serving. Serve directly from the dish, cutting out rectangular or square sections for each helping.