Lasagna

Saute the finely chopped onion in olive oil one to three minutes until soft and translucent.

Add the crushed garlic and tomato paste and saute about 30 seconds until fragrant and starting to stick.

Add the dried oregano, toast a couple of seconds, then add the can of whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes.

Mash the tomatoes with a potato masher or pastry cutter for a chunky marinara, bring to a simmer, lower the heat and cook gently 45 minutes to an hour with as little water as necessary, adding a whole sprig of basil.

For the pasta, pile the flour on the worktop, make a wide well, add the eggs and kosher salt and beat with a fork, drawing in flour until a thick slurry forms.

Bring together with a bench scraper into a shaggy dough; wrap in plastic and rest 30 minutes so the gluten relaxes and the flour hydrates.

Knead by hand a few minutes until bouncy and supple, or divide into four and pass each through a pasta roller on its widest setting, folding in thirds and passing again to laminate, once or twice if well kneaded and no more than three times if not.

Roll out to about an eighth of an inch, the second thinnest setting, and trim into lasagna sheets, dusting each generously with flour, stacking and keeping them under a moist kitchen towel.

For the bechamel, bring the butter to a bare simmer, whisk in the flour to a thin paste and cook over medium one to two minutes until it smells nutty.

Add the cold milk a splash at a time, fully incorporating each before the next.

Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and cook three to five minutes until thick and glossy, then season with kosher salt, white pepper and freshly grated nutmeg.

Pass through a fine mesh sieve if lumpy, cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface so no skin forms, and cool about 30 minutes.

Optionally crumble and brown the Italian sausage for colour, add the sauce and let the sausage finish cooking as it comes up to a simmer; season with salt and pepper and cool 20 minutes.

Spread a little sauce on the bottom of the pan, then layer: pasta cut to fit with minimal overlap, about a quarter of the sauce, a quarter of the grated mozzarella, about an ounce of grated Parmesan and a generous channel of bechamel, repeating to fill the casserole.

On the top layer go extra light on the sauce and extra heavy on the cheese.

Cover with foil or a lid and bake at 375F for 30 to 45 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and the edges bubble.

Uncover and bake another 15 to 20 minutes until nicely browned, popping any big bubbles with something thin and sharp.

Run a knife or offset spatula around the outside and rest at least 30 minutes before cutting.