Lasagna with bechamel

Finely chop two onions and cook them in about a third of a cup of olive oil with a little salt over medium-high heat.

Cook 8 to 10 minutes, until soft and golden.

Add 10 to 12 garlic cloves and warm them through.

Add four pounds of ground beef, season with black pepper and two teaspoons of salt and cook on medium-high until the pinkness is gone.

Add two 15 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes, rinsing the cans out with water into the pot.

Add about 30 ounces of water in total, plus the red pepper flakes, thyme and half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon.

Cook about 40 minutes, partly covered, until the added water has evaporated and the sauce is thick.

For the bechamel, cook three quarters of a cup of all-purpose flour with three quarters of a cup of olive oil over medium heat until toasted and the raw flour taste is gone.

Add five cups of cold whole milk and mix smooth, seasoning with a quarter teaspoon of ground nutmeg, freshly cracked black pepper and a little salt.

Whisk until it comes to a boil and thickens, then take it off the heat.

Temper three eggs by whisking a little of the hot bechamel into them, then whisk the eggs back into the pan off the heat.

Whisk in a big handful of Parmesan cheese and set the sauce aside.

Off the heat, taste for salt and stir in the chopped parsley and a teaspoon of oregano.

Bring a big pot of water to a boil and salt it well with two to three teaspoons.

Boil one pack of lasagna noodles at a time to al dente -- the package says eight minutes, so pull them at seven -- separating them with tongs as they cook.

Pour olive oil over the drained noodles and lay them out on parchment paper so they do not stick together.

Mix 15 ounces of ricotta and more Parmesan into the bechamel and taste for salt.

In a foil tray, spread a very thin layer of meat sauce, then a layer of noodles.

Add another layer of meat sauce, then the cream sauce, then sprinkled mozzarella, and keep layering pasta, meat sauce, cream sauce and mozzarella.

Finish with cream sauce and mozzarella on top; three layers of pasta in total.

For a third tray, layer the remaining meat sauce and noodles with jarred pasta sauce and cheese in place of the cream sauce, finishing with mozzarella.

To bake now: about 45 minutes at 350 to 375F until bubbly -- covered with foil for the first 30 minutes, then uncovered for the last 15 to go golden.

To freeze: cool, cover with one or two layers of aluminum foil and label it.

To cook from frozen: thaw a day ahead in the refrigerator, bake covered at 375F for 30 minutes, then uncovered at 400F another 15 minutes until bubbly and golden.