Lasagna Bolognese typically takes about four to five hours, but in the end it is so worth it! The story behind this dish comes from my love of pasta and my childhood.

I am the oldest of three children. When my mother went to work aft er we were old enough to be at home along, I often made the dinner for my family. It started out with spaghetti and then, as I got older, it became Lasagna Bolognese.

I typically start out with three types of ground meat: beef, pork and veal. Brown the meat until it’s fully cooked, then add in fresh chopped garlic and a mirepoix (which is two parts chopped onion, one part celery and one part carrots). Salt and pepper to your liking, then cook the veggies. Once they are cooked, add in several cans of tomato paste and then a full bottle of red wine—one that you would drink, not cooking wine.

I also tie up one bunch of fresh thyme in cheesecloth and toss that in with red chile flakes, a little bit of sugar and some balsamic vinegar. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Add enough vegetable stock to cover the meat sauce and let it simmer for about two to three hours, until the liquid reduces to a thick but pourable sauce. Adjust seasoning as needed.

While the sauce is cooking, make the homemade pasta sheets with olive oil, flour and eggs. I use a pasta attachment on my Kitchen Aid stand mixer to roll the pasta dough into seethrough pasta sheets and lay them on kitchen towels, covered, until you’re ready to cook. The next step is grating mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses and slice the fresh mozzarella for a single layer.

After that, I make the béchamel sauce with butter, cream or milk, flour and a little nutmeg, clove and bay leaf. When the sauce is ready, quickly cook the fresh pasta and then assemble and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Let the lasagna sit for 15 minutes or so before serving so the slices hold their shape.