Lasagna di Silvio

This is my all-time favorite Italian meal... the first and last meal I had in Italia. Che buonissimo! (Silvio was the chef at the Mission Home... and is now about to open a restaurant in Salt Lake!)

Ragu (red sauce):
1 finely chopped small onion
2 finely chopped garlic cloves
1 carrot - grated
1 celery stalk - grated
1-2 TBSP Olive Oil

Saute the above ingredients together and then add 1 pound of hamburger and cook on a low heat.

Add basil, oregano, and parsley and 1 qt of tomato juice (2 cans of diced tomatoes, blended beforehand. I would drain some of the juice in the cans before blending the tomatoes and would add tomato paste or sauce to thicken it if necessary).

Simmer the sauce on a very low heat for 45 minutes to an hour, with the lid on the pot.

Besciamella:
3 cups of roux (1/3 c. butter, 1/3 c. flour, and 2 1/2 cups milk. Blend butter and flour over low heat and add milk. Blend. (Sauce needs to be relatively thick, so maybe add 1/2 c. flour.)

In the lasagna pan:
Cover the bottom with red sauce
Layer: Lasagna noodles (the thin kind!! no ruffles on the edges!), red sauce, besciamella, fresh mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. (Silvio's lasagna has about 7 layers of noodles).

Cook at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Don't let the top get too dark.
Buon appetito!