Bolognese and Lasagna Bolognese

Make the sofrito:
Combine onion, celery, and carrot in the pan with oil and butter and cook over medium heat until onion turns pale gold.

Sauce:
Add the beef and pork, lightly salt and pepper, and cook until browned. If it is too fatty, drain, then return to the pan.

Deglaze with the wine or broth.

Stir in the tomatoes and paste. Add some garlic powder and basil to taste. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

Add the milk to the mixture.

Move your bolognese to the crock pot and set on high.

Leave the crock pot partially covered.

Cook for 2 1/2 -3 hours, stirring periodically.

If the sauce gets too dry and starts sticking to the crock, just add 1/4 cup of water and scrape up any browned bits.

Taste the sauce for the first time after an hour and adjust seasoning if needed. Keep in mind it still has time to cook and concentrate.

Set the temperature to warm while you prepare your pasta. If the bolognese is too thick, add a little cream or milk.

No Crock pot:
Leave the sauce on the stove and adjust the heat as needed to keep it at a simmer. Keep partially covered. Check frequently because you are more likely to need to add liquid.

Serving:
Cook your pasta until just done. Now you have a couple of options.

One (the traditional method), reserve a small amount of pasta water when you drain. Put some of the bolognese and the pasta water back in the pot with the noodles, turn heat back on, and simmer just until thoroughly coated and thickened.

Two, my preferred method, drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Pour in just enough white sauce to coat. Serve pasta and spoon bolognese over the top. I prefer this method because of how rich this bolognese is. You don't really need very much of it on your pasta.

Put leftover sauce in a jar in the fridge and use within a week.

Lasagna:
Makes 12 servings.

If you haven't made the besciamella (white sauce), make it.

If you are using ricotta or cottage cheese, mix it with a handful of mozzarella and parmesan.

Put enough white sauce in the bottom to cover.

Lay in 3 noodles. Cover with bolognese and a drizzle of white sauce. Sprinkle on some mozzarella.

Lay on 3 more noodles and top with the ricotta or cottage cheese mixture if you are using, or more bolognese and white sauce if you are not.

Lay on 3 more noodles, top with more bolognese, a drizzle of white sauce, and a sprinkle of mozzarella. Repeat for one or two more layers, but leave the mozzarella off the last layer.

Make sure there are no bare noodles on the top or sides. Add white sauce if needed.

Cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Poke the pasta with a knife to see if it is tender, if not, recover and bake 10 more minutes and check again.

Uncover, top with sprinkled mozzarella, and bake 10 more minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Make ahead:
Assemble and cover your lasagna. Freeze.

Put in a 350 degree oven frozen and cook for 1 hour. Check to make sure there is still enough sauce on top, recover, rotate, and bake another 1 hour (45 minutes in a convection oven). Poke noodles with a knife to see if they are tender, if not, recover and bake 10 minutes more and check again.
Uncover, top with sprinkled mozzarella, and bake 10 more minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.