Pile the flour up and form a “well” in the centre; break the eggs into it, add the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Beat everything together slowly with a fork, taking the flour from around the edge, a little at a time, and then continue mixing. When the dough has become fairly compact, work with your hands, incorporating all the flour. Knead vigorously, sprinkling with a little flower every now and then so that the dough doesn’t stick. Halfway through this process, wash and dry your hands: the small pieces of dough stuck to them could ruin the sheet of pasta when your roll it out. Continue for 10-15 minutes, until you obtain a smooth, elastic “ball”; leave it to rest for about 10 minutes, covered with a cotton cloth. With the help of a few handfuls of flour, roll out – here we use the verb “tirare” (= to pull) – a thin sheet of pasta (approx. 2 mm thick) using a rolling pin, or a pasta machine, dividing the dough in two to make it easier. Try to give it an oval shape and leave it to dry, for about 15 minutes, on a tea cloth dusted with a little flour. Cut it into rectangles measuring about 12 x 24 cm, and lay them on a chopping board or another flat surface, once again “dusted” with flour so they don’t stick together. Put a large saucepan full of water on the stove; when it comes to the boil, add a good pinch of coarse salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Fill a large bowl, or a casserole dish, with cold water and place it as close as possible to the stove. Take the lasagna sheets one at a time and slowly drop them, vertically, into the boiling water; only cook a few at a time. They will cook very quickly, after a minute or two (see note) use a slotted spoon to remove them from the pan. Put them straight into the cold water, take them out again and spread them out with your hands, laying them one beside the other on a cotton cloth. Now they are ready to be “dressed”…

The number of recipes for lasagna is practically never-ending (the most classic – Tuscan… Italian! – is with meat ragu), and “pasta al forno” adapts well to all seasons: with fresh ricotta or béchamel sauce and vegetables (zucchini, aubergines, asparagus), with fresh tomato, mozzarella and basil, with anchovies, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms and cooked ham. As well as with Pesto, with Peperotta, with Guazzabuglio and slices of pecorino or other semi-mature cheeses, with onions, peppers, capers and olives, with (or without) cheese and béchamel sauce… the combinations are endless! “Pasta al forno” also has another precious quality: it can be prepared ahead, even the day before, and then be cooked or heated (a little) before serving.

Note: Note: homemade pasta rolled out into thin sheets cooks very quickly; otherwise follow the cooking times indicated on the packet. With the same dough you can of course also prepare any other type of fresh pasta, such as pappardelle, tagliatelle, tagliolini, ravioli…