Preparation

• 1
  Hard boil the eggs then cool, peel and chop finely. Cover and set aside.
• 2
  Grate the parmesan cheese, chop the mozzarella into small pieces, then place both into bowls, cover and set aside.
• 3
  Peel and chop the onion then peel and grate the carrots. To make the tomato sauce, gently sauté the onion in a tablespoon of olive oil and 15g of butter for 2-3 minutes then add the grated carrot and cook for another 4 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and the sugar then cover and simmer very gently for about 40 minutes. Blend until smooth then season with salt and black pepper. Chop a handful each of parsley and basil leaves and stir in.
• 4
  Meanwhile, make the béchamel sauce. Melt 85g of butter in a large saucepan and gradually stir in the sifted flour to make a thick paste. Add the milk a little at a time, stirring it until it is smooth before adding more, until it is all combined. Simmer gently and stir for a minute or two then stir in most of the parmesan, reserving a handful to scatter on the top of the pasta at the end. When the cheese has melted into the sauce, add a good grating of fresh nutmeg and season with salt and black pepper.
• 5
  Preheat the oven to 190 degrees, 170 degrees fan oven.
• 6
  Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling water until just before it is cooked, then drain. Return to the pan and toss in a splash of olive oil to separate the pieces.
• 7
  Take 2 oven dishes and layer the ingredients. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom, then cover with half of the pasta. Sprinkle on half of the chopped mozzarella and hard-boiled egg. Spoon on just enough béchamel sauce to cover. Next add the remaining pasta followed by a final layer of mozzarella and egg and covered with the tomato sauce
• 8
  shake gently to allow it to settle. Spoon on the rest of the béchamel sauce and scatter the reserved parmesan cheese on the top.
• 9
  Bake for about an hour then turn off the oven, cover with foil and leave in there for about another 15 minutes before serving.