6 ounces fontina cheese (grated or vegetarian melting cheese)
3.5 ounces Parmigiano Reggiano or grana (grated or vegetarian hard cheese)
2 eggs
17 ounces béchamel (white sauce) (if using ready made )
salt (for pasta and to taste)
black pepper (to taste)
butter (as required)
3.5 ounces butter
3.5 ounces all purpose flour
1 pinch salt
2 pints milk
Instructions:
In a saucepan let the butter melt over a moderate flame. Add the flour a little at a time, stir carefully and make sure any lumps of flour dissolve until you have a smooth roux. Then pour in the milk a little at a time, continuing to stir until it starts to thicken. Add a pinch of salt. Continuing stirring until the béchamel is thick enough. If it gets too thick you can add more milk. Set aside and allow to cool.
Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again. Cook the pasta a little less than al dente, according to the instructions on the packet. When the pasta is ready, drain and rinse under cold running water so that it doesn’t continue cooking.
Put the cooled (or ready made) béchamel in a bowl with the eggs and 1/3 of Parmigiano Reggiano/grana, add salt, pepper and mix with a whisk. Add the cooked pasta shells to the bowl and mix gently.
Coarsely grate the fontina; butter your oven dishes/dish and make a layer of the pasta with sauce in the bottom. Cover with grated fontina and add another layer of pasta and then fontina. When you have used up all the pasta and fontina, cover the top with the remaining grana or Parmigiano. Add a few flakes of butter to the top.
Bake at 180 ° C (356°F) for 25 minutes, until a golden crust has formed on the surface of the pasta. Serve immediately while the sauce is creamy.