There’s nothing quite like fresh pasta—the making of it or the eating. You work flour and eggs into a stiff but malleable dough and then roll it out into sheer, sun-yellow sheets. Each one can be draped like fabric in a layered casserole, ready to wrap up a ragu or lush ricotta or cut into delicate ribbons or shapes. Its chew is tender but pliant, entirely different from the sturdy uniformity of dried pasta. The yolky richness hints at custard.
Machines speed the process, but pasta “fatta a mano” (pasta made by hand) is one of the oldest and simplest forms of handmade food and arguably one of the most gratifying. That said, it can take some
