A Note on Technique

Egg pasta is rolled in sheets before cutting or shaping. This is normally done with a machine nowadays (domestic ones are inexpensive), which is reliable and easy to do. Roll the pasta on the thickest setting, then fold and turn 90°, repeating a few times to stretch the gluten in all directions before starting to roll progressively thinner. The traditional way, unsurprisingly, is to use a long (several foot) rolling pin and a flat wooden table. The pasta sheet is rolled into a large disc, and when too large and thin to work effectively is allowed to coil around the rolling pin like a sheet of wrapping paper. It is rolled until loose on the pin, then uncurled and re-rolled tight to the pin, the process repeated until the pasta is thin enough. As opposed to the mechanical method, this has the advantage of allowing (necessitating, in fact) the use of a softer, wetter dough, which in turn yields a more elastic, magical pasta when cooked. The disadvantage is the practice required to achieve any sort of results. Up to you…