Pappardelle

Pappardelle are the widest of the ribbon pastas, and they exist for a reason. These broad noodles were created to carry the substantial ragùs of Tuscany: wild boar braised until it surrenders, hare simmered with wine and herbs, duck cooked slowly with tomatoes and sage. A narrow noodle would be overwhelmed. Pappardelle stands up to these sauces as an equal partner.

The dough is the same as any fresh egg pasta from central Italy: flour and eggs, worked together until smooth and elastic. The skill is in the rolling and the cutting. The sfoglia must be thin enough to cook quickly but sturdy enough to hold the sauce without tearing. Too thick and the pasta is leaden. Too thin and it falls apart under the weight of braised meat.

A hand-crank pasta machine transforms this from an expert skill into a learnable one. The sfogline of Bologna roll by hand with a meter-long rolling pin, standing at a low table, working the dough in circular motions until it becomes nearly transparent. You can achieve excellent results with a machine. What matters is the final thickness and the feel of the dough in your hands. The rest is practice.