Spinach pasta is essential to Pasticciata Bolognese (page 200), but you can enjoy it in all the cuts and shapes of fresh pasta. It is best to start prepping the spinach well ahead of time, as detailed in the recipe, for the best texture. You can always freeze the dough until you need it. Spinach pasta is usually more moist than other fresh pastas and so will cook more quickly.

　　

Ingredients

about 20 ounces spinach dough, enough for one pasticciata bolognese or cut pasta to serve 8

　　One 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, or 10 ounces fresh small leaf spinach

　　2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and rolling

　　2 large whole eggs

　　2 egg yolks

　　1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

　　

Preparing the Spinach in Advance

Step 1

If you’re using frozen spinach, start thawing it a day before making the pasta. Take the frozen block out of the box, put it in a colander over a bowl, and let it thaw completely and drain for a day in the refrigerator, or overnight at room temperature. Squeeze the thawed spinach by handfuls to press out as much liquid as possible.

　　

Step 2

If you’re using fresh spinach, try to start a day ahead. Wash it thoroughly in several changes of cold water, remove the stems, and cook it for 5 minutes or more in a large volume of boiling water. Remove the spinach from the pot, and let it drain and cool in a colander; then squeeze out as much water as possible. If possible, let it drain and dry in the colander overnight. Squeeze the spinach again the next day.

　　

Step 3

With either kind of spinach, when you think you’ve squeezed it enough, squeeze it again, by handfuls, using all your might. The drier the spinach, the better the pasta.

　　

Puréeing the Spinach and Making the Dough in a Food Processor

Step 4

Crumble the spinach into the food-processor bowl and purée it thoroughly, scraping it off the sides. With the spinach and the blade in place, add the flour and pulse to blend with the spinach, scraping as necessary.

　　

Step 5

Whisk together the whole eggs, yolks, and oil in a bowl or measuring cup with a spout. With the food processor running, pour in the liquid ingredients on top of the green flour. Process for about 30 seconds, scrape down the work-bowl, and scrape in all the egg residue too. Process another 20 to 30 seconds, until the dough has started to come together in a ball on the blade.

　　

Step 6

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly, until it’s smooth. Wrap well in plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling. Store for 2 days in the refrigerator, or for 3 months in the freezer.

　　From Lidia's Family table by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Copyright (c) 2004 by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Published by Knopf.Lidia Bastianich hosts the hugely popular PBS show, "Lidia's Italian-American kitchen" and owns restaurants in New York City, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh. Also the author of Lidia's Italian Table and Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen, she lives in Douglaston, New York. Jay Jacob's journalism has appeared in many national magazines.From the Trade Paperback edition.