The best tagliatelle made in Bologna, as by Oretta's mentor, the legendary Sister Attilia, are transparent. In southern Italy, the sfoglia is a bit thicker, but the pasta is just as good.

　　

Ingredients

　　

Step 1

Make pasta all'uovo . When the dough has rested, roll it out with a wooden rolling pin into a thin sheet less than 1/16 inch (1 millimeter) thick. If you use a pasta machine to roll the dough, finish at the smallest setting. If this is too thin for you to handle, stop at the next-to-last setting instead. Nobody will care.

　　

Step 2

Spread the pasta sheet out on the board and roll it loosely like a jellyroll. With a large, sharp knife, cut the roll at less than 1/4-inch (5-millimeter) intervals.

　　

Step 3

You can also use a pasta machine to cut the noodles. In that case, trim the sheet into regular lengths up to 24 inches (60 centimeters). Feed the sheets through the cutting attachment.

　　

Step 4

Fluff the noodles gently with your fingers and set them down in little heaps on floured kitchen towels. Let them dry a bit—just enough so the pieces don't stick together.

　　Excerpted from Sauces & Shapes: Pasta the Italian Way by Oretta Zanini De Vita and Maureen B. Fant. Copyright © 2013 by Oretta Zanini De Vita and Maureen B. Fant. Photographs copyright © 2013 by Gentl & Hyers. With permission of the publisher, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.