After what has seemed like an extraordinarily busy 3/4 of a year, I have begun cooking on a more regular basis. I have been able to read some of the books that I got for my birthday way back in March. The one I’ve been reading the most of late is Cooking by Hand, by Paul Bertolli. Since today is National Pasta Day, I thought it appropriate to write a bit about the pasta dishes I have been making.

I have been making homemade pasta for many years, first using the recipe for egg noodles in the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook that my parents gave me when I first moved into an apartment while in college. More recently, I have been using the recipe for egg pasta from How to Cook Everything, by Mark Bittman. I have tried adding semolina flour in various ratios to the All Purpose flour that the recipe listed. All of these pastas were good, and if I hadn’t tried anything else I would have definitely been satisfied.

Bertolli’s Whole-Egg Pasta recipe calls for Artisan flour. I have opted to use high-gluten flour that I have found in the bulk section of one of the local grocery stores. The recipe also calls for two whole eggs (rather than the combination of whole eggs and egg yolks that the previous recipes did) and a small amount of water. What I have discovered is that the texture of the dough in this recipe is velvety smooth and the texture of cooked noodles is more tender, even when cooked to al dente.

What I’ve also determined is that the pasta from this recipe is extremely versatile in how it can be served. I’ve made it to go with a vegetable sauté, added it to a thick soup and also to pair with a hearty ragu. Ultimately, it is the new favorite in my house.