squares. Repeat with the remaining sheets. You should get 8 to 10 squares from each sheet or 16 to 20 squares total. As you work, lightly mist the pasta with water to keep it from drying out. Use the pasta squares immediately, or freeze them in a single layer, transfer them to a zipper-lock bag, and freeze them for up to 1 month. Take the pasta straight from the freezer to the boiling pasta water.

Have ready a large bowl of ice water. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Working in batches to prevent crowding, drop in the pasta squares and cover the pot to quickly return the water to a boil. Blanch the pasta for 15 to 20 seconds, stirring gently to prevent sticking.semolina and water that is pinched into pieces and shaped over a fingertip into "little ears." Sardinian lorighittas are strands of doubled-up fresh spaghetti twisted by hand into ring shapes known as loriga. And strozzapreti, "priest stranglers," are but little strips of dough rolled between palms to create a short rope-like shape—perhaps a wry reference to the gluttony of priests.

The stories behind these pasta shapes are half their charm. This chapter barely scratches the surface of the hundreds of Italian pastas you can make by hand. Some here are old-school, like cavatelli and testaroli; others, such as dove pasta, are original creations. None is very difficult to make. If you've read the other chapters in this book, you'll understand all the basics of making and handling these simple