Pappardelle with Ricotta & Spinach

Pasta is clearly a gift from the Florentine Gods. It's quite literally worshipped in our home. A pasta maker was a priority item on our registry, but we didn't expect the intimidation that would come with receiving it. It took us a couple months to finally try out and, while it's an investment of time, we can't imagine making pasta any other way. With its thick, egg-y consistency, exotic look, and simple shape to mold, pappardelle has always been a favorite style for us. But after visiting Tuscany and learning of its origination in that region, it's all the more special and sentimental. We were constantly surprised at how light the pasta dishes were in Tuscany. Even the dishes with meat sauces somehow seemed weightless. It's all about a beautiful pasta shape topped with airy, farm fresh ingredients. We wanted to take a stab at a dish like this and decided to mix Mario Batali's homemade pasta recipe with Cooking Light's ricotta-spinach sauce. Confession: this wasn't made on a Saturday. Last Saturday we spent the night out of town with close friends (one of whom happens to be a chef) and will be posting his AMAZING recipe that we stayed in to cook! Stay tuned! But until then...

Newlywed Note

Mario Batali's homemade pasta recipe is the best we've found so far. But it's nearly impossible to achieve without a pasta machine since no human can roll dough that flat (we tried). We always add a few extra teaspoons of salt while the pasta is boiling. Otherwise, the simple mixture of flour and egg tends to taste bland. The hardest part is not letting the cooked pasta stick together. Tongs are key! The secret ingredient to the sauce is the WALNUTS! We bought glazed ones by accident and it turned out to be the best part. Overall, loved this recipe- the look, the taste and the fact that it left us feeling satisfied rather than glutinous.

Served in a wide pasta bowl and garnished with a dollop of ricotta so you can mix in yourselves.