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thinnest. Hand-cut the pasta into pappardelle—strips about ¾ inch wide and 10 inches long.
    Gather the pappardelle in your hands and shake them loose so the strands don’t stick together. Toss with some semolina flour. Divide into separate serving portions on a baking sheet. (This also helps to prevent the pasta from sticking together.)
    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 3 minutes, or until al dente. Drain.
    IMPORTANTE!   Fresh pasta is best enjoyed the same day you make it. If you’ve made the pappardelle in the morning, you can keep it divided into serving portions on a baking sheet covered with a kitchen towel, preferably in a cool area, before cooking it for lunch or dinner. Although not ideal, if you intend to eat it the next day, keep it in the refrigerator overnight on a baking sheet dusted with semolina flour.

RED SAUCE
    SUGO DI POMODORO
    MAKES 2 CUPS
(ENOUGH FOR 1 POUND OF PASTA)
    D: When I was a child, my grandmother became a great Italian cook partly because she had a Sicilian boyfriend. Naturally, she had a killer red sauce, but when I first made it for my new Tuscan beau, Gabriele, it was obviously the kind he didn’t grow up with: heavy on garlic, and loaded with everything from carrots to beef to pork sausage, plus tomato paste to thicken it. It even had sugar, and if we felt like making it creamy, we’d add ricotta cheese on top. I quickly learned from the horrified expression on Gabriele’s face that this more Southern-Italian version wasn’t what he considered a sauce.
    Gabriele’s grandmother, meanwhile, was making something much simpler and fresher, the result of tomatoes picked from the garden, run through the mill, cooked for hours, and then jarred for use over months and months. When Gabriele introduced me to his family red sauce recipe, it was like heaven had arrived. When done right, a red sauce like this can make you feel alive.
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes (pelati)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¹⁄³ red onion, medium diced
3 garlic cloves, cut into chunks
Pinch of hot red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons torn fresh basil
    In a food processor, or using an immersion blender, purée the tomatoes to a smooth creamy consistency. (If you like a more country feel, you can wait and break them up in the pan later with a wooden spoon.)
    In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the onion and sauté 5 to 6 minutes, or until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until you see the color start changing. If you’d like to make the sauce spicy, add the red pepper flakes.
    Add the tomatoes and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 30 minutes. (If you did not purée the tomatoes, use a wooden spoon to break them into pieces while they cook.) Strive for balance in the consistency of the sauce. It has to be fluid, but it should not look overly wet. Add the basil and remove from the heat.

Pici All’Aglione

PICI ALL’AGLIONE
    SERVES 4–6
    D: Aglione is a garlic-loaded red sauce—ideally your garlic count is one clove per person. It’s wonderful with pici, a traditional hand-rolled spaghetti from Siena, and if you look online you should be able to buy it. But thick spaghetti works just as well.
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 to 6 garlic cloves (1 per person!)
1 fresh chile, such as red serrano, sliced, or more to taste
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes (pelati), crushed by hand
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound pici or thick spaghetti
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish
    In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic and chile(s). When the garlic becomes fragrant, after 3 to 5 minutes, add the crushed tomatoes and cook for 20 minutes until reduced to a sauce. Season with salt and black pepper to taste and remove from the heat.
    Add the