BACK OF THE HOUSE

Indulge in winter’s guilty pleasures

BY AMBER TURPIN PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATRICK TREGENZA AND MICHAEL TROUTMAN

There is possibly no food more comforting than a bowl of pasta. It hits all the marks, regardless of what happens to be topping it, from simple butter or olive oil to a rich ragu. There is texture, mouthfeel, flavor and most of all, nostalgia for our own personal relationship with this ubiquitous dish. Depending on who you talk to, there are anywhere from 300 to 600 pasta shapes in existence. The original provenance of pasta is hugely speculative, with traces found from China to Greece to Sicily, but generally finding a secure home in Italy, where pasta is basically a religion. While we may not be living in the land of linguine, we are still very fortunate to have many local chefs with some legit pasta-making credentials to bestow upon our plates and bellies. In honor of this winter season, three area chefs have shared their pasta recipes with us here.