Pasta schmo to pasta pro

Alto

Now the nearly transparent dough is ready to be cut and stuffed. Each inch-and-a-half square gets about a teaspoon of filling—in this case, butternut squash—and then it's time to take shape. My ill-fated stuffed pasta attempts have often met a disappointing end of unraveled noodles and untethered stuffing chunks bobbing like belly-up goldfish. To maintain a tight seal, Michael recommended simply (1) misting the pasta sheets with a water bottle before sealing, (2) keeping the unused portion under plastic wrap and (3) working on wood, which is porous and helps control the humidity of the dough.