Doughs:
Sauces:
What they are
An ancient pasta, perhaps the most ancient, even referenced by the Roman poet Horace himself. Wide and rustic, lagane have bite, which makes them a welcome accompaniment to thick, hearty sauces and soups. Durum wheat and water-based, you’ll find them in the south, particularly around Calabria, Basilicata, Puglia, and Campania. Their robustness means they’re easy to roll with a pin, though you can, of course, use a pasta machine, too.
How they’re traditionally served
With hearty sauces and soups, particularly chickpeas and other legumes.
MAKE THE DOUGH
Make your dough of choice and let it rest, tightly covered, at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour—a more relaxed dough will make for easier rolling.
SET UP YOUR WORKSPACE
Dust a sheet pan with semolina or line it with a dry dishcloth. Gather your tools. Set up your pasta machine if you plan to use one.
ROLL THE DOUGH INTO A SHEET
Cut off a quarter of the dough and keep the rest covered.
Roll the dough by hand: With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a thin rectangle—it doesn’t matter if the shape is uneven. You’re aiming for 2 mm thick, but do the best you can. It’s helpful to do this on a wooden surface to keep the pasta from sticking; if you don’t have one, dust the sheet with 00, all-purpose, or semola flour as needed.
Or, roll the dough with a pasta machine: Roll the dough into a semi-thin sheet, stopping at setting 4 for both the Marcato Atlas 150 and KitchenAid machines. If the dough is at all sticky, or the sheet starts to tear on the surface, dust both sides with a little flour.
If you have the space, roll out the remaining sections of dough—the finished sheets can dry a bit; no need to cover.
CUT THE LAGANE
Cut the sheets into stout strips, 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide and 3 inches (7.5 cm) long. Arrange the pieces on the prepared sheet pan in a single layer or, if you need to stack or freeze them, sprinkle semolina between each layer and shake it off before cooking.
COOK THE PASTA
Cook the lagane either in boiling water or soup until tender but with some bite, 2 to 4 minutes.