In my family, fresh pasta is for special occasions. Be it a holiday like Christmas or Easter, a family gathering, or a big dinner with friends, this is when we take out the wooden board, the rolling pin, and the pasta machine to make mounds upon mounds of golden, silky sheets of dough.
Once you learn the basics of making fresh pasta, there are potentially endless possibilities. Tagliatelle, tagliolini, lasagne, pappardelle, tortelli, ravioli, maltagliati ... you name one, and you can make it. They all start with the same versatile dough; what changes is simply the shape you cut your pasta into, and the ingredients you use to cover it, fill it (if you’re making a stuffed pasta), or layer it (if you’re making lasagne).
