Title:	American Sfoglino: A Master Class in Handmade Pasta
	Author:	Evan Funke and Katie Parla
	Published:	September 24, 2019, Chronicle Books
	No. of Pages:	272
	Cover Price:	$35.00 Hardcover, $13.49 Kindle

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American Sfoglino: A Master Class in Handmade Pasta by Evan Funke and Katie Parla, is a cookbook for serious pasta makers. Funke’s philosophy is that pasta is better when it’s truly “hand-rolled,” with no help from pasta machines or a trusty Kitchen-Aid pasta attachment. Frankly, most of us feel that life is too short, and taking that much time and putting that much effort into pasta that can be made easier, is a waste of precious time that should be better spent doing more important things – like eating that homemade pasta or having friends over and building relationships. The big difference is that Evan Funke is so passionate about his pasta-making that he has made it into a lucrative career and has become famous through his restaurants because of it. Most home cooks don’t share that passion, and are happy to create pasta with a little help from modern pasta machines.

This cookbook is excellent, however, and has beautiful, step-by-step photographs of several kinds of pasta, along with recipes using the pasta once it’s finished. Included are familiar pasta shapes, and some unfamiliar pasta shapes, which, to a foodie are fascinating, and worth re-creating in home kitchens. It includes four varieties of pasta dough, and one for gnocci. The recipes for the finished pasta included are mouthwatering, and some are unique; however, there isn’t even one recipe that won’t appeal to almost everyone. This is a cookbook that will be on the forefront of most cookbook shelves and will be filled with bookmarks of favorite or “to make next” recipes; it will be on the shelves of cooks who will most likely make pasta daily to try the recipes that appeal to them. And why not? There is nothing wrong with eating pasta daily – most would welcome the thought; after working from this cookbook, a daily pasta course will be a wonderful reality

Anyone looking for a good primer, with everything needed to learn to make pasta will love this cookbook. While most will use a machine in the privacy of their own kitchens, Funke will never know, and the pasta will be incredible.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.