Opening up a box of pasta usually isn't a sensory experience, save for the sound of cardboard ripping, or noodles splashing into some boiling water. Heck, even homemade pasta can seem surprisingly bland, even if its made with a myriad of flavorful ingredients. For the most part, it just offers a nice, rich color. But then there is egg pasta, the classic.
For some reason, my forays into pasta didn't start with the egg variety. I started with whole grain and spinach, moved onto beet and plain flour with water varieties, and came late to the egg pasta game. No kitchen hardware was used -- just a ring of flour and some hand-kneaded pasta. (My first time, I didn't make the ring large enough, the egg started spilling over, hence the lack of a nice ring in the picture above.)
It was the best looking dough I ever made, and I sectioned some for fresh pasta, and some to be dried. This is where the magic comes in. The dried pasta has an insanely delicious and warm smell to it, similar to an Italian cookie. It's quickly become one of my favorite foodie smells, ranked with the likes of coffee roasting and bacon frying. It's also the perfect homemade food to give as gifts -- nestled in a basket with some jars of sauce, antipaste, and dried mushrooms, the pasta will give off a surprising and welcome aroma when it hits the air and the recipient's nose.
Try it for yourself. It's amazing such a great smell can come from something so simple.
Sarah recently posted about the fact that 
