I love winter days when it actually feels good to be “trapped” in the kitchen. That’s when I head to the pantry and look for an inspiration that demands the time I now have to devote to it. A few days ago, it was making fresh pasta.

While the convenience of dried pasta is nothing to overlook, there are occasions when I want to do it myself. Those are the days when a stuffed or filled pasta is on the menu. Although there are numerous types that fall into this category, my favorite is ravioli followed by manicotti and cannelloni.

At first, these pasta types appear to be entirely too filling and heavy. I have found that the opposite is true and what seems to be a small portion is actually perfect and is as light as a feather. The fillings account for a lot of this, but so does pasta that is freshly made.

Ricotta is my go-to ingredient for filling. It is just as happy when blended with pumpkin as it is with sauteed spinach or mushrooms. Sometimes I enhance it with a bit of creamy goat cheese that melts almost instantly.

Cooking is completely different with fresh filled vs. dried pasta. In essence, you don’t need much time for this step at all. Why? Because it’s already soft, which jumps starts the process. You only need a couple of minutes and it’s ready. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you need the regular eight-minute boil.

And especially for ravioli, a hard boil can cause the pasta to literally explode. Instead, it needs a gentle boil that is much closer to a simmer than a rapid bubbling. Removing it from the hot water only requires a slotted spoon rather than a colander that can rough it up too much in the transfer.

You asked for it

Katie Gentry of Jackson writes, “I love fettuccine but for some reason the sauce doesn’t ‘stick’ to it on the plate when served. I boil until al dente, drain, rinse and sauce it immediately. Can you help please?”

Katie,

You are doing everything right except that it doesn’t need to be rinsed after draining. Because you are saucing it promptly and not holding the pasta, you can skip that step. This will allow more starch to adhere to the surface, which in turn will help your sauce cling to it better.

Tammy Algood is the author of five cookbooks and can be seen on “Volunteer Gardener” on PBS stations in Tennessee. Follow her at www.hauteflavor.com

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Market basket: Experiment with fillings in your homemade fresh pasta