The photography in this book is more than fantastic. I am just blown away at the authors knowledge and skill. I may not make many of these recipes as they are quite involved, but I would love to, and will continue to read about them while I use my pasta machine for dinner. The depth of the prose is phenomenal and this book will remain on my shelf in pride of place for a long time to come. And maybe I will make more recipes once I have the time!

A good cookbook, but definitely not one for amateur chefs. I've always loved the idea of making fresh pasta, but not sure I could master most of the recipes in this book!

This book gives us a clear instruction on homemade pasta and its recipes. It has 15 different shapes of pastas......

I've heard it said that a three-star rating means the reviewer wishes you'd written a different book. That's certainly true here.

See, the thing about this book is that it isn't written for me. I'm a casual, leisure-time cook who wants to know simple ways to make tasty food I'll enjoy. What's more, I use cookbooks as inspiration towards this goal, not as precise sets of instructions to be followed to the letter.

This book is all about reproducing exactly the traditional cuisine of the author's Italian mentor (even though he concedes that, without the exact fresh produce of her region, that's not possible). He sets out the traditional techniques in exacting detail, with no shortcuts; he's famous on Twitter for his contempt for pasta machines, for example. He takes a very American approach to achieving this traditional effect, giving precise weights for every ingredient.

Meanwhile, I haven't tasted his mentor's food and almost certainly never will, and I don't care about producing exactly that effect (or something as close to it as possible without actually being in Bologna with access to local ingredients).

The result is that I was put off from trying anything in the book until I had plenty of time to do so - which didn't happen until after the ridiculously aggressive DRM on the review copy I received via Netgalley had rendered it inaccessible to me.

So I looked up how to do it on the internet, which told me that making hand-made pasta is simple and forgiving, and I don't need to use special flour or weigh my eggs on a digital scale in order to get a result I'm happy with.

I loved the book. Great photos. Made the bolognese.. turned out great.. had always wanted to make a truly authentic turn.. and it was definitely that!

My biggest pet peeve about the book is the extreme nesting of recipes.. All of the real recipes are at the front of the book.. when you see something you want to make.. that recipe has to revisit multiple recipes within.. For a person cooking from a book.. its kinda annoying.

Gutsy, unapologetically passionate and scrupulously precise, Evan Funke's American Sfoglino is a true work of heart and soul.

Beautifully captured theatrical photos, filled with drama and waves of perfectly-shaped pasta, set the tone wonderfully for a step-by-step masterclass for the passionate cook ready to delve into the world of handmade lasagna, pappaderle, tortelloni amongst many others.

Funke's directions are incredibly well articulated, giving his readers vital clues and troubleshooting tips for all the senses to ensure perfect pasta-making at every step of the process. Recipes are chosen to make each pasta shape shine, flavourful and saliva-inducing yet simple and grounded at their core, Italian cooking at its best.

If you buy just one book about handmade pasta - let this be it.

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.

American Sfoglino: A Master Class in Handmade Pasta
By Evan Funke with Katie Parla
Photography by Eric Wolfinger

Having watched my Italian neighbor make pasta by hand when under four while living in Los Angeles I believe I fell in love with her and the pasta she made. I have made pasta with my daughter using a simple mechanical rolling device and found it an interesting experience BUT when I saw this book up for review I couldn’t resist.

This book is indeed a master class in the art of handmade pasta. Evan Funke’s journey to Italy and his study of the craft is fascinating as are the many interesting shapes of pasta he demonstrates making in the book. The four master dough recipes are shared: flour + water, egg, spinach and gnoocchi di ricotta. Many sauces recipes are given along with what pasta to serve them with. The tools and ingredients used to create the pastas are detailed. The photography was exquisite and I felt I could taste the food by reading the recipes and through the beauty of the photographs.

I don’t know that I would ever make pasta from scratch by hand on a regular basis as I do believe it would be labor intensive. That said, It was fascinating to find out how tubes are put into pasta, designs are put onto pasta and how fillings are done for a variety of shapes. There were shapes of pasta I have never seen and that was also a treat.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I buy this book for myself or a friend? Yes

In the links below there is a YouTube video showing the author making pasta as well as an event one can attend and information about the restaurant where this homemade pasta can be eaten.

Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Is there anything better than fresh pasta? Okay it may be tied with bread. American Sfoglino is full of recipes for making your own pasta. Each recipe is accompanied by beautifully shot photos showing all the steps that are described. This makes the process easy to follow for even the complete newbie to pasta making. A good troubleshooting section is also included. Following the basic pasta dough recipes, the book moves into the various shapes of pasta and recipes to use your pasta. As with the dough recipes, there are multiple photos to walk you through the shaping process. This was a fun book to peruse though as someone who chooses a vegan diet, many of the recipes aren't usable for me as they contain various animal products.

Thank you to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Evan Funke and Katie Parla’s American Sfoglino: A Masterclass in Handmade Pasta is a book you will want to have as a hardcopy and maybe also as an ebook. It is an aspirational cookbook, with it’s beautiful photography. If you aspire to make pasta at home without a pasta maker, it is also a very practical cookbook. Through photography and description, Funke shows how to make some of the master doughs and pasta shapes of Bologna. If all you want to do is dream and look at beautiful pictures of food, this book has you covered too.

Funke is a two time James Beard Award winning chef and the co-owner of Felix Trattoria. He is also known for #fuckyourpastamachine on Instagram. His Instagram is great. If you are into pasta. Which I am.


Sfoglia is a pasta from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. It’s rolled out by hand until it’s paper thin and then can be cut into a variety of shapes. If you look at the Instagram post below, you will notice that you can SEE THE WOODGRAIN THROUGH THE PASTA. While making Sfoglia does not require a pasta machine, it does require some tools. Funke walks through them and states what you need if you want to make pasta regularly and what you can use if you are an occasional pasta maker. A wine bottle and a regular counter top are fine. He explains why you need that 00 flour and not all purpose.


Even with a very good book, it takes time and practice to get good at pasta making. If you love to cook, it’s worth practicing. American Sfoglino may encourage and inspire you to try and try again.

"American Sfoglino" explains how to mix, roll out, and shape pasta by hand (no pasta machine). Plus some pasta-related stories from Italy and the author's life. The author explained how to make hand-rolled sheet pasta and provided 4 master dough recipes for making pasta. He also explained how to use those recipes to make 15 different pasta types, from strands to shaped pasta to stuffed pasta. The pasta types were: Lasagna Verde Alla Bolognese, Pappardelle, Tagliatelle, Maltagliati, Strichetti, Garganelli, Triangoli, Tortelloni, Balanzoni, Tortellini, Sorpresine, Cestini, Caramelle, Strozzapreti, and Gnocchi de Ricotta. Included were step-by-step photos that clearly demonstrated how to roll out and to shape the pasta.

There were also recipes for pasta sauces, fillings, and dishes. He mainly talked about using the pasta when freshly made, but he did explain how you can best keep it for later use. He gave tips on making tasty, evenly-cooked pastas. He kept the equipment you need to a minimum and even gave some make-shift ways to do things without needing specialized equipment. However, he sometimes used ingredients in the pasta dishes (not the pasta but the finished dishes) that might not be easy for the average person to find. He also sometimes suggested easier-to-find alternatives. If you don't mind the work of making pasta by hand, then this book should be very helpful in learning how to hand make and use sheet pasta.

I don't eat a lot of pasta (gluten and carbs) but when i do, I want it to be spectacular - which is not easy to achieve at home. But the instructions in American Sfoglino are easy to follow, the ingredients are simple and commonplace and the results are magnificent!!! I'm a skilled home cook but i think that just about anyone could achieve great results with this book. Now my family is begging for homemade pasta all the time!

This book is an honest representation of what it means to be a Sfoglino. I love how Evan Funke captured the real art of pasta making. The recipe methods are clearly defined and very easy to follow. His candid remarks about pasta making are both serious yet hilarious enough that it makes you heed all of his advice. Above all, you see, his passion reflected in this book. The photographs beautifully depict the artistry of pasta making and the heart that goes into every single dish. I was excited to review this book mainly because I closely follow Funke on social media. You know you can trust his recipes and I had no reservations when trying them. By the way, his method of measuring the thickness of pasta sheets (by post-it note thickness) is the highlight of this book. This guy is amazing.

American Sfoglino: A Master Class in Handmade Pasta from Evan Funke far exceeded my expectations, and I had fairly high expectations.

I approached this as something just barely more than simply a recipe book. So many books claim to be in depth or a "master class" but basically cover a few tips and procedures then offer a bunch of recipes. I don't really have a big problem with that as long as the recipes are reasonably put together and, hopefully, tasty (not the recipes themselves, the results, but you knew that). So I was blown away when this really did offer the depth and breadth one would expect from an in-person master class.

The information in general, the tips on handling and what tools to use, how to use those tools, what to expect and what unexpected results likely means you did wrong. I almost felt like I should raise my hand when I had a question. Fortunately, since I was actually alone, those questions were usually answered as I read on.

I would obviously recommend this to anyone who wants to create their own pasta. I would also highly recommend this to those who enjoy reading about food, its history and variations, and also enjoys reading recipes almost as short stories. I know people like that and they would love this book even if they never tried to make their own pasta. Me? Well, I'm going to give it a try, probably several.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

I have to begin by telling you that I love to cook and make things from scratch, so I look for books in cooking on how to do this. This book did not disappoint me at all. The book tells the history of the pastry, has a basics section on tools and ingredients you will need to make your own pasta. It is complete with pictures and I have decided I want the long wood rolling pin they have. These are pasta craftsmen who take you step by step on making your own pasta from start to finish. I like the fact the ingredients are in metric and measurements which helps not having to look it up. It also tells you how to store it and the length it will stay fresh.
Part one is the pastas and different types from Flour and Water Dough, Egg Dough to Spinach Dough.
Part two is the Pasta Shapes and Dishes from Lasagna Verde Alla Bologonese, Tagliatelle to Tortelilni and Gnocchi Di Ricotta.
Having made my own pasta before (not to this extent) I can tell you the difference in the taste and texture will make you never go back to boxed pasta. I recommend this book for any cook, if not for the recipes for the lessons it teaches.

Wow, what a book. I love pasta and do sometimes make my own, albeit with a "f**ing pasta machine". This takes you so much further into the history and techniques to make the real deal. The details are entrancing, the recipes look delicious yet simple - just use fresh ingredients ideally picked half an hour before you use them. I totally go for that. Photos of making dough and forming shapes are especially helpful and I'm so glad we have digital images now - the first 5000 photos for the book! Can you imagine converting that to rolls of film. I shall take time, occasionally only I admit, to have a go at the more straightforward types from scratch and think that it would be a while before I came anywhere near to feeling confident with cestini or other filled shapes. But you never know. A book like this might just get the juices going. Thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Such a great book! I was tempted to gloss over The Basics (um, I dunno why I would since I've made pasta less than a handful of times in my life) but catching the subtitle 'F**** Your Pasta Machine' I realized I need to read this book word for word. It helps that it's such a beautifully designed book - gorgeous photos, great layout, easy-to-follow recipes, all of which make for a great cookbook (to me). Being an office worker, and seeing instructions 'thickness of approximately 4 Post-It Notes/7 Post-It Notes/9 Post-It Notes' just made me laugh out loud. It's a perfect measurement for me! Seeing lasagna made with whole pasta sheets versus store bought strips was a REVELATION. While I'm grateful to have been approved to review this book, I'm slightly sad that it was too large for a Kindle -- I would love to have this book as a reference book in my cookbook library.

Sfoglia like at their mama's home. For those of us passionate about the art of Italian pastamaking, but who cannot attend a course by Alessandra Spisni, this book gives a glimpse in what we could learn from attending the school of puff pastry and traditional Bolognese cuisine founded by the maestra. The book starts by providing an overview of the equipment and ingredients needed for successfully preparing pasta sheets, with lots of useful details like the type of pastry cutter, the best rolling pin, as well as tips on how to avoid drying the pasta or how to design your own rolling pin and tagliere. I haven't encountered this level of detail and attention for the equipment used in other pasta making cookbooks. The book continues with an ample description accompanied by step-by-step pictures for making the dough. The same attention to detail can be found, for example by describing with precise attention the movement of the hands: "turn the dough counterclockwise using your nondominant hand, moving it as you knead in 2.5-5 cm increments, like the hour markings on a clock." An abundance of recipes and variations follow, from spinach sheets to gnocchi, lasagna, papardelle as well as basic sauces (Bechamel, meat broth, tomato passata). There are troubleshooting advice spread throughout the book in case at one stage in the process something didn't turn quite right.
I felt that the pictures did justice to the dishes and helped highlights the main steps of preparation. The pictures were vivid and the sizing very well chosen. After reading the review copy, i wanted to order the book *now*, to put it by the kitchen counter and start preparing the recipes.