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Bake, tossing occasionally, until browned and soft, about 40 minutes. Scoop the vegetables into a large soup pot, Dutch oven, or large pressure cooker.

Set the roasting pan or baking sheet over the burners on your stove (it will probably cover two). Pour in the vermouth or wine, then turn the heat to medium-high. Scraping all the while, bring the liquid to a simmer, getting up as much of the browned bits as you can. (If you’ve used a nonstick pan, use only cookware designated for use on nonstick surfaces.) Pour the contents of the baking sheet into the pot, oven, or cooker.

Traditional method: Add the cabbage, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, salt, peppercorns, and water; bring to a boil over high heat. Cover partially, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly for 45 minutes.

Pressure cooker method: Add the cabbage, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, salt, peppercorns, and the water (or as much of it needed to reach the fill line—do not use more than 8 cups. Lock on the lid and bring to high pressure over high heat (check the manufacturer’s instructions). Reduce the heat to medium and cook at high pressure for 10 minutes. Set aside off the heat and let the cooker return to normal pressure according to the manufacturer’s instructions, about 10 minutes.

Strain through a sieve or colander set over a large bowl in the sink. Discard the vegetable solids. Ladle into small containers, seal, and store in the refrigerator for 2 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Pasta and Noodles

PASTA IS THE MOST VERSATILE FOOD: IT CAN GO FROM AN ELEGANT FIRST course to a down-home dinner with nary a change. It’s a terrific weeknight dinner and a stunning weekender. So carb-phobes, beware. We’re passionate about pasta.

We divided this chapter into the segments of a pasta production line. We start with homemade noodles, egg to whole wheat, beet to spinach: techniques to make the dough, ways to shape it, and tips to cook pasta. Esoteric, yes—but getting your hands in the dough is just out-and-out fun.

Then we move on to sauces and fillings: from a no-cook tomato sauce to a beat-the-winter-doldrums lamb ragù. Along the way, look for the two basic Italian sauces (marinara and cream sauce), with their variations and uses, and a year’s worth of lasagne. We round out the chapter with a set of Asian noodle dishes.

We offer suggestions of what goes with what—but again, it’s the versatility of pasta that amazes us. The same dough can be shaped in ravioli, cut into noodles, frozen, or dried; it can be put on the side of the plate or at the center; it can be baked in a cheesy casserole or served with a fresh tomato sauce. No wonder we’re passionate about pasta.

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Homemade Pasta

Here are instructions for how to make pasta dough and shape it into noodles—as well as recipes for three pasta imitators (gnocchi and the like). There are no sauces here; those start on section Pasta and Noodles. This is all about the foundation of a noodle dish: the pasta itself.

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Basic Pasta Dough

Although it’s not traditional, we add a little olive oil to pasta dough. Some chefs add milk, but a fragrant oil is a better foil for the eggs. Once you’ve made the dough, to find out how to shape it into noodles. Makes about 1 pound fresh pasta

Dry Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting and to keep the dough from sticking

½ teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients

3 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten (see Note)

2 tablespoons olive oil

To make pasta by hand:

Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make a small well, piling the dry ingredients up the sides; or dump the mixture out onto a clean, flat work surface and make a well in the center of the pile.

Place the wet ingredients in the well. Using a fork, begin beating the wet ingredients, adding a little of the dry mixture from the well’s walls.

Whisking with the fork, incorporate more and more of the dry ingredients into the wet. Once the mixture in the center turns pasty, start