Each type of pasta — whether it's ziti, spaghetti, shells, or bow-tie — serves a particular purpose for the other ingredients ...

But should you want or need to swap one for the other, you can use 11/2 pounds of fresh pasta for every 1 pound of dry pasta. Gill is a believer in making do with whatever pasta you have on hand.

In fact, historical records suggest that dried pasta, a game-changer in preserving and transporting the food, was introduced to Italy by Arab merchants in the 8th or 9th century.

Toss the pasta to thoroughly coat it in the sauce, about 2 minutes, then turn off the heat. Add the lemon juice, the remaining 5 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of pasta water. Toss to ...