6 Servings 2 red bell peppers 1 green bell pepper 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 medium garlic cloves, smashed 2 imported bay leaves 3/4 lb. lean ground lamb 1/4 cup dry white wine One 35-oz. can pureed tomatoes 2 to 3 fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried Coarse (kosher) sat Freshly ground black pepper Egg Pasta (p. 102) Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese Make the lamb ragu: Roast the red and green peppers directly over a gas flame or under the broiler as close to the heat as possible, turning often, until charred. Transfer the peppers to a paper bag and set aside to steam for 10 minutes. Using a small sharp knife, scrape off the blackened skin and remove the cores, seeds and ribs. Cut lengthwise into thin strips. In a large, heavy, nonreactive saucepan, heat the oil. Add the garlic and bay leaves and cook over moderately high heat for 3 minutes. Add the lamb and cook, stirring, until browned, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until almost evaporated. Add the tomatoes. Fill the can with 1-1/2 cups of water and add to the pan. Season with the basil, coarse salt and black pepper. Reduce the heat to moderately low, cover and simmer the sauce for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring often. Add the roasted pepper strips during the last 10 minutes. Cut the Egg Pasta dough into 4 equal pieces. Work with 1 piece of dough at a time, keeping the other pieces covered with a bowl. Flatten the dough with your hands. Using a pasta machine, start rolling the dough through the largest setting. Sprinkle the dough with flour, fold into thirds lengthwise and roll again. Do this 2 more times until smooth and not sticky. Move the rollers to the next setting and roll the dough through without folding. Continue rolling the dough through successively narrower settings until the dough is the desired thickness. Spread the pasta sheets on a kitchen towel to dry for 10 minutes (not longer or the dough will become difficult to cut). Feed the pasta sheets through the thin cutters of the pasta machine. Spread the noodles on kitchen towels. Repeat with the remaining 3 pieces of dough. (The noodles will keep in a cool place covered with kitchen towels for up to 5 days.) In a large covered pot, bring 6 quarts of cold water to a boil for the pasta. Stir in 3 tablespoons of coarse salt. When the water returns to a boil, stir in the Egg Pasta. Cover the pan so that the water quickly returns to a boil. Uncover and cook the pasta until al dente, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain immediately and toss with the hot ragu. Serve immediately with the grated Pecorino cheese passed separately. lamb35b