Maccheroni alla Chitarra

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Chitarra pasta cutter (essential, no substitute)
• •Hand-crank pasta machine (recommended for consistent thickness)
• •Large wooden rolling pin
• •Bench scraper
• •Sheet pan with parchment
• •Plastic wrap
• •Stiff brush for cleaning the chitarra

Instructions

1. 1

   Combine the flours

   Mix the semola rimacinata and tipo 00 flour together on a clean wooden board or in a large bowl. The combination gives you the golden color and nutty flavor of semolina with enough gluten development from the soft wheat to make rolling easier. Make a well in the center large enough to hold the eggs without them escaping.

2. 2

   Add the eggs

   Crack the eggs into the well. Add the salt. With a fork, beat the eggs gently while gradually incorporating flour from the inner walls of the well. Work slowly. If you break the walls too quickly, the eggs will run everywhere and you will have a mess instead of dough. Continue until a shaggy mass forms and the fork becomes useless.

   Eggs must be at room temperature. Cold eggs do not incorporate properly into semolina flour. Remove them from the refrigerator at least one hour before you begin.
3. 3

   Knead the dough

   Push the remaining flour over the wet mass and begin kneading with the heels of your hands. Push the dough away from you, fold it back, rotate it a quarter turn, and repeat. The dough will feel dry and resistant at first. This is the semolina. Keep working. After 8 to 10 minutes of steady kneading, the dough should become smooth, elastic, and firm. It will not be as soft as pure egg pasta. This is correct.

   The dough should feel like modeling clay: firm, pliable, not sticky. If it crumbles, wet your hands slightly and continue. If it sticks, dust with semolina. Adjustments happen through feel, not measurement.
4. 4

   Rest the dough

   Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. One hour is better. The gluten relaxes, making the dough easier to roll. The semolina hydrates fully. Do not skip this step. Unrested dough springs back when rolled and will not pass through the chitarra cleanly.

5. 5

   Prepare your workspace

   Dust your work surface, rolling pin, and chitarra strings with semolina flour. Have a sheet pan lined with parchment and dusted with semolina ready to receive the cut pasta. Clear enough space to work comfortably. Pasta making should not feel cramped.

6. 6

   Roll the dough

   Divide the rested dough into four equal pieces. Keep the pieces you are not working with covered. Roll one piece into a rectangle slightly narrower than your chitarra frame and approximately 2 to 3 millimeters thick. If using a pasta machine, roll to setting 4 or 5 on most machines. The sheet should be thick enough to maintain substance when cut. Chitarra pasta is not delicate.

   A hand-crank pasta machine makes this easier for home cooks and produces consistent thickness. Use it without apology. The sfogline of Abruzzo rolled by hand because they had no machines. You have one. Use it.
7. 7

   Cut with the chitarra

   Lay the rolled sheet across the strings of the chitarra. The dough should cover the strings without hanging over the edges. Using your rolling pin, press firmly and roll back and forth across the dough. You will feel the wires cutting through. Continue until all the strands fall through to the tray below. If the dough sticks to the strings, it was too wet or the strings needed more flour.

8. 8

   Handle the cut pasta

   Lift the cut strands gently and toss them with semolina to prevent sticking. Gather them into loose nests on your prepared sheet pan. The strands should be roughly 10 to 12 inches long. If they are longer, the sheet was too wide for your frame. Adjust for the next portion. Repeat with the remaining dough.

9. 9

   Dry or cook immediately

   Fresh maccheroni alla chitarra can be cooked immediately or dried for later use. To dry, leave the nests on the sheet pan at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours until the surface feels leathery but the pasta is still pliable. For longer storage, dry completely overnight, then store in airtight containers. To cook fresh, boil in abundant salted water for 3 to 4 minutes until tender with pleasant resistance. Dried pasta takes 5 to 7 minutes.

   Traditional Abruzzese pairings include lamb ragù, tomato sauce with tiny meatballs (pallottine), or a simple sauce of guanciale and pecorino. The square strands and rough texture demand robust sauces that cling.

Chef Tips

• •The chitarra you buy matters. Look for one made of beechwood with stainless steel wires spaced about 2mm apart. Cheap versions have poorly tensioned strings that produce uneven cuts. A good chitarra costs between 30 and 50 dollars and will outlast you.
• •Semola rimacinata is twice-milled durum wheat semolina, finer than regular semolina but coarser than flour. It produces the characteristic golden color and firm texture. Do not substitute fine semolina for baking or regular durum flour.
• •Clean the chitarra immediately after use by brushing the strings with a stiff brush while the dough scraps are still soft. Never submerge it in water. The wood will warp and the strings will rust.
• •If the dough does not cut cleanly, it is too wet. Knead in more semolina. If it cracks and crumbles when rolled, it is too dry. Wet your hands and knead briefly. These adjustments become instinct with practice.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can be made up to 24 hours ahead, wrapped tightly, and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before rolling, about 1 hour.
• •Fresh-cut pasta can be refrigerated for up to 2 days, loosely covered, on a semolina-dusted sheet pan.
• •Fully dried pasta keeps in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 1 month. The texture remains superior to commercial dried pasta.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 170g)