Spaghetti alla Chitarra con Pallottine

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Chitarra (pasta guitar) or rolling pin and sharp knife
• •Large wooden board for pasta making
• •12-inch skillet with high sides
• •Large pot for boiling pasta
• •Food mill for tomatoes

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the pasta dough

   Mound the flour on a wooden board or clean work surface. Make a well in the center deep enough to hold the eggs. Crack the eggs into the well with the salt. With a fork, beat the eggs gently while gradually drawing flour from the inner walls of the well. When the dough becomes too stiff for the fork, use your hands. Knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. It should feel like your earlobe when pressed. Wrap in plastic and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

   If the dough feels dry, wet your hands slightly and continue kneading. If too sticky, dust with flour. The eggs vary in moisture. You must adjust.
2. 2

   Soak the bread

   While the dough rests, tear the bread into small pieces and place in a bowl. Pour the milk over and let soak for 10 minutes. The bread should be completely saturated. Squeeze out the excess milk firmly with your hands. The bread should be damp, not dripping.

3. 3

   Mix the meatball mixture

   In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, ground pork, squeezed bread, egg, Parmigiano, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Mix with your hands until just combined. Do not overwork the mixture or the meatballs will be tough. The texture should be uniform but still loose.

4. 4

   Form tiny meatballs

   Pinch off small amounts of the mixture and roll between your palms to form balls no larger than a cherry, about 3/4 inch in diameter. You should get approximately 50 to 60 pallottine. Set them on a tray lined with parchment. Do not crowd them.

   The size is critical. If your meatballs are too large, you do not have pallottine, you have polpette. This changes the entire character of the dish. Small means small.
5. 5

   Fry the pallottine

   Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the meatballs in batches, leaving space between them. Fry, turning frequently, until golden brown on all sides, about 4 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. The meatballs will not be cooked through. This is correct. They finish in the sauce.

6. 6

   Build the sauce

   Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of oil from the skillet. Add the onion, carrot, and celery over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and the onion turns golden, about 12 minutes. Add the crushed garlic and cook one minute more, stirring. The garlic must not brown. Remove and discard the garlic cloves.

7. 7

   Add wine and tomatoes

   Pour in the white wine and let it bubble until nearly evaporated, scraping up any browned bits from the pan. Add the passed tomatoes and the basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Gently nestle the fried meatballs into the sauce. Simmer uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally with care so as not to break the pallottine.

8. 8

   Roll and cut the pasta

   Divide the rested dough into four portions. Working with one portion at a time, roll the dough into a sheet about 1/8 inch thick, slightly thicker than for other fresh pastas. The chitarra requires dough with some body. Dust the sheet lightly with flour and lay it over the strings of the chitarra. Using a rolling pin, press firmly and roll back and forth until the strands fall through to the tray below. Toss the cut pasta with flour to prevent sticking.

   If you do not have a chitarra, roll the dough and cut it into strands about 3 millimeters square using a sharp knife. The texture will differ, but the dish will still be honest.
9. 9

   Cook the pasta

   Bring a large pot of water to a vigorous boil. Salt it generously. Add the chitarra pasta and cook until tender with pleasant resistance, 2 to 3 minutes. Fresh pasta cooks quickly. Taste it. Reserve one cup of pasta water, then drain.

10. 10

    Finish and serve

    Add the drained pasta directly to the skillet with the sauce and meatballs. Toss gently over low heat for one minute, allowing the pasta to absorb some sauce. Add a splash of pasta water if the sauce seems tight. The pasta should be dressed, not swimming. Once the pasta is sauced, serve it promptly, inviting your guests and family to put off talking and start eating. Pass Parmigiano-Reggiano at the table.

Chef Tips

• •The chitarra is a wooden frame strung with wire, available from Italian specialty shops or online. It is an investment that lasts generations. If you are serious about Abruzzese cooking, acquire one.
• •Do not add cheese to the meatball mixture beyond what the recipe specifies. Too much Parmigiano makes them gummy. The ratio matters.
• •The garlic is crushed and removed. It perfumes the soffritto without announcing itself. This is how garlic should behave in most Italian cooking.
• •Every grandmother in Teramo argues about pecorino versus Parmigiano in the meatballs. Use whichever your grandmother used. If she used neither, use Parmigiano.

Advance Preparation

• •The meatballs can be formed up to one day ahead and refrigerated, covered. Fry them cold; they hold their shape better.
• •The sauce without meatballs can be made two days ahead and refrigerated. Add the fried meatballs when you reheat.
• •Fresh pasta is best the day it is made, but cut chitarra can rest at room temperature, dusted with flour and loosely covered, for up to two hours.
• •The fully assembled dish does not reheat well. The pasta absorbs too much sauce. Make only what you will eat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 420g)