Pasta Pasta Pasta, there are so many ways to create this staple of the Italian diet. I will cover many methods of making pasta on my blog, but i am starting out with one of my favorites Spaghetti alla Chitarra.
Originating from the mountainous region of Abruzzo, spaghetti alla chitarra are retangular strands of spaghetti made using a special tool known as the chitarra (Italian for Guitar).
Similar to the musical instrument, this ancient tool is made up of a rectangular wooden frame with thin metal strings running lengthwise, attached on both ends. Pasta is rolled out into sheets that are then placed on top of the chitarra strings. A rolling pin is used to compress the pasta sheet against the strings creating perfectly uniformly cut pasta. The chitarra has two sets of cutting strings. On one side, the strings are closely spaced allowing you to make a spaghetti. On the other side the strings are space wider allowing you to make fettuccine.
I have to credit my good friend and fellow foodie Anna Bernardi for introducing me to the chitarra a couple of years ago. It's become a regular part of my homemade pasta rotation and I wish i had found out about it sooner.
You can purchase a chitarra (imported from Italy) from Amazon for about 40 dollars.
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup semolina flour
1 Tsp Salt
5 eggs
2 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
In an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine flour and salt.
With mixer on the slowest speed, add eggs 1 at a time.
Drizzle in oil and continue mixing until uniformly mixed.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes to allow gluten to form.
Using a rolling pin on a floured surface, roll the dough until it is thin enough to feed into a pasta roller. Make multiple passes reducing the pasta thickness as you go until the desired thickness is reached.
Take the sheet from the pasta roller and lay on top of the chitarra. The pasta will stretch lengthwise during rolling so its best to trim at least 1 inch of dough from the top and bottom of the pasta sheet.
Using a rolling pin, gently roll the sheet pressing down evenly across the chitarra strings. once the pasta is cut it will slide down the chitarra ramp and onto the table.
Hang the pasta for a minimum of 30 minutes, but no longer than 2 hours.
Boil your fresh pasta in salted water and serve with the sauce of your choice.
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