Spaghetti alla chitarra

January 4th is National Spaghetti Day - and I can't think of a better version to celebrate with than the traditional Spaghetti alla Chitarra from Abruzzo, Italy. Pasta-making is one of the highlights of my Italian Sensory Experience Tours to the region. Here's a fun fact: Did you know that the word spaghetti comes from the plural form of the diminutive form of the word spago, which means "twine" or "thin string"?

In Abruzzo, spaghetti and pasta dishes are traditionally made with a chitarra. The chitarra is a wooden instrument fashioned with strings that are used to uniformly shape pasta instead of making music. I was given mine by Chef Cosimo Cianci of the L'alveare restaurant in Roccascalegna, Abruzzo - home to the region's iconic castle. 

Chef Cosimo and his staff create exquisite yet unpretentious multi-course meals using local ingredients (including honey from his beehives and black truffles from his back yard)! 

During our tour, Chef Cosimo actually had his mother come to teach us her skills. It was the day of the Feast of San Cosimo - the patron saint of the city. As we learned to how to shape perfectly-sized spaghetti strands from the guitar-like tool, she shared her reflections on faith and family with us.

Abruzzo is known for its’ millennia-old wheat cultivation – and many ancient forms of grains are still enjoyed there. Many of the chefs, bakers, and producers I work with in the region still mill their own blends to use as flour. In the United States, I find that Semola di Grano Duro, which can be purchased on Amazon.com works best. I also am really beginning to enjoy working with einkorn wheat - the original wheat- that was cultivated over 12,000 and is now imported from Italy.  Otherwise, you can use a mixture of ½ semolina flour for pasta and ½ all-purpose flour or spelt flour if you prefer.

If you'd like to learn to make this recipe yourself, tune in to Good Morning Washington  on ABC7 - WJLA in DC at approximately 9:00AM on Friday, January 4, or follow the recipe below. To join us on our next Pasta & Wine Immersion Tour - click here for details and save $200 if you register before January 17th! 

Spaghetti alla chitarra with Homemade Tomato Sauce 

Note :If you don’t have a chitarra, you can still make pasta using the same method. Instead of pressing the sheets through the chitarra, you could use a pasta attachment on a standing mixer, or a hand-crank pasta machine, or form them by hand. You can also purchase a chitarra on Amazon.com.

4-6 servings; makes about 1 ½ pounds

INGREDIENTS

4 cups Durum Wheat flour (Semola di Grano Duro), plus extra for kneading

5 large eggs

1 teaspoon unrefined sea salt, divided

semolina flour, for dusting

1 Recipe Homemade Tomato Sauce, see below

½ cup freshly grated pecorino cheese

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation:

Place the flour onto a clean work surface to create a mound. Make a wide well in the center. Break the eggs into the well and add ½ teaspoon salt. Beat lightly with a fork to break up the eggs. 

With a fork, begin incorporating flour from the inside wall of the mound, forming a paste. Once the mixture thickens to a dough-like mass, begin kneading it with your hands. Continue to knead until you have incorporated all of the flour, or enough to make a stiff ball of dough. Knead for a few minutes more, until the dough is smooth.

Sprinkle a clean baking sheet with semolina flour. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces and wrap them in plastic wrap. Allow to rest for 30 minutes.

Using a rolling pin, or a hand-crank pasta machine or a stand mixer pasta roller attachment, stretch the piece of dough to a strip about 1/8-inch thick. Continue with remain balls of dough.

Trim the sheets of pasta so they are about 3 inches shorter than the length of the chitarra. (Save the trimmings in plastic wrap and reroll once to make one more sheet of pasta.) 

Place one sheet of dough on the chitarra. Run a rolling pin back and forth over the dough, pressing down to cut the noodles into their shape. Note that some chitarras have different size widths on either side – so you can make thinner spaghetti strands or thicker noodles.

If needed, push the needles through the “chords” with your fingers. When all of the dough has gone through the chitarra, gather up the pasta and coat with semolina. Then wrap them around your hands to form nests and place on the prepared baking sheet.

To cook, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat.

Once the water is at a rapid boil, add salt. Carefully add in the spaghetti nests and return the water to a boil, stirring with tongs.  Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until pasta is very al dente.  Drain pasta in a colander set in the sink, reserving a bit of cooking water.

To serve, place tomato sauce in a large skillet to reheat. Add cooked pasta and toss with tongs to coat.  If sauce seems to thick, add a bit of cooking water to thin it out. Serve with pecorino cheese and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil to garnish.

Salsa di Pomodoro/Tomato Sauce

         This recipe is from The Italian Diabetes Cookbook by Amy Riolo. It is the simple method of preparing tomato sauce is the most common in Italy. It can be found in restaurants and homes alike. Serve it alone or in one of its’ many variations. If you are using fresh tomatoes, you must skin them and put them through a food mill to remove the seeds before adding them to the recipe. Canned or boxed strained tomatoes can be found in gourmet and import stores and are great time savers. This sauce can be made ahead in large batches and frozen. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for a few months.

 (Enough for 1 pound pasta)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 pound  strained (seeded and skinned tomatoes) such as Pomi brand

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

4-5 leaves of fresh basil, oregano, or parsley

Grated parmigiano reggiano or pecorino romano cheese

Preparation:

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

Add garlic and reduce heat to low.

When garlic begins to release its’ aroma (before it turns color), add tomatoes.

Stir and allow mixture to come to a boil.

Add salt, pepper, and fresh herbs, stir and cover.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, while you boil the pasta.

When your pasta is ready, taste the sauce, and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Incorporate most of sauce into the drained pasta, leaving a little to garnish the top of the dish.

Serve with grated cheese.

Italian Cooking Primer:

If you are planning to serve this sauce as a first course, the second course should not contain tomatoes in it. Simple grilled or pan fried chicken, veal, beef, or seafood are natural accompaniments.

Variations:

·      Use this sauce to make pizza with prepared pizza shells.

·      Stir in 1/2 cup of heavy cream to the sauce to make a pink sauce (Aurora).