P
Italian · Abruzzo
Chitarra Pasta al Centenaro con Pallottine
The quintessential Abruzzese Sunday pasta: spaghetti alla chitarra (square-sectioned pasta cut on a wire-strung wooden instrument) served with a slow-cooked sugo di carne featuring tiny lamb or pork meatballs (pallottine). The chitarra's square cross-section holds sauce differently from round spaghetti — more surface area per bite. The pallottine are no larger than a hazelnut, browned in lard and simmered in tomato sauce for 90 minutes until swollen with flavour.
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I
The Market List
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For the chitarra dough
150 g
semolina (fine)
Origin · ItalyBosa Foods · Vancouver →
150 g
00 flour
Your own market
3
whole eggs
no water
Your own market
For the pallottine
150 g
lamb mince
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
150 g
pork mince
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 slice
stale bread
crusts removed, soaked in milk and crumbled
Your own market
30 g
lard
for browning
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the sugo
400 g
To finish
40 g
pecorino di Farindola
sheep's milk; finely grated, for the table
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
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II
The Method
1
Combine the semolina and 00 flour in equal measure on a board. Make a well and break in the whole eggs. Work to a stiff, uniform dough — no water is added. Knead until smooth and no longer tacky. Wrap and rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. The dough is ready when it holds an impression of a thumb without springing back.
2
Check the tension of each wire on the chitarra: a wire that deflects more than 2 mm under light pressure must be re-tightened before use, as slack wires crush rather than cut. Roll the rested dough to exactly 3 mm — the same thickness as the wire spacing. Too thin and the sheets collapse between the wires; too thick and the pasta turns gelatinous in the pot.
3
Lay the 3 mm sheet across the wire frame. Set a rolling pin at one edge and press the frame down firmly, rocking the pin forward in a single deliberate pass. The wires cut; they do not press. Lift the frame and collect the square-sectioned strands beneath. Dust with semolina and nest loosely. The strands should show a clean, sharp rib — not a compressed or flattened edge.
4
Combine the lamb and pork mince in equal parts. Add the single crumble of stale bread that has been soaked in milk and squeezed almost dry. Work briefly and roll into balls no larger than a hazelnut. This is where the dish lives or dies: pallottine that exceed hazelnut size will dominate the pasta rather than integrate with it, and the balance of the sugo is destroyed.
5
Heat the lard in a wide pan until it shimmers and just begins to haze. Add the pallottine in a single layer without crowding. Brown over high heat, rolling them once, until a firm crust has formed on all sides. The crust must be set before they enter the tomato sauce — if they are added pale, they will soften into the sauce and lose their structure.
From the canon — Three tomato sauce approaches, each producing a categorically different result: Tomato Sauce: The Three Methods →
6
Add the tomato sauce to the pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for 90 minutes. At 60 minutes the sauce will still taste sharp and angular; at 90 minutes it rounds and the pallottine will have swollen with flavour. The sugo is ready when it coats a spoon in a deep, brick-red film with no raw acidity on the palate.
7
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Drop the chitarra strands and cook until the pasta is tender but retains a firm core — the square cross-section means it cooks slightly faster than round spaghetti of the same nominal thickness. Drain, reserving a ladleful of pasta water. Dress the strands in the pan with the pallottine sugo, adding a little pasta water if needed to coat every rib. The pasta is ready when each strand glistens evenly and the sauce clings without pooling.
From the canon — Pasta cooking water contains dissolved starch (released from the pasta surface during boiling) at a concentration that increases with pasta-to-water ratio an… Pasta Water: Starch Concentration and Sauce Binding →
8
Divide into four warmed bowls. Distribute the pallottine evenly. Finish at the table with freshly grated pecorino di Farindola — sheep's milk only; Parmigiano is not used here.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Lamb sourced from Abruzzese mountain pasture; pecorino di Farindola from a named producer; lard rendered in-house from heritage pork; tomatoes from a single summer pressing.
02
Estate — Good-quality mixed lamb and pork mince from a trusted butcher; aged pecorino di Farindola from a specialist importer; artisan lard; whole canned plum tomatoes, passed.
03
Market — Supermarket lamb and pork mince, equal parts; any sheep's milk pecorino; good-quality cooking lard; decent passata.
04
House — Pork mince only (lamb unavailable); aged pecorino romano in place of Farindola; vegetable oil in place of lard. The pallottine sugo will be less complex but the form of the dish is preserved.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. Rested dough holds a thumb impression without springing back — ready to roll.
◇Sight. Chitarra strands show a clean, sharp rib with no crushed or flattened edges — the cut was correct.
◇Sight. Pallottine are no larger than a hazelnut before browning.
◇Smell. Lard hazes in the pan and the pallottine release a deep, savoury browning note — crust is forming.
◇Taste. Sugo at 90 minutes is round and without raw acidity — the full simmer is complete.
◇Sight. Dressed pasta glistens on every rib and the sauce clings without pooling in the bowl.
◇Where it lives or dies. The pallottine must not exceed hazelnut size: larger meatballs dominate the pasta rather than integrating with it, and the structural balance of the sugo is lost.
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VI
What to Pour
A medium-bodied, tannic red from Abruzzo — Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is the natural choice: its dark fruit and firm structure cut through the fat of the lard-browned pallottine without overwhelming the sheep's milk finish of the pecorino.
The whole pairingPillar VII
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Sourced through Provenance