Abruzzo
The fundamental Abruzzese pasta: long, hollow tubes (bucatino-shaped but wider) formed by rolling a small pasta cylinder around a thin iron rod (ferretto) and sliding it off, leaving a tunnel through the centre. The ragù is a long-cooked mixed meat ragù (pork, lamb, and beef) with peperoncino, tomato, and red wine — the holy trinity of Abruzzese meat sauces. The hollow pasta captures the sauce inside as well as out. Every grandmother in Abruzzo makes maccheroni al ferretto differently, but the ferretto (knitting-needle sized iron pin) is universal.
Robust semolina tube pasta gripping a dense, lamb-and-pork ragù — the fundamental Abruzzese marriage of pasta and meat
The pasta dough must be firm (semola and water, no egg) for the ferretto technique — soft dough tears rather than slides cleanly off the rod. The rolling motion: place the dough strip diagonally across the ferretto, press the rod firmly onto the work surface, and roll forward with even pressure until the pasta curls around the rod and the ends meet. Slide off immediately — if it sticks, the dough is too wet. The ragù must be very thick for the hollow pasta — watery sauce runs through the tunnel without coating.
A bamboo chopstick or thick knitting needle (4mm diameter) can substitute for the traditional iron ferretto. For the ragù: the authentic Abruzzese version includes lamb chops braised in the sauce and served alongside the pasta as a secondo — the pasta is the first course and the lamb the second, both in the same sauce. The entire sugo must cook for minimum 3 hours to reach the correct density.
Too-soft dough — sticks to the ferretto and tears. Rolling without sufficient pressure — the dough doesn't fully wrap. Ragù too thin — runs through the hollow tube without coating it. Under-cooking — the hollow pasta takes 2-3 minutes longer than solid pasta of the same diameter.
La Cucina dell'Abruzzo — Accademia Italiana della Cucina