Abruzzo — spaghetti alla chitarra (maccheroni alla chitarra) is the defining pasta of Abruzzo, documented from at least the 19th century and described in detail in Abruzzese culinary sources. The pallottine version is the Sunday and festive preparation; weekday chitarra uses a simpler sauce.
Spaghetti alla chitarra con pallottine is the Sunday primo of Abruzzo — the guitar-cut square-section spaghetti dressed with a long-cooked tomato and meat ragù containing pallottine (tiny meatballs, barely 1cm in diameter), made from a mixture of beef, pork, and sometimes veal or lamb, seasoned with Pecorino, egg, and parsley. The chitarra (guitar) — a wooden frame strung with steel wires across which a sheet of egg pasta is pressed and cut — is the defining tool of Abruzzo pasta production. The square-section spaghetti alla chitarra, slightly thicker than standard spaghetti, has a rough, textured surface that holds ragù exceptionally. The pallottine are formed by rolling tiny pieces of seasoned meat between palms — the smaller the better.
Spaghetti alla chitarra con pallottine is a generous, deeply satisfying primo — the square spaghetti holds the tomato ragù in its rough folds; the pallottine, each a tiny concentration of seasoned meat, appear through the pasta like punctuation marks of flavour. The Pecorino grated over at the table adds its sharp, grassy note. It is the Abruzzo Sunday table at its best.
Egg pasta dough: 00 flour, 1 egg per 100g, salt — rest 30 minutes. Roll to chitarra thickness (3-4mm). Press across the chitarra wires with a rolling pin; the wires cut the pasta into square-section spaghetti. For pallottine: mix 300g combined beef/pork mince with 1 egg, 2 tablespoons grated Pecorino, parsley, salt, pepper. Roll between palms into balls of 1cm or less. Brown pallottine in olive oil (in batches — do not crowd). Make a tomato sauce with soffritto of onion, celery, carrot. Add crushed tomatoes; simmer 30 minutes. Add browned pallottine; simmer 20 minutes more. Dress cooked spaghetti alla chitarra generously.
If a chitarra is not available, a pasta machine can produce similar results — roll to the appropriate thickness and cut into square-section spaghetti by hand. The pallottine can be frozen after browning and used from frozen — add directly to simmering sauce and cook 5 minutes longer. The Pecorino grated into the pallottine mixture is the Abruzzese marker — Parmigiano is not traditional here.
Pallottine too large — they should be very small; large meatballs change the texture ratio completely and the dish loses its delicacy. Chitarra pasta overcooked — the square-section pasta is best al dente (3-4 minutes for fresh); it continues cooking when dressed with the hot sauce. Ragù too thin — the sauce must be substantial enough to coat the pasta; simmer to reduce before adding the pallottine.
Oretta Zanini de Vita, Encyclopedia of Pasta; Anna Gosetti della Salda, Le Ricette Regionali Italiane