Where it comes from
Maccheroni alla chitarra are the signature pasta of Abruzzo, attributed to the chitarra wire-cutter invented in Chieti province in the 18th century — though the dish itself (square-section pasta) goes back further. The 'guitar' has parallel steel wires stretched over a wooden frame; rolled pasta sheet placed on top and pressed with a rolling pin falls through as squared strands. The shape is functional: square edges hold ragù better than round (more surface area). The canonical sauce is ragù di castrato e maiale (mutton + pork shoulder) braised 4 hours with tomato, white wine, and rosemary — a mountain ragù from the same pastoral kitchen that produced arrosticini.
On the plate
A square-section strand of chitarra pasta has visibly different geometry from spaghetti — you can see the corners. The bite is more substantial than round pasta; the texture is firmer (less flour mass relative to surface), and the ragù clings to the corners. The lamb-pork mix gives a meatier ragù than either alone — pork supplies fat and umami, mutton supplies depth. Three hours of low simmer means the meat is shredded-tender, not chunky. Pecorino on top is sharp-salty and ties everything to the Abruzzo highlands where the cheese was made.
How it works
The 2mm-square cross-section has 33% more surface area than a 2mm-diameter round strand, so each gram of pasta carries more sauce. The squared corners also catch and hold sauce mechanically. Egg-rich dough (4.5 eggs per 400g flour) means the cooked pasta is springy-elastic rather than starchy-soft — the eggs supply protein structure. Slow 3-hour braise breaks down lamb collagen completely (collagen is harder to dissolve than pork connective tissue), which is why mutton in a quick ragù tastes tough.
Variations
Chieti canonical uses castrato + pork; Teramo variant adds chicken livers to the ragù; modern Pescara restaurants serve a fish ragù version with shrimp and zucchini in summer; the home shortcut uses store-bought tagliatelle (wrong shape, wrong texture); a vegetarian version with sugo finto ('fake ragù' with mushrooms and porcini) is popular in Aquila in autumn.
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
5 steps · Show ↓60 min active · 30 min waiting
How it's made
5 steps · Show ↓- 142 min
Make pasta: in a heaped pile of 400g 00 flour, crack 4 whole eggs + 1 yolk; pinch of salt. Mix with a fork from the center, drawing flour in until a shaggy dough forms. Knead 10 min until smooth and elastic. Wrap; rest 30 min.
- 213 min
Make ragù: dice 200g pork shoulder + 200g mutton (or lamb) shoulder into 1cm cubes. In a heavy pot, brown the meat in 3 tbsp olive oil over high heat, 8 min. Add 1 diced onion + 1 diced carrot + 1 diced celery; cook 5 min. Add 1 cup dry white wine; reduce by half. Add 600ml passata + 2 sprigs rosemary + 1 bay leaf + salt + pepper. Simmer covered on low, 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
- 316 min
Roll dough: divide into 4 pieces. Pass through pasta machine progressively thinner, stopping at setting that matches your chitarra wire spacing (~2mm thick). Cut sheets to chitarra frame size (~30cm long).
- 412 min
Cut pasta on chitarra: lay sheet on top of wires, press firmly with rolling pin so dough falls through as 2mm-square strands. Toss with semolina; spread on tray. Repeat for all sheets.
- 57 min
Cook pasta in heavily salted boiling water, 4 min (fresh pasta cooks fast). Drain; toss in the ragù pot with a ladle of pasta water and 50g grated pecorino. Serve in deep bowls with extra pecorino on top.
What you'll need
A hand-cranked roller-and-cutter unit, clamped to the table edge: rollers (set 1-9 for thickness) flatten dough into a sheet, then a swappable cutting attachment slices it into tagliatelle, fettuccine, or spaghetti. A motor attachment can replace the hand crank. The Atlas 150 (Marcato, Italy) is the canonical home version — same design since 1930, repairable, indestructible.
Cylindrical wooden, marble, or silicone roller for flattening dough — pie crust, pasta, dumpling skins, naan, tortilla, pizza. French-style is tapered (no handles, the cook holds the wood itself); American-style has fixed handles with rotating barrel; marble pins stay cool for laminated doughs (croissant, puff pastry). The right pin depends on the dough's stickiness and lamination needs.
