Pasta alla Chitarra
- Feb 27
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 1
By Sabbia’s World
An Abruzzese Classic Passed Down Through Generations
There are recipes you cook. And there are recipes you inherit.
In our family, Pasta alla Chitarra was never just pasta. It was a tradition woven into dough.
Nonna Sabbia used to say that you could tell a woman’s patience by how she rolled her pasta. She learned it from her mother, who learned it from hers — hands dusted in flour, sunlight coming through the kitchen window in Abruzzo.
No machines. No shortcuts.Just eggs. Flour. A wooden board. And the chitarra — the wooden frame strung with thin metal wires that give this pasta its signature square shape.
Nonna Sabbia’s Kitchen
Nonna would crack the eggs directly into the flour well and say:
"La pasta si sente con le mani, non con gli occhi."You feel pasta with your hands, not your eyes.
She taught Mamma Maria the same way.
Not by writing it down.Not by measuring in cups.
But by touch. By instinct. By watching.
The dough had to be firm, elastic, almost alive.
And when it rested under the cloth, you could hear Nonna humming softly — always an old Abruzzese song.
The Sound of the Chitarra
When the sheet of pasta was laid over the chitarra and rolled with the wooden pin, the wires would cut through the dough with a soft, rhythmic sound.
That sound meant Sunday was coming.
It meant family would gather.
It meant the sauce had been simmering since morning.
Now It’s My Turn
Today, I make Pasta alla Chitarra the same way.
Because Mamma Maria made sure I learned.
And now, I teach my son.My grandchildren. And anyone who walks into my kitchen wanting to understand Abruzzo through food.
This is not just pasta.
It’s: The mountain air of Abruzzo ✔ The strength of rural families ✔ The creativity born from simplicity ✔ The love that feeds generations ✔
Why Pasta alla Chitarra Matters
Abruzzo is strong. Honest. Uncomplicated. And so is this dish.Eggs.Flour.Patience.
That’s it.
From Nonna Sabbia…To Mamma Maria…To me…To you.
Welcome to Sabbia’s World, where recipes aren’t just cooked —they’re remembered.
Recipe
🧀 Ingredients (Serves 4)
For the Pasta:
400g (about 3 cups) Italian “00” flour or semolina flour
4 large eggs
A pinch of salt
For the Classic Tomato Sauce:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
700g (24 oz) crushed San Marzano tomatoes
Fresh basil leaves
Salt to taste
Optional: a pinch of peperoncino
Freshly grated Pecorino or Parmigiano
👩🏻🍳 Step 1: Make the Dough (Like Nonna)
Pour the flour onto a wooden surface.
Create a well in the center.
Crack the eggs inside. Add a pinch of salt.
With a fork, gently beat the eggs, slowly incorporating the flour.
When it thickens, use your hands.
Knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
If Nonna were here, she would press the dough and say:“Not too soft. Not too stiff. It must feel alive.” Cover with a cloth. Let it rest 30 minutes.
Step 2: Shape with the Chitarra
Roll the dough into thin sheets (about 2–3mm thick).
Lay the sheet over the chitarra tool.
Roll over it firmly with a rolling pin.
The pasta strands will fall underneath — thick, square spaghetti.
Dust lightly with flour and let rest.
🍅 Step 3: The Sauce
Heat olive oil in a pan.
Add garlic and let it gently infuse (do not brown).
Add crushed tomatoes.
Simmer 20–25 minutes.
Add salt and fresh basil at the end. Simple. Honest. Pure.
🔥 Step 4: Cook & Finish
Boil salted water.
Cook fresh chitarra pasta 2–3 minutes.
Toss directly into the sauce.
Finish with Pecorino and a drizzle of olive oil.
💛 Sabbia’s Tip
Never drown the pasta in sauce.
In Abruzzo, pasta and sauce must respect each other.
La Chitarra Abruzzese
Also known as:
Maccheroni alla chitarra tool
Traditional pasta chitarra
Wooden pasta frame with steel wires
The name “chitarra” literally means guitar — because the thin metal wires resemble guitar strings. When the rolling pin presses the dough over the wires, it cuts the pasta into perfectly square spaghetti strands.
The Tool: La Chitarra
In Abruzzo, this pasta is not cut with a knife.
It is shaped using la chitarra — a wooden frame strung with fine steel wires, like a small guitar laid flat on the table. Nonna Sabbia would place the thin sheet of dough over the wires and press firmly with a rolling pin.
And then —like music — the pasta would fall through in long, square strands.
That is why it is called Spaghetti alla Chitarra. Not round.Not machine-made.But cut with tradition.
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