Spaghetti alla Chitarra

(serves 4 | 45 minutes | medium)

It isn’t common to find a gastronomic product whose name derives from the tool used to produce it, making Maccheroni alla Chitarra even more unique. Besides giving the pasta its shape & name, the guitar gives it its texture: porus and rough, perfect for absorbing sauce.

100g 0 “flour” (like Manitoba) – 100g durum wheat flour + more for dusting – 2 eggs – pinch of salt – traditional spaghetti guitar

  1. Place the two flours in a bowl and mix them together with a fork and a pinch of salt. Transfer them to a wooden surface and create a well in the middle.
  2. Crack both eggs into the well and poke the yolks with a fork. Begin whisking them together until smooth, then begin gradually incorporating the flour from the sides of the well. Incorporate flour and keep whisking, until the dough gets too thick to mix with a fork. 
  3. Remove the dough stuck to the fork and begin kneading with your hands. If the dough isn’t sticking together and crumbles, add some olive oil or water. If it is too wet, add some more flour (some of both). 
  4. Knead until you achieve a smooth and compact dough, then wrap it in cling film and let it rest for 30 minutes. 
  5. Once the rest time has passed, cut off a chunk of dough, keeping the rest covered in cling film, and roll it out to the second thinnest level on a pasta machine.