Maccheroni alla Chitarra n° 13

Maccheroni alla Chitarra are originally from Abruzzo and have an unusual long shape with a square cross section.

Historically, the pasta was cut with a special tool called a "chitarra" (guitar), consisting of a wooden frame over which thin, steel wires were stretched. The pasta, which was not excessively thin (about the thickness between one wire and another) was placed on the wires and then cut by pressing on it with a special little rolling pin.

This type of pasta is typically eaten with lamb ragù. In certain areas of Abruzzo, the traditional condiment for Maccheroni alla Chitarra is a tomato sauce enriched with veal meatballs measuring about one centimetre across, known as "pallottelle".

Maccheroni alla Chitarra are also excellent with different types of meat gravy, with sauces made from tomatoes and aubergines, or fish.

Available in 500g pack.s

Cooking time: 10 min - “al dente”8 min

Selecting the wheat

Selecting excellent primary materials is the first step, the most important one in fact, in creating unique pasta.

The milling

We have been millers for almost two centuries: way back in 1831, Don Nicola De Cecco was already producing “the best flour in the county” in his mill. To this day, we grind all the wheat in our own mill next to the pasta factory, floating with intense and delicious aromas.

The dough

Cold water and dough at a temperature of less than 15 degrees: two details allowing us to produce pasta that fully respects the primary material.

Drawing

While it is the drawing process that gives the pasta its shape, it is the bronze plates that make our pasta uniquely porous, so it captures all the sauce. Hence, this is one of the special procedures we have chosen to preserve and protect. With great pride.

Drying

Another of the secrets behind our pasta is slow drying at low temperature. It is our way of keeping the sensory properties of the wheat intact.

Penne Lisce n° 40

Penne Lisce are part of the short, diagonal cut, smooth pasta family and are one of the most well-known type of pasta, as well as being the most versatile for cooking.

The lack of ridges is compensated for by a surprising softness which makes it exceptionally delicate on the palate. It is a delicate and sophisticated pasta which brings out the best in aromas, flavours and fragrance.

In Italian, the term "Penne" refers to the goose feather which was used historically to write with and was cut on a diagonal to achieve a really thin tip. The shape, obtained from a pasta tube, can be smooth or ridged, of varying length and has the typical diagonal cut of a quill.

Penne are one of the few types of pasta for which there is an exact date when it was created. Indeed, in 1865, a pasta-maker from San Martino d'Albaro (Genoa), Giovanni Battista Capurro, requested and obtained a patent for a diagonal cutting machine. The patent was important because it meant the fresh pasta could be cut like a quill without crushing it and in different lengths from 3 to 5 centimetres (mezze "half" penne or penne). The document preserved in the Central Archive of the State of Rome reads: "Up until now, a diagonal cut could only be made by hand with a pair of scissors which, in addition to being slow and time-consuming, also resulted in an irregular cut which flattened the pasta".

The ideal condiments for Penne Lisce are any kind of meat sauce: pork, beef, sausage, slow-cooked or braised, or meat and mushrooms. This pasta is equally as good with vegetable based sauces and more in general, due to its versatility, for any recipe from the Mediterranean tradition, such as the classic condiment with tomato, basil, extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of parmesan. A classic combination is with Arrabbiata sauce.

Available in 500g or 3 Kg packs.

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