Fresh Pasta
Fresh pasta is at the heart of Italian cooking and this recipe for how to make a traditional type of Spaghetti, (known as "Maccheroni alla Chitarra") will show you just how easy it is! With 2 ingredients, a pasta maker, and my Nonna's experienced hands, making fresh pasta has never been so simple.
Watch video recipe:
Ingredients: (For 6 pax)
600g flour
6 eggs
Utensils:
Wooden board for kneading the pasta dough
Small plate/bowl
Knife
Fresh Pasta making machine (Imperia is the best pasta machine in the world)
Method:
1.To make the fresh pasta, pour the flour on to your board/table.
2.Make a small-medium size mound using the flour and create a well in the centre.
3.Crack each egg onto the plate, then drop it into the well. This will prevent any unwanted egg shell remnants from getting inside the flour.
4.Whisk the eggs carefully using a fork.
5.Bring the edges of the flour into the centre with the fork, and quickly continue to cover them all the way around. Keep doing this (making sure the egg doesn't run away!) until all of the eggs have folded into the flour. You will need to use your hands at this point.
6.Begin to mix it together using both hands until the dough for the fresh pasta begins to form.
Vincenzo's Plate Tip: Keep some extra flour close by and sprinkle it over your hands as you knead the dough to get rid of the excess sticky bits that are likely to be all over them!
7.Keep kneading the dough so that it begins to firm up and also smooth out.
8.Cover the fresh pasta dough and let it rest for ½ hour.
9.After ½ hr, check that you are happy with the texture of the dough by pressing down softly on it using both palms.
10.Cut a couple of slices from the main piece - approx. 2-2.5cm thick, and feed them through the largest slot in your fresh pasta making machine. Each time it passes through, fold it together and repeat.
Vincenzo's Plate Tip: Make sure you cover the remaining fresh pasta dough each time you finish using it to stop it from drying out and also so that it doesn't continue to rise.
11.Work your way down to the thinner options until you get the smooth consistency required. You might need to sprinkle some added flour on top of the sheet, to prevent it from sticking.
12.It is then time to pass the pasta sheets through the correct option for Chitarra!
These are the famous Maccheroni alla Chitarra
How to Serve:
1. Cook with a rich tomato base sauce and garnish it with delicious fresh basil leaves over the top.
E ora si mangia, Vincenzo's Plate...Enjoy!
Spaghetti alla Chitarra are best served with a traditional Mini Meatballs Sauce from the province on Teramo. Here is the recipe for you:
Tempted? Watch the video below and enjoy the sightseeing of the greenest region in Europe