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Maccheroni alla Chitarra di Farro con Pesto di Cavolo Nero
Guitar Cut Farro Pasta with Black Kale Pesto
I was craving a hearty, but meatless pastasciutta, whole grain and packed with nutrients. The pasta was the easy part. When I want hearty pasta, I go right to the famous maccheroni alla chitarra of Abruzzo. Also known as pasta or spaghetti alla chitarra, the noodles are satisfying and toothsome.
I figured farro would be perfect for the pasta. An heirloom grain (triticum dicoccum), it is also known as emmer, and sometimes erroneously called spelt. Farro has been around for ages, literally. Documented as far back as the dawn of agriculture in Mesopotamia and The Fertile Crescent, the Roman legions conquered the world on their daily ration. Read the remainder of this entry »
Maccheroni alla Chitarra con Ragù d’Agnello
From Abruzzo comes Guitar Cut Pasta with Lamb Ragù
Abruzzo – from the majestic Gran Sasso to its beaches on the Adriatic Sea this part of Italy has postcard perfect terrain. To walk in the mountains of Abruzzo is to walk the age old route of the transumanza – the seasonal sheep migration, and indeed, sheep figure prominently in the socioeconomic history of this region and its cuisine.
Gaetano Alfonso Crocetti
Born 1894 Montesilvano, arrived New York 1913, died 1967 Los Angeles, California
My grandfather, Gaetano Crocetti was born in Montesilvano, Abruzzo. He loved the food of his homeland, and although I have written previously about Ferratelle, the Abruzzese take on Pizzelle, this region has as its most singularly recognizable contribution to Italian cookery an implement known as the chitarra, a tool used to cut pasta. In her book Food and Memories of Abruzzo Anna Teresa Callen writes that this tool appears in manuscripts dating as far back as the thirteenth century.
Indeed la chitarra is part of Abruzzese culture, Read the remainder of this entry »