If you would like to surprise your family or guests with a very special pasta dish, I would highly recommend this recipe from Abruzzo: homemade spaghetti with spicy pesto and chilli sheep ricotta from the oven. A delight for the palate!
A guitar for the pasta
Chitarra means guitar in Italian and in Abruzzo it is also the name for the special pasta cutter. It originated in the course of the 19th century in San Martino in the province of Chieti and soon spread beyond central Italy. The freshly produced egg pasta dough is cut into spaghetti with the fine steel strings of the chitarra. These are then not round, but have edges and a very porous surface: perfect for absorbing rich sauces.
Cucina abruzzese
In the regional dialect, the pasta is called lu maccarunare or lu carrature. The cuisine of Abruzzo is down-to-earth and hearty. Traditionally, wild ragouts accompany spaghetti alla chitarra. They are often served with fish roe or lamb meatballs. In Abruzzo, sheep farming is still widespread today. The ricotta for our recipe should be made from pure sheep's milk. Baked with chilli and honey, the mild cream cheese is transformed into a firework of flavours as the crowning touch to spaghetti.
📖 Recipe
Spaghetti alla chitarra with basil-mint pesto and baked ricotta
Ingredients
Spaghetti alla Chitarra
- 400 g durum wheat flour
- 4 eggs
Baked ricotta
- 250 g ricotta, sheep’s ricotta, prefered
- 1 lemon, grated skin, organic
- 1 chili pepper, fresh
- 1 teaspoon honey, liquid
Basil-mint pesto
- 60 g pine nuts
- olive oil
- 1 bunch mint
- 1 bunch basil
- ½ juice lemon
- salt
Also
- 1 lemon, grated skin, organic
- olive oil
Instructions
For the spaghetti alla chitarra
- Sprinkle the flour on a work surface. Form a hollow in the middle and let the beaten eggs slide into the hollow. Mix the flour and egg with your hands from the inside out and knead until you have a smooth dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for about 30 minutes (not in the refrigerator). Then use a rolling pin to roll out the dough 3 mm thin and cut out squares the size of the pasta cutter (approx. 20 x 60 cm). Place the dough squares on the chitarra and press them through the fine strings with the rolling pin. Dust the spaghetti with a little flour on a kitchen towel, possibly sprinkling the towel beforehand.
- A note: Spaghetti alla chitarra can also be purchased as ready-made pasta. However, they taste much better fresh.
For the baked ricotta
- Pre-heat the oven to 200° C (upper and lower heat). Finely chop the chilli pepper, removing the seeds first. Line a baking tray with baking paper and spread the ricotta flat on it. Grate the skin of the lemon over the cream cheese and sprinkle it with chilli. Finally, sprinkle with honey. Let the ricotta caramelise in the hot oven for about 10 minutes until golden brown. If you cannot get sheep's ricotta, young feta is a suitable alternative in terms of taste.
For the basil-mint pesto
- Roast the pine nuts in a pan without fat. Mix with the mint and basil leaves and the juice of half a lemon and a little olive oil. Season to taste with salt. If you want to avoid the pesto going dark, it is better to crush the herbs in a mortar. While doing so, press the herbs against the walls of the mortar in one direction with the pestle and at the same time turn the mortar in the opposite direction.
- Cook spaghetti in plenty of salted water until al dente. Remember that with fresh pasta this only takes a few minutes. Drain and keep some of the pasta water. Mix the spaghetti with the pesto. If the pasta is too dry, add 1-2 tablespoons of pasta water. Crumble the baked ricotta over the spaghetti alla chitarra. Before serving, enhance with some grated lemon zest and virgin olive oil.
Notes
Nutrition
Buon appetito!
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