Spaghetti alla Chitarra

Name: Spaghetti alla Chitarra
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 6 people
Ingredients: 10 ounces whole wheat, farro, spelt or einkorn flour; 3 ounces all-purpose ﬂour; 1 teaspoon olive oil; Whites from 4 eggs; 2 tablespoons water

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Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
mins
Total Time
1 hr 5 mins
Servings
6 people
Calories
218 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Italian

Spaghetti alla Chitarra

Elizabeth Hodge

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This is a general recipe for the brown wheat flours: whole wheat, spelt or farro — the last two are older varieties of wheat that can be found in a health food store. The point of this kind of pasta is to be rustic and earthy: Bigger shapes, thicker ribbons, chunkier sauces and heartier accompaniments.

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Ingredients

Servings

10 ounces whole wheat, farro, spelt or einkorn flour about 1 1/2 cups
3 ounces all-purpose ﬂour, about 1/2 cup
1 teaspoon olive oil
Whites from 4 eggs
2 tablespoons water

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Instructions

Whisk together flours and pour into a large bowl. Make a well at the center.
Whisk together the egg whites, water and olive oil and pour into the well. Mix together by hand, and when the dough comes together begin kneading — if you suspect the dough may be too dry, add a smidge of water. Use extra flour if it is too wet.
Knead for a good 5 to 10 minutes. Wrap in plastic and set aside to rest for 1 hour, or up to 24 hours in the fridge. One neat trick is to vacuum seal your dough, which will hydrate it instantly.
To make spaghetti alla chitarra, you want to roll out your dough to about 1/8" thick, either with a rolling pin or with a pasta maker. If you do it with a pasta maker, it will only need to be passed through to the No. 2 setting, which is fairly thick. Make sheets of dough about as long as you want your spaghetti to be.
Lay the dough sheet on your chitarra, then use a rolling pin to roll the dough through wires. Some will stick, so you "play the guitar" by strumming the wires, which releases the pasta. Dust it in a little all-purpose flour and set aside until ready to cook.

Notes

Farro is the best of the three choices here, as it is just the essence of wheat — a lovely aroma and pretty coffee-and-cream color. Spelt is nearly as good, but is slightly more metallic-tasting. Whole wheat flour is the fall-back, although freshly ground whole wheat flour is excellent.

Nutrition Information

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Calories 218kcal (11%) Carbohydrates 45g (15%) Protein 8g (16%) Fat 2g (3%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Sodium 1mg (0%) Potassium 187mg (5%) Fiber 5g (20%) Sugar 1g (2%) Calcium 18mg (2%) Iron 2.4mg (13%)