“Travels” in Abruzzo – chitarra

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I have not actually been to Abruzzo – yet – so this post is purely virtual travel. I really want to get this one “right,” to the extent that any Italian regional food has a “right” way to cook it, because I have a dear friend from Abruzzo and one day I hope to visit her family home.

So far, I have not found a cookbook dedicated to Abruzzese cooking, but I do know that chitarra is from Abruzzo. My research, such as it was, also revealed that meat dishes are heavy on the pork, including a dish called “cif e ciaf” – a mix of pork cuts. If you do a search for cif e ciaf recipes, you’ll find that there are probably as many ways to make it as there are grandmothers in Abruzzo. I tried my own variation with some ribs and chunks of a butt roast, and the taste got rave reviews, but it was a less than photogenic dish.

This will focus on spaghetti alla chitarra with a meat sauce of only pork meat. For the pork, use coarsely ground pork butt and a bit of coarsely ground pancetta. And yes, I do recommend grinding the meat yourself if possible.

You are also going to want your mix of very finely chopped red onion, celery, and carrots – picture below just because I always think it is pretty.

This is another sauce that you want to cook slow and low, preferably for several hours, to really meld flavors and to reduce almost all of the liquid.

This recipe makes more sauce than what I like for a pound of pasta, but that is obviously personal preference.

Spaghetti alla chitarra with meat sauce
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Spaghetti alla chitarra with meat sauce

Course: DinnerCuisine: Abruzzese

Ingredients

  • Sauce:

  • 1 large red onion – finely chopped

  • 2 carrots – finely chopped

  • 2 stalks celery – finely chopped

  • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 tsp (or more if desired) red pepper flakes

  • 1-1/2 pounds pork butt – coarsely ground

  • 1/2 pound pancetta – coarsely ground

  • 2-3 bay leaves

  • 1 cup dry white wine

  • 1 28 ounce can peeled plum tomatoes – preferably San Marzano – crushed by hand

  • 3-4 cups chicken stock

  • salt to taste

  • For finishing/serving

  • 1 pound spaghetti alla chitarra

  • 1/2 to 1 cup pecorino romano

Directions

  • Heat the olive oil over medium to medium-high heat in a large sauté pan. Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Cook until reduce and gold brown. This takes longer than you think. Be careful not to burn. Add about a teaspoon of kosher salt as you are cooking the vegetables. When vegetables are nicely browned, add the red pepper flakes and cook briefly.
  • Move the vegetables to the side of the pan. Add the meat. Continue to stir/break up the meat as it is cooking. Cook until meat is browned and liquids have released.
  • Add wine and bay leaves to the pan and increase heat. Stir to get all the good bits off the pan, and cook until alcohol has evaporated from the wine.
  • Add the crushed tomatoes and 2-3 cups of the chicken stock. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low simmer. Continue to simmer until liquid is almost completely gone. Add more stock if necessary as it simmers.
  • When almost ready to serve, cook the chitarra to al dente in a large pot of salted, boiling water.
  • Here’s where I would remove about 1/4 to 1/2 of the sauce from the sauté pan to save for another use.
  • When the chitarra is just al dente, scoop it from the boiling water (or drain in a colander) and add the drained pasta to the sauce in the sauté pan. Stir with tongs, and add the cheese as you stir (if you have reduced the amount of sauce, you will also likely want to reduce the amount of cheese).
  • Serve immediately.

And, of course, serve with a local wine.