Chitarra Pasta Maker

                                                                                      Photo by Prima Festa                                           

This very Old World Italian, Harp-like pasta making device is fun to use, but not very well known.

The Chitarra, the Italian word for Guitar, is pronounced (key-tahr-rah). There are two sides for cutting different widths of pasta. A rolling pin is used to press a sheet of pasta dough through the strings, where it is caught by a slide-out middle board. The freshly cut pasta can then be dropped directly from the board into the boiling water. Pasta made with a Chitarra is very light; it cooks very quickly, absorbs more sauce, and has some conveniences over mechanically cut pasta. 

For a recipe and instructions on how to make Hand-Made Fresh Pasta Dough, visit my Fresh Hand-Made Pasta Dough recipe.

There are varying qualities of Chitarras. Mine has a hardwood frame and cast aluminum wire guides. The cutting area on the strings is about 6″ wide and 14.5″ long. The wires on one side cut 3/16″, and the other 1/8″ strands. This is similar to a hand crank pasta maker having Linguini and angel hair pasta cutters.

The center board catches the strands and slides out to remove them. The wires are made from steel, are very durable, and can be adjusted using the end wire guides. My machine was handed down to me by my late mother Gemma. Some day I will also hand it down as a working family heirloom.

Sheet of rolled pasta ready to be placed on the Chitarra strings.                                                                                              

To see my recipe and instructions on how to use an electric mixer with a pasta rolling and cutting attachment, visit my Tomato Basil Pasta Recipe.

Note: A mechanical pasta maker is handy for rolling the dough into a width that will neatly fit over the Chitarra strings.

One big bonus: My Chitarra is made in America, by an Italian.

My mother purchased her Chitarra from Fante's Kitchen Wares Shop from Philadelphia. For more information on purchasing a new Chitarra, go online to Fante's Kitchen Ware Shop, or visit their showroom in Philadelphia. They even restring Chitarras that have the aluminum wire guides.

Sheet of well floured Tomato Basil Pasta on the Chitarra strings ready to be rolled

The following directions for using a Chitarra are made as a courtesy from Fante's Kitchen Ware:

• Cut a rolled sheet of pasta dough to fit over the wires
• Generously sprinkle flour on both sides of the sheet.
• Place the sheet over the metal wires.
• Roll a rolling pin over it with light-to-moderate pressure.
• If the pasta is a wet batch, it may be necessary to rub the strings with your finger tip, because the rolling pin can only roll to the top side of the strings
• Use the board to transfer the cut pasta directly to the boiling water, or dry or freeze the pasta for future use.

Cut pasta on the middle slide-out board after being rolled down between the strings.

Finished batch of Tomato Basil Pasta cut with the Chitarra Pasta Maker

Follow here for my Chunky Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce

Follow here for my Marinara Sauce recipe

PS: The passion for making home made fresh pasta is not included with any of these devices. You must learn to provide your own.

That's where all of the magic of growing up in an Italian Kitchen comes from.

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