Abruzzo Techniques

Source the Sus scrofa domesticus jowl-neck cut (guancia): the masseter-neck anatomy at 60–70% fat-to-lean ratio, whole weight 1.2–1.8 kg. Mix the cure: 3.0–3.5% NaCl by jowl weight of coarse Sale Dolce di Cervia, freshly cracked Piper nigrum, and optionally Thymus vulgaris and Foeniculum vulgare pollen. Apply in two stages: rub 50% of the cure on day 1, pressing crystals against all faces; refrigerate uncovered at 4°C (39°F). On day 3–4, apply the remaining 50%, particularly to the lean face where penetration is slowest. Continue the cure at 4°C (39°F) for 21–28 days total, turning daily to redistribute the brine draw. After the cure period, brush off excess crystals; apply a generous cracked Piper nigrum crust to the exposed lean face, pressing firmly. Thread with butcher's string and hang at 12–15°C (54–59°F) and 70–75% relative humidity for 2–3 months. The guanciale is ready when the outer face shows a dry, firm Piper nigrum-crusted rind and the interior fat reads ivory-white with no translucent soft zones when pressed.

Abruzzo's hunter-style lamb: young lamb (agnello) jointed and braised with white wine, vinegar, rosemary, garlic, and sweet/hot peppers in a method that distinguishes itself from other regional cacciatore preparations by the mandatory addition of white wine vinegar and the use of dried sweet bell peppers (peperoni cruschi, dried and rehydrated). The dish is dry-braised: very little liquid is used and the lamb is turned frequently so that it braises in its own rendered fat and juices. The result is more concentrated than a conventional braise.

Abruzzo's mountain lamb roasted with the wild herbs of the Apennines: wild thyme, wild marjoram, juniper, rosemary, and garlic — all foraged from the same hillsides where the sheep graze. The lamb absorbs the aromatics from both its own grass diet and the herb rub applied before roasting. Prepared as a crust: herbs pounded to a rough paste with olive oil, spread over the exterior of the bone-in leg, and roasted at 180°C 20 minutes per 500g. The aroma of the herb crust caramelising is the signature of Abruzzese mountain cooking.

One of Abruzzo's most celebrated preparations for lamb: pieces of young shoulder or rib braised slowly in a classic soffritto-and-white-wine base until almost cooked through. The defining technique is the brodetto finale — a liaison of egg yolks, Pecorino cheese, lemon juice and fresh marjoram beaten together and stirred into the barely simmering braising liquid off direct heat (exactly like aglio e olio for eggs) to create a rich, thickened, cream-coloured sauce coating every piece of lamb. The pan must not exceed 70°C during this final stage or the eggs will scramble. Served immediately with toasted country bread.

Abruzzo's Easter lamb preparation: young lamb pieces braised in white wine, garlic, and rosemary, then finished with the classic Abruzzese 'cacio e ova' (cheese and egg) liaison — beaten egg yolks and Pecorino mixed off-heat into the hot braising juices to create a creamy, coagulated sauce that coats every piece of lamb. The egg and cheese thicken the braising liquid into a custardy, clinging sauce without a roux. The cacio e ova technique appears across Abruzzo as a sauce-finishing method for both vegetables and proteins.

The Easter lamb of Teramo: jointed spring lamb (or kid) braised in white wine and then finished with an egg-and-pecorino stracciatella poured over the hot meat at the last moment. The egg and cheese cook into wisps that cling to the lamb, creating a sauce that is simultaneously a meat braise and a stracciatella. The dish is served only at Easter and represents the Teramano synthesis of the cacio e ova technique (egg and cheese) applied not to a soup but to a meat second course.

The original Amatriciana from the mountain town of Amatrice — made with spaghetti (not rigatoni), guanciale (not pancetta), no onion, no garlic, and Pecorino Romano only. The guanciale is crisped in olive oil, white wine deglazed and reduced, then San Marzano tomatoes added and cooked 10 minutes maximum — the tomato sauce should be fresh and bright, not long-cooked. The pasta is finished in the pan with the sauce. A precise, minimal dish where each flavour is distinct and identifiable. The Amatrice earthquake of 2016 destroyed much of the town; the dish is now a tribute to what was lost.

Sugo all'amatriciana is one of the five canonical Roman pasta sauces (alongside cacio e pepe, gricia, carbonara, and coda alla vaccinara), originating in Amatrice (now in Lazio, historically in Abruzzo) and brought to Rome by the mountain shepherds who migrated seasonally to the capital. It is built on guanciale (cured pork jowl) rendered until crisp, deglazed with dry white wine, combined with San Marzano tomato, and finished on bucatini (or rigatoni). The critical variables are the use of guanciale (not pancetta, not bacon), the white wine deglaze, and the restraint in tomato — it is not a tomato sauce with pork; it is a pork sauce with tomato.

Abruzzo's iconic shepherd's street food: thin slivers of mutton (not lamb — adult castrated sheep) threaded in alternating lean-fat pieces onto thin wooden skewers, charred on a narrow 'furnacella' (a purpose-built charcoal grill exactly the width of the skewers). A single serving is 15-20 skewers; serious consumption starts at 30. The fat — which must come from an older animal with well-developed intramuscular fat — renders over the coals and bastes the lean pieces continuously. Eaten plain, with bread, and always with Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.

Arrosticini are the definitive Abruzzese lamb skewers: cubed castrato (castrated male sheep), cut small (1.5cm cubes), threaded tightly onto narrow squared wooden skewers and cooked over a specialised long, narrow charcoal grill (the fornacella or rustella) in dozens simultaneously. The key details are all specific: castrato, not lamb — the more mature, flavoursome meat of a castrated sheep, typically 18-24 months old; the small, uniform cube size; the tight threading with fat and muscle alternating; the specific charcoal grill designed for the skewer format.

Arrosticini are the iconic Abruzzese preparation — small cubes of castrated male lamb (castrato) and its fat, threaded alternating onto thin wooden skewers and grilled over the 'furnacella' (a long, narrow charcoal grill designed specifically for arrosticini, where the skewers rest across the trough and are turned continuously). The preparation is deceptively simple: the lamb is the only ingredient. The quality of the castrato — specifically the alternating lean-and-fat of the castrated sheep raised on the Abruzzo highland meadows (the Gran Sasso, the Maiella) — is everything. The skewers are served immediately from the grill, in bunches of 10-15, eaten holding the wooden end with no cutlery.

The defining emblem of Abruzzo: tiny skewers of castrato (castrated male sheep) or mutton, cut into 1.5 cm cubes of alternating lean and fat — never a single piece of pure lean — threaded onto flat wooden skewers and cooked directly over a channel-shaped charcoal or wood-fire grill (the canale or furnacella). The arrosticini are placed perpendicular to the canale, touching or nearly touching each other, and cooked in a single turn without moving them — typically 3–4 minutes total over very hot coals. The fat renders and drips into the fire, creating flares that char and perfume the meat. Eaten immediately off the skewer, with nothing but salt and grilled crusty bread to absorb the fat.

Bocconotti are individual pastry cases (made from a rich short-crust with lard or olive oil) filled with either pastry cream and jam, or a cooked filling of chocolate, almonds, and jam — depending on whether they come from the Lanciano tradition (cream version) or the Castel Frentano tradition (chocolate version). They are the Christmas confection of the Abruzzese interior and represent the most elaborate pastry tradition of the region.

The fish stew of Vasto (Chieti province) — one of Italy's three canonical brodetti (Ancona, Porto Recanati, and Vasto), each distinguished by its acidifying agent and fish selection. Vastese uses pepperoni dolci (sweet red peppers) and a small amount of peperoncino as the aromatic base (no tomato, no vinegar in the oldest version), with the Adriatic's mixed catch: tub gurnard, monkfish, sole, squid, mantis shrimp, and mussels, cooked in strict layered sequence based on cooking time.

Vasto's fish stew is distinguished from all other Adriatic brodetti by one irreplaceable ingredient: sweet bell peppers (peperoni dolci) cooked into the base — not as garnish but as a structural flavour component. A soffritto of olive oil, onion and garlic is built, then sliced sweet peppers are cooked until completely soft and beginning to caramelise. White wine deglazes, followed by crushed tomatoes. The fish is added in sequence by cooking time — first firm-fleshed cuttlefish or squid, then monkfish or bream, then clams and mussels added last. The stew simmers uncovered over medium heat, each fish type added at precisely the right moment. No bread thickening, no cream — the sweet pepper caramelisation and reduced fish juices provide all the body.

Brodetto di Vasto is the fish stew of the Vasto coast in southern Abruzzo — distinct from other Adriatic brodetti in using saffron and yellow pepper alongside the tomato base. The combination of saffron's golden colour, the sweet yellow pepper, and the Adriatic fish creates a stew that is brighter and more aromatic than most other Italian fish stews. Minimum five fish species are used, cooked in sequence by firmness.

Vasto's distinctive brodetto from the Abruzzo Adriatic coast — unique in Italy for using sweet pepper and a particular vinegar-saffron base. The technique involves building the sauce before any fish enters: onion, sweet red pepper, saffron, white wine vinegar, and olive oil cooked to a dense, fragrant base. Fish (scorpionfish, monkfish, razor clams, mussels) are added in sequence by cooking time. The sweet pepper is what distinguishes Vastese from other Adriatic brodeitti — it adds a slightly sweet, fruity depth that balances the vinegar's sharpness.

Vasto's fish stew — one of Italy's regional fish soups with the most specific rules. Thirteen different fish species must be present. The tomato sauce must be made with peeled San Marzano tomatoes in an iron pot (tiella di ferro). No wine, no vinegar, no lemon — only olive oil, garlic, chilli, and tomato. The fish are added in order of cooking time. The broth must reduce to a glossy, concentrated consistency that clings to bread.

Cacio e pepe is the most demanding technically of the Roman pasta preparations — three ingredients (pasta, Pecorino Romano, black pepper), no fat added, no cream, and the cheese must be emulsified into the pasta water to create a silky, sauce-like consistency that coats every strand without becoming glue or clumping. The preparation is ancient (the Roman shepherd's pasta, made with the hard sheep cheese carried in the pack and the black pepper from the spice trade) and requires a specific technique to achieve the correct emulsion. The failure mode is either clumped, stringy cheese or a watery pasta with no sauce. The success condition is a pasta where the cheese has become an invisible, silky coating.

Easter kid goat roasted in a wood-fired (or domestic) oven with wedged potatoes, rosemary, garlic and white wine. The kid is jointed, marinated overnight in wine and aromatics, then arranged over the potatoes so the meat juices baste the potatoes as it roasts. High initial heat renders the fat and crisps the skin; a lower second phase cooks the meat through.

Ceppe are Teramo's distinctive hand-formed pasta — short, hollow tubes formed by rolling a piece of semolina dough around a metal skewer (ferro) or knitting needle, then sliding the dough off to leave a rough-textured tube approximately 6 cm long and 1 cm in diameter. The sauce is a slow-braised lamb ragù alla teramana: shoulder pieces browned in lard with onion and celery, then braised for 2 hours in white wine, lamb or chicken broth and San Marzano tomatoes. The lamb is pulled from the bone, shredded coarsely and returned to the sauce. Ceppe are cooked al dente and finished in the pan with the ragù, grated Pecorino d'Abruzzo and torn flat-leaf parsley.

The quintessential Abruzzese Sunday pasta: spaghetti alla chitarra (square-sectioned pasta cut on a wire-strung wooden instrument) served with a slow-cooked sugo di carne featuring tiny lamb or pork meatballs (pallottine). The chitarra's square cross-section holds sauce differently from round spaghetti — more surface area per bite. The pallottine are no larger than a hazelnut, browned in lard and simmered in tomato sauce for 90 minutes until swollen with flavour.

Cicerchie (grasspea or chickling vetch — Lathyrus sativus) in a thick soup from Abruzzo's mountain areas — a pulse that was historically a survival food during famines and today is celebrated as a Slow Food Presidio. Cicerchie resemble small, irregular chickpeas with a distinctive nutty, slightly bitter flavour that is unlike any other legume. They are soaked for 24 hours, then cooked slowly with garlic, rosemary, and bay, and finished with olive oil, crumbled aged Pecorino Abruzzese, and dried peperoncino. Their cooking liquid becomes thick and rich from the cicerchie's unique starch.

Cif e ciaf (the name is onomatopoeic — the sizzling sound of the preparation) is the Abruzzese offal dish: a rapid, assertively seasoned preparation of mixed pork organ meats (lung, liver, heart, kidney) and lean cuts, cut into small pieces and cooked quickly in lard with garlic, chilli, and white wine. It is a dish of the pig-slaughter day — the quinto quarto of the Abruzzese tradition, using the parts that do not keep and must be eaten immediately. The preparation is fast, hot, and direct — nothing simmers for hours; everything is treated with fierce heat and a short time.

Sulmona, in the province of L'Aquila, has been Italy's confetti capital since the 14th century — the word 'confetti' (sugar-coated almonds) derives from the Latin 'confectum' (prepared, made), and the production methods here have changed little in five centuries. Sulmona confetti are made by coating whole almonds in layers of cooked sugar syrup applied in a rotating drum (the bassina), building up layer upon layer of sugar until the almond is encased in a smooth, hard shell. The artisanal version uses the hot-pan method (confettatura a mano) — the confettiere stirs the almonds over gentle heat, adding spoonfuls of warm sugar syrup in small doses, rotating continuously, building up to 30+ layers over several hours.

Fiadoni are the defining savoury pastry of the Abruzzo Easter table: small, dome-shaped pastries with a short, egg-enriched pastry casing enclosing a filling of grated Pecorino (or a mixture of Pecorino and fresh ricotta), whole eggs, and pepper. Unlike the Molisano calcioni (sweet ricotta pastries), the Abruzzese fiadoni are firmly savoury — the cheese filling is pungent, eggy, and peppery, without sugar. They are baked (not fried), and the pastry casing achieves a beautiful golden colour from the egg wash and the fat content of the dough. They are prepared days before Easter and served at room temperature as part of the antipasto spread.

Abruzzo's spring herb frittata — mountain eggs (from free-range hens in the Abruzzo highlands), beaten with a blend of wild herbs foraged from the hillsides: wild fennel fronds, fresh borage, nettle tips (blanched), wild garlic (aglio orsino), and fresh pecorino grated at the last moment. Cooked in a cast-iron pan over low heat until the base is golden and the top just set, then finished under the grill. The herb quantity is assertive — not a frittata with some herbs, but a frittata where herbs are equal to egg in volume.

Guanciale (from 'guancia' — cheek) is the cured pig's jowl that is foundational to Roman cooking — the fat used in amatriciana, carbonara, cacio e pepe's richer version, and gricia. Unlike pancetta (cured belly), guanciale has a higher ratio of fat to lean, a distinctive layered fat structure, and a specific flavour from the jaw muscle and its surrounding fat deposits — slightly more assertive, slightly more aromatic than belly fat. The Lazio and Abruzzo guanciale is seasoned with black pepper, red chilli, and sometimes rosemary before curing; it is not smoked. The fat, rendered in a dry pan without added oil, forms the cooking fat for the four classical Roman pasta sauces.

Lonza di fico is the Marchigiani confection made to resemble a pork lonza (cured loin) — compressed dried figs mixed with walnuts, almonds, orange peel, and anise seeds, shaped into a cylinder, wrapped in fig leaves, and tied to produce something that, when sliced, resembles a cross-section of cured meat but reveals the dark, sweet, nutty interior. It is the traditional Christmas confection of the Fermo and Macerata provinces — made in November when the autumn figs are dried and the walnuts are fresh, stored through Advent, and served sliced at Christmas with aged Pecorino or Verdicchio passito. The name is a playful reference: fico (fig) lonza pretending to be pork lonza.

Abruzzo's hand-shaped pasta with a white pork ragù — the same ferretto (metal rod) technique used in Calabria appears in Abruzzo where the local name and preparation differ. Maccheroni al ferretto are shorter here (6–8cm) and dressed with a bianco (white, no tomato) pork shoulder ragù with white wine, rosemary, and sage. The absence of tomato in the ragù highlights the natural sweetness of the pork and allows the pasta's semolina character to be the primary flavour vehicle.

The fundamental Abruzzese pasta: long, hollow tubes (bucatino-shaped but wider) formed by rolling a small pasta cylinder around a thin iron rod (ferretto) and sliding it off, leaving a tunnel through the centre. The ragù is a long-cooked mixed meat ragù (pork, lamb, and beef) with peperoncino, tomato, and red wine — the holy trinity of Abruzzese meat sauces. The hollow pasta captures the sauce inside as well as out. Every grandmother in Abruzzo makes maccheroni al ferretto differently, but the ferretto (knitting-needle sized iron pin) is universal.

Square-section spaghetti cut on the 'chitarra' (guitar) — a wooden frame strung with parallel steel wires — dressed with a slow-cooked lamb ragù fragrant with tomato, sweet pepper, rosemary and saffron. The chitarra gives the pasta a rough, porous surface that grips the chunky ragù better than smooth factory pasta. The lamb ragù is a direct link to the pastoral traditions of the Gran Sasso and Maiella highlands.

Abruzzo's defining pasta format: square-section spaghetti formed by pressing fresh egg dough through the strings of a wooden 'chitarra' (guitar), creating a surface texture unlike any other pasta — the strings cut rather than extrude, producing a rough, toothsome square cross-section that grips sauce with extraordinary efficiency. The canonical sauce: lamb ragù (shoulder and rib) slow-cooked with peperoncino, tomato, white wine, and olive oil for 3+ hours. Every Abruzzese family owns a chitarra; the pasta cannot be made without it.

The chitarra is a wooden frame strung with steel wires — like a guitar — used to cut fresh egg pasta. A sheet of pasta is rolled to the thickness of the wire spacing (about 2-3mm), draped over the strings, and pressed through with a rolling pin until the wires cut the pasta into square-section spaghetti-like strands. The chitarra is the defining pasta tool of Abruzzo and produces a pasta unlike any other: square in cross-section (not round), with a rough surface that grips sauce tenaciously, and a springy, chewy texture from the cutting action.

A dense mountain soup from the Abruzzo highlands combining cicerchie (grass peas — a legume with a nutty, chickpea-like flavour) and farro (emmer wheat) with fried guanciale, wild herbs and peperoncino. Cicerchie were a staple crop of the Apennines before chickpeas replaced them — this soup preserves an older flavour profile now largely forgotten.

A thick, mountain-warming soup from the Abruzzo Apennine hillside farms — Farro Perlato cooked with small brown lentils, guanciale, celery, carrot and rosemary in a lard-based soffritto until both grains are tender and the broth has thickened naturally. Finished with raw Abruzzese olive oil and aged Pecorino. The lentils dissolve partially, creating a velvet base for the chewy farro.

Abruzzo's meatless 'meatballs': balls made from stale bread, Pecorino, eggs, and parsley — no meat — fried in olive oil and served in tomato sauce. A wartime and poverty-era dish from when meat was unavailable; the Pecorino provides the protein and fat content that meat would supply. The balls must be properly fried before going into the sauce — a soft, underfried pallotte dissolves. Texture inside should be custardy and cheese-rich; exterior should have a crust from frying. The tomato sauce is simple and brief-cooked to not overwhelm.

Abruzzo's iconic cucina povera preparation: meatballs containing no meat whatsoever, made from day-old stale bread soaked and squeezed dry, beaten eggs, grated Pecorino d'Abruzzo, flat-leaf parsley and black pepper. The mixture is worked until cohesive, rolled into balls the size of walnuts, then shallow-fried in olive oil until golden. The fried pallotte are simmered for 30 minutes in a simple tomato sauce made from passata, soffritto and torn basil. They absorb the sauce during simmering, swelling slightly and developing a tender interior while the exterior firms. Served as a primo or secondo with toasted bread.

Pallotte cacio e ova are Abruzzese meatballs made without meat: stale bread soaked in water and squeezed, mixed with eggs, Pecorino and Parmigiano, parsley, garlic, and black pepper, formed into balls and fried in olive oil, then simmered in tomato sauce. They were the 'meatballs' of poor families who could not afford meat — a dish of remarkable flavour and nutritional intelligence made entirely from pantry staples. The cheese and egg provide the protein and the flavour; the tomato provides the sauce.

Pallotte cacio e ova (little cheese-and-egg balls) is one of the defining preparations of both Abruzzo and Molise — shared by the two regions that were historically united (Abruzzo e Molise until 1963). Small, rough balls of grated Pecorino and egg (with a small amount of bread to bind), fried in olive oil until golden, then simmered briefly in a simple tomato sauce until they absorb the tomato flavour and expand slightly. They are simultaneously the evidence of poverty (no meat, only eggs and aged cheese) and of culinary intelligence — the balls, fried and then sauced, achieve a texture that is simultaneously yielding and firm, with a concentrated cheese flavour throughout.

Parrozzo is the famous Abruzzese cake invented in 1920 by Luigi D'Amico, a Pescara pastry chef, and celebrated by Gabriele D'Annunzio (Abruzzo's most famous literary son) in a sonnet that called it 'pane rozzo' (rough bread) — the poet's ironic name for a refined cake inspired by the humble cornbread shape. The parrozzo is a dome-shaped cake made from semolina, almonds, eggs, and butter, flavoured with almond extract, baked until risen and golden, then glazed with a thick layer of dark chocolate. The bright golden semolina crumb beneath the dark chocolate glaze is the visual signature. It is now a registered trademark and an important Abruzzese confectionery export.

The pasta of Amatrice (now claimed by Lazio, historically Abruzzo): guanciale rendered in its own fat until crisp, a splash of dry white wine to deglaze, then San Marzano tomatoes crushed by hand, long-simmered to a dense, oily sauce, dressed over rigatoni or bucatini and finished with Pecorino Romano. The strict Amatrice recipe uses no onion, no garlic, and no olive oil beyond what renders from the guanciale — these additions are Roman adaptations considered heresy in Amatrice. The tomato sauce is short-cooked (20-25 minutes) to preserve brightness.

Every Italian region makes pasta e fagioli, but the Abruzzese version has distinctive character: borlotti beans slow-cooked with pork ribs, tomato, and rosemary until the beans are collapsing and the pork has given its fat to the broth, then the pasta (traditionally small maccheroncini alla chitarra, broken pasta, or cicchitelli — a local flat pasta) is added and cooked directly in the bean liquid until it absorbs the starchy broth and the pasta and beans are unified. The dish walks the line between soup and pasta — it should be thick enough that a spoon stood in it tilts slowly. The pork rib enrichment is specifically Abruzzese.

Pecora alla callara (or caldara) is one of the oldest preparations of the Abruzzese shepherd tradition: whole pieces of mature ewe (pecora — not lamb) slow-cooked for 4-5 hours in a large iron cauldron (callara) with water, wine, and a handful of herbs until completely tender, then dressed with the cooking broth. It is fundamentally a dish of transhumance — prepared when a sheep had to be slaughtered during the mountain migrations, using the simplest available technique. The mature sheep's deep flavour and high fat content, which make it too strong for roasting or grilling, become assets in the long boil. It is served with the broth ladled over and dressed with extra-virgin olive oil.

Pizze fritte (fried dough) in the Abruzzese tradition are not pizza-shaped flatbreads but pillow-shaped, puffy fried doughs made from a simple bread dough (flour, water, yeast, salt), pulled into oval shapes and deep-fried in lard or olive oil until golden and puffed. They are split while hot and filled with prosciutto, salami, cheese, or anchovies — or eaten simply with salt. The tradition of frying bread dough appears across Italy (gnocco fritto in Emilia, panzarotti in Puglia, pizza fritta in Campania), but the Abruzzese version is among the most straightforward — enriched sometimes with a small amount of lard in the dough for tenderness.

The saffron of Navelli in the Gran Sasso foothills is considered among the finest in the world — its stigmas are harvested by hand in October, at dawn, before the flowers open. This risotto showcases the saffron without distraction: Carnaroli rice, white wine, good stock (chicken or light lamb), saffron dissolved in warm stock, and finished with pecorino di Farindola (the only Italian cheese made with pork rennet) instead of Parmigiano, which would overpower the delicate stigma character.

Twisted pasta squares (sagne torte — pasta squares cut then twisted by pressing one corner down) combined with Borlotti beans in a hearty, smoky-fatback-based soup from the Abruzzo mountains. The pasta is handmade from flour and water, cut into 5cm squares, and each square twisted by pressing the opposite corners in opposite directions. This shape creates irregular, cupped pasta that traps the thick bean broth. Guanciale or lardo is rendered as the fat base; dried chilli provides heat; the soup is thick enough to stand a wooden spoon in.

Abruzzo's peasant pasta-and-bean dish — roughly torn irregular pasta sheets (sagne) cooked directly in a braised bean broth with rosemary, garlic, and pork ribs. Unlike pasta e fagioli from other regions, sagne are not short pasta shapes but rough, wide, irregular pieces torn by hand from a sheet — their uneven edges and irregular thickness produce a varied texture in every bowl. The pork ribs are braised first to build the broth foundation before beans and pasta are added.

Abruzzo's ancient hand-twisted pasta: long, wide strips of semola-and-egg dough hand-twisted around the fingers to create irregular spirals and folds, cooked in water and dressed with a sauce of slow-braised lamb offcuts and tomato, or with walnut sauce (salsa di noci). The 'ntorchiate ('twisted') shape is entirely hand-formed — no tools — requiring the twist motion of a practised hand to create the characteristic folds that grip the sauce. One of Abruzzo's most ancient pasta forms, distinct from the guitar-cut maccheroni alla chitarra.

Abruzzo's twisted pasta — sagne torte (literally 'twisted sheets') are fresh pasta rectangles twisted along their length by hand to create a spiral form. The twisting increases surface area and creates concave surfaces that hold sauce. Dressed with the Abruzzo mountain lamb ragù: sautéed lamb shoulder, white wine, rosemary, and San Marzano tomatoes cooked for 90 minutes until the lamb is completely tender and has integrated into the sauce. A preparation where the pasta shape is engineered specifically for this sauce.