2004 Drying fresh pasta

Last sunday I made some fresh maccharoni alla chitarra, using my new chitarra - the result was really good.

How do I go about drying/preserving what I don't use straight away - its a big job just for one meal!

Category
Food & Drink

I usually only dry the stuff until it is flexible as opposed to brittle, then bag and store. Mind you, homemade pasta does not last long in this house.

How did you find using the chitarra? Easier than a pasta machine or just different?

MUCH easier than a pasta machine. I could have used the machine to roll the pasta, but as it was Sunday afternoon, the rolling pin doubled as therapy!
But once rolled, you just lay on the chitarra and cut it with the rolling pin and it falls into the tray without all getting tangle etc. Brilliant.

AND, had great fun buying it too. I went into a little shop in Penne and asked for it, and just then the door opens and in comes a little old lady, trilling "maccaroni alla chitarra!!". She started babbling away, and left me way behind. I exlained that I was English, and guess what she said....

...."sono Albanese".....

I kid you not. True.

[QUOTE=Wishful Thinker]MUCH easier than a pasta machine. I could have used the machine to roll the pasta, but as it was Sunday afternoon, the rolling pin doubled as therapy!
But once rolled, you just lay on the chitarra and cut it with the rolling pin and it falls into the tray without all getting tangle etc. Brilliant.

AND, had great fun buying it too. I went into a little shop in Penne and asked for it, and just then the door opens and in comes a little old lady, trilling "maccaroni alla chitarra!!". She started babbling away, and left me way behind. I exlained that I was English, and guess what she said....

...."sono Albanese".....

I kid you not. True.[/QUOTE]

I saw the chitarra for sale at an ½ûÂþÌìÌà exhibition in London but was an Aldo Zilli creation and very expensive.

Will wait to get one when on a visit in Italy.

Where is Penne located? I know that there are some settled Albanian communities in Calabria - Rota Greco being one.

Penne is in Abruzzo, between Pescara and Adriatica's land.

It is a town of 12k and has a wonderful manmade lake, the Lago di Penne.

The chitarra was about 13 euro I think.

[QUOTE=Wishful Thinker]Penne is in Abruzzo, between Pescara and Adriatica's land.

It is a town of 12k and has a wonderful manmade lake, the Lago di Penne.

The chitarra was about 13 euro I think.[/QUOTE]

a) Lovely looking town

b) Thanks for reminding me how we are being ripped off over here!