Spaghetti alla Chitarra Egg Pasta, Frozen by Bella Allegra
Bella Allegra Spaghetti alla Chitarra is a frozen fresh egg pasta with a square cross-section, made with durum wheat semolina and 18.5% barn eggs, supplied in a practical 1.5 kg case. It cooks straight from frozen in 5-6 minutes and is built for professional kitchens that want the texture of fresh pasta with the convenience and shelf stability of a frozen product. The rough, porous surface grips sauces and delivers a firm al dente bite.
What Spaghetti alla Chitarra Is
Spaghetti alla chitarra are a long egg pasta recognised among the Traditional Agri-Food Products (PAT) of Abruzzo. The name comes from the chitarra, a wooden frame strung with steel wires that cuts the rolled dough sheet into strands with a typical square section. This square cut is what distinguishes them from industrial dried spaghetti, which have a round section. The square profile and rough wall give the strand more surface to hold the dressing.
Origin: Abruzzo Tradition
The format belongs to the egg-pasta tradition of central Italy and is officially listed among the Traditional Agri-Food Products (PAT) of the Abruzzo region. In its homeland it is the canonical base for hearty meat-based dressings and for sauces built on fresh tomato.
Egg Pasta and Quality
Genuine Italian egg pasta is defined by a meaningful egg content: by Italian law, egg pasta must contain at least four whole eggs, or no less than 200 g of egg, per kilogram of semola. This Bella Allegra recipe is built on durum wheat semolina with 18.5% barn eggs, which gives the dough body, colour and the resistance needed to stay al dente after cooking. Durum wheat semolina forms a tight gluten network that traps starch, so the pasta holds its bite instead of turning sticky.
Organoleptic Profile
Golden colour from the eggs, square section, rough and porous surface. After correct cooking the strand is elastic and firm, with the clean flavour of egg pasta that carries rather than competes with the sauce.
Professional Uses
Cook the pasta straight from frozen: drop it still frozen into plenty of boiling salted water, using at least 1 litre of water per 100 g, and stir during the first minute so the strands do not clump. Drain a touch early and finish in the pan with the hot sauce, tossing over a lively flame so the released starch makes the dressing creamy. It is the ideal long egg pasta for slow-cooked meat ragù, fresh tomato sauces, and rich Abruzzese-style dressings; serve al dente to preserve the right resistance to the bite.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Do not thaw the pasta at room temperature before cooking: the surface ice melts, the strands stick together and the egg dough turns soft and breaks. Do not skip the salt in the cooking water, as salt helps strengthen the gluten network of fresh pasta. Do not cook in too little water, which causes the strands to mass together and cook unevenly.
Storage
Keep frozen at -18 °C, constant, throughout the cold chain. Cook directly from frozen; if thawing is unavoidable, thaw only in the refrigerator at 0-4 °C and never at room temperature. Re-freezing a thawed product degrades both texture and food safety.
Delivery and Logistics LAPA
LAPA distributes frozen fresh egg-pasta specialities across Switzerland from its central warehouse in Embrach (Zürich), keeping the cold chain at a constant -18 °C. Direct scheduled delivery with LAPA's own refrigerated fleet covers Zürich, Winterthur, Frauenfeld, Bern, Basel, Luzern and the canton of Aargau. For Ticino (Lugano, Bellinzona, Locarno, Mendrisio, Chiasso), French-speaking Switzerland (Genève, Lausanne, Vevey, Montreux, Sion, Fribourg), Jura, Neuchâtel and the Grisons (Chur, Davos, St. Moritz), delivery is guaranteed within 24-48 hours through food-grade certified partner couriers (Swiss Post Frigo-Express, Planzer, Galliker, Camion Transport).
Who It Is For
Designed for Italian restaurants, pizzerias, trattorias, hotels, gastronomies, catering and canteens that want an authentic square-cut egg pasta ready to plate, plus private customers who love genuine Italian cuisine.
