One of the greatest hand-made pastas in Italy is also the simplest. Pici (pronounced pee-chee), originating from Tuscany, is traditionally made with just flour, salt and water. Once considered “poor man’s pasta” it is now a favorite found on most menus in restaurants across Tuscany. Pici is a thick, hand-rolled, spaghetti-like noodle that showcases many different sauces and fills the belly. The great thing about Pici is that it must be rolled by hand, so it always has that home-made texture to it. Nowadays, eggs and oil are sometimes added to the original recipe, but it remains simple and as fresh as you can get.
We like to make Pici at home because it provides hands-on cooking entertainment for everyone and the result is SO SATISFYING!
To make Pici, all you really need is flour, warm water and salt, but you can add an egg and a bit of olive oil if you want a richer and more elastic dough.
At the bottom of this post is a video that does of great job showing how to hand roll Pici.
- 1 cup (250 ml) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (250 ml) fine wheat semolina (or sub another cup of unbleached all-purpose flour)
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
- 2/3 cup (150 ml) warm water
- Fine wheat semolina, for dusting
- Clean your countertop and make a mound of combined flours and salt (alternatively you can do this step in a large bowl, but that is not as much fun)
- Make a well in the flour and add warm water. Use your hands to form a loose dough ball.
- Knead dough for 10 minutes. (Allow yourself to really get into this - it can be very therapeutic!)
- Cut dough in half. Wrap half of the dough and roll out the other half into a rectangle.
- Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut 1/8 inch strips.
- On a floured surface, roll each strip of dough with the palm of your hand to give it a slightly rounded shape.
- Place pasta on a baking sheet covered with fine wheat semolina to keep it from sticking
- In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pici for about 5 minutes or until they are tender, but still slightly firm. Drain and oil lightly. Keep a little cooking water, if needed.
Pici is traditionally paired with one of three sauces: ‘Aglione’ (garlic-tomato), Ragu (meat & tomato sauce), or ‘Cacio e Pepe’ (cheese and pepper). The latter is a customer favorite at PRIMI and we actually prepare it in a big wheel of Parmesan cheese and top it with Pecorino and black pepper. Another simple yet delicious sauce is ‘Burro e Salvia’ (butter and sage), pictured above. To make the sauce, simply chop some fresh sage and toss in a pan with melted butter. Cook the noodles and reserve some of the pasta water. Toss the pasta into the melted butter with sage and add enough pasta water to get it to a nice, saucy consistency. Top with fresh sage and parmesan and enjoy!
For a perfect wine pairing, look no further than the roots of this delicious pasta: Tuscany! A simple Chianti has the right amount of mouth-watering acidity to match the bite in the parmesan cheese and wash away the fat from the butter.
Looks great and sounds easy enough. My kind of pasta making!
Also enjoyed the episode of lamb rag and so good to see pix of a peaceful Italy.. Thank you!
Give it a try and let use know how it goes! Thanks for reading!