Recipe courtesy of Gabriele Bertaccini
Recipe courtesy of Gabriele Bertaccini
Watch how to make this recipe.
Pici All’Aglione
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- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 1 hr 25 min (includes resting time)
- Active: 50 min
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 8 servings
- Calories
- 335
- Total Fat
- 14 g
- Saturated Fat
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- 42 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 3 g
- Protein
- 10 g
- Cholesterol
- 32 mg
- Sodium
- 432 mg
Pici is a beloved hand‑rolled pasta from Tuscany, known for its wonderfully chewy bite and rustic, rope‑like strands. Despite its old‑world charm, it’s one of the easiest pasta shapes to master—no special tools, no precise measurements. Traditional pici dough is made simply with flour, oil and water, but this version includes an egg, which isn’t classic but makes the dough smoother and more forgiving for rolling at home. The sauce is inspired by pici all’Aglione, a Tuscan favorite that traditionally uses Aglione—a garlic with giant cloves and an unusually mellow sweetness. Since Aglione can be hard to find, this recipe coaxes a similar gentle flavor by slow‑cooking plenty of garlic in olive oil until soft and mild. The result is a comforting bowl of pasta with deep Tuscan roots, a silky sauce and that irresistible, signature chew.
- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 1 hr 25 min (includes resting time)
- Active: 50 min
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 8 servings
- Calories
- 335
- Total Fat
- 14 g
- Saturated Fat
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- 42 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 3 g
- Protein
- 10 g
- Cholesterol
- 32 mg
- Sodium
- 432 mg
Ingredients
Pici:
Sauce:
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Directions
- For the pici: Combine the 00 flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a mound on a work surface and make a well in the center. Combine the olive oil, egg and 3/4 cup cold water in a small bowl and whisk with a fork to combine. Pour the mixture into the center of the well. With the fork, begin to bring in the flour mixture, stirring to form a dough. Once you've brought in enough flour to make a dough, use your hands to knead in the rest of the flour, adding a little more water if it’s too crumbly or a little more flour if it is too sticky, until the dough is smooth and supple, 6 to 8 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. (You can also make this dough in a food processor: add the wet ingredients to the dry with the machine running and process until a smooth ball forms on the blade, 40 seconds to a minute, adjusting the flour and water as needed.)
- To form the pici, dust a rimmed baking sheet with semolina. Cut the dough into 6 pieces, keeping the others covered while you work. Use semolina on the work surface and hands as needed, but don’t use too much or the pici will be harder to roll. Roll one piece of dough into a strip about 4 inches by 10 inches, and about 1/8 inch thick. Cut the strip crosswise into 1/4-inch strips. Working with one piece at a time, roll the strips between your hands into long thin strands, a bit thicker than spaghetti, thinner than a pencil. Dust the strands with semolina and transfer to the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. (You don’t have to adhere to these exact measurements though; this is a rustic shape!)
- For the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large braiser over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and adjust the heat so it’s barely sizzling on the edges. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it just begins to turn golden, about 3 minutes. Add the wine, adjust the heat so it’s barely simmering and cover the skillet. Cook, stirring and checking occasionally to make sure the garlic isn’t browning, until the garlic is soft, about 15 minutes.
- Uncover the skillet and mash the garlic into a paste. Increase the heat to get the garlic sizzling, then add the red pepper flakes and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, then rinse out the tomato can with 1 cup of water and add it to the sauce. Bring the sauce to a rapid simmer and season with salt. Simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pici.
- When the sauce is almost ready, shake off any excess semolina from the pici and add to the boiling water. Cook until al dente, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the pici, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Add the pici immediately to the simmering sauce and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat the pasta with the sauce, adding some of the pasta water if it seems dry.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Tear the basil over top and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Toss to combine and serve immediately with more cheese grated over the top.
