Pici all’ Aglione
In certain Tuscan regions the preparation of pici has always been a ritual.
Older people remember with nostalgia and moist eyes the play of memory, when usually on Sunday mornings in the kitchen of the house they would prepare i pici. Housewives of the small towns made a contest of who could make the best pici: the biggest, the finest, the tenderest and the firmest. The aroma of the pici sauce wafted through the whole house as the mother or grandmother were preparing the mixture at an early hour.
– From Cucina Toscana (Giunti 2003)
I pici (a fat spaghetti) is a Tuscan tradition and a very special treat. With a little practice, you’ll be giving experienced Tuscan cooks a run for their money. Pici is a great foil for all kinds of pasta sauce. Try this simple one for starters.
Pici all’Aglione
Prepare fresh pici following instructions of base recipe (below)
1 lb. homemade pici (dried bucatini may be substituted)
5 to 6 large cloves fresh garlic, peeled and sliced
25 ozs. (700 gr.) chopped, peeled tomatoes (fresh or canned), sieved
1/4 to 1/3 cup grated pecorino
extra virgin olive oil
salt & ground black pepper to taste
Peel garlic and cut into slices and put them in a casserole with abundant olive oil. Lightly brown at low heat then add tomatoes, which have been passed through a food mill or sieve. Add salt and pepper and let cook for 30 minutes on a low flame. Cook pici in abundant boiling salted water; drain when just done, al dente.
Toss pici in a large heated pasta bowl with the hot sauce until well coated. Serve immediately with the grated pecorino served on the side.
Base recipe for pici:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of Salt
Put the flour on a flat working surface and begin incorporating the oil and the pinch of salt by hand into the flour, adding water sufficient enough to make a smoothly integrated mixture. Form into a thick disc and cover with a damp towel, letting rest for 20 minutes. Roll the mixture out to a sheet of approximately ½ inch thick. Cut the sheet of pasta into strips approximately 1 inch wide. Then, using floured hands, roll each strip back and forth with the palms of your hands until it forms what looks like a thick spaghetti.
–from Cucina Toscana (Giunti 2003)