Homemade pici

Here's how to prepare and season homemade pici, a typical Tuscan pasta shape that resembles large spaghetti.

It's impossible to leave Tuscany without ever tasting pici. This pasta format based only on water, oil and flour is a pride of the region's cuisine although they are also widespread, albeit under other names, in nearby Umbria and Lazio. In shape they resemble large spaghetti and making them at home is not that difficult, especially if you follow our advice for homemade pici step by step.

We will reveal three ways to obtain the characteristic shape , from the most traditional technique to the quickest one. We will also discover how to season the pici, a detail that should absolutely not be underestimated. Finally we will discover some curiosities about their thousand-year history which is even traced back to the time of the Etruscans. Ready to embark on this delicious culinary journey?

• Homemade pici
• How to season pici
  • to Aglione
  • cheese and black pepper
  • with crumbs
  • with Tuscan white ragù
  • with mushrooms
• Conservation
• Origin and history

How to prepare the homemade pici recipe

1. First, arrange the flour in a mound on the cutting board. Place the salt and oil in the center and then add the water little by little, gradually incorporating the flour.
2. As soon as the dough takes consistency, start working it with both hands on the pastry board until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough . Wrap it in cling film and let it rest for at least 30 minutes , this will make it much easier to work with. This advice always applies when talking about fresh homemade pasta so keep it in mind.
3. Now all that remains is to make the pici in the traditional way . Remove portions of the dough that are not too large (about the size of a walnut) and roll them on a pastry board, preferably not floured, until you obtain a long, thick spaghetti (approximately 3-4 mm).
4. As they are ready, spread them on a tray floured with semolina and let them air dry for an hour before proceeding with cooking.
5. The pici should be boiled in plenty of salted water until they float to the surface. It will take about 6-8 minutes but always taste them because a lot depends on the diameter of your pasta.

In addition to this traditional procedure, there are two other ways to give pici their characteristic shape . The first is to roll out the dough (even with the machine), until you obtain strips half a centimeter thick. Then cut strips about 1 cm wide with a knife or a pasta cutter and roll them between your hands until you obtain the length and diameter of the pasta. Here is a video with this procedure which is a fair compromise between practicality and tradition.

There is also a special tool for preparing pici , a rolling pin with grooves that is easily found on sale as a souvenir in the area. To use it you will first have to roll out the dough until it reaches 2-3 mm thick and then pass the rolling pin firmly, only once and in only one direction. Then remove the pici and, if desired, roll them on a pastry board to make them more rounded.

Once ready, all you have to do is season them in one of the many ways proposed by the Tuscan tradition or the surrounding areas.

How to season pici

Full-bodied and thick, pici are perfect for collecting even the most important condiments such as those based on game. You will soon discover, however, that even a simple tomato sauce is perfectly capable of ennobling this pasta format. In fact, originally they were only served with chopped onion, oil and salt : poorer than that! Here are the most popular condiments.

Pici all'aglione

The Valdichiana area is famous for pici all'aglione, a simple condiment prepared with a real jewel of the area, the Valdichiana garlic . Sweet and tender, it is also called kiss garlic because, unlike common garlic, it leaves no aftertaste in the mouth. Aglione, tomato, wine and oil are the only ingredients needed to make this typical first course of Tuscan cuisine .

Pici cheese and pepper

Pici cacio e pepe are born from the union of the Tuscan and Lazio traditions (even if to be honest they seem to have been created to be together). The rich and creamy seasoning given by the pecorino together with the strong flavor of the pepper are perfect to accompany this pasta format, allowing you to bring taste and simplicity to the table. For a more "Tuscan" recipe, use local pecorino.

Pici with crumbs

There is no easier way to bring homemade pici to the table than with crumbs. The stale breadcrumbs are crumbled with your hands and flavored in a pan with oil, garlic and chilli pepper . The oil must be abundant and of good quality since it is the only real seasoning for the pasta. If you like, you can complete with a sprinkling of pecorino .

Pici with Tuscan white ragout

Tuscan white ragù is a variant of the classic Bolognese ragù, from which it is distinguished by the absence of tomato. Typical of Tuscan cuisine, it is characterized by the use of minced meat enriched with sausage while the starting point is the traditional sauté. If you are looking for a perfect way to season pici for family Sundays, this is the right recipe.

Pici with mushrooms

In the hinterland, particularly in the Mount Amiata area, mushroom sauce is the most popular as a condiment for pici. There is no single recipe but we advise you to prepare a simple one, perhaps based on porcini mushrooms , and plain. Our white mushroom sauce is the one for you.

Conservation

Homemade pici can be kept for 2-3 days in the refrigerator , spread out on a tray dusted with semolina and covered with a clean cloth. It is then possible to freeze them for 3-4 months after having dried them in the refrigerator for a few hours.

History and origin

Between history and legend, the origins of pici are lost in the mists of time. Among the first traces of their presence on the territory on the border between Lazio and Tuscany there is a fresco inside the Etruscan Tomb of the Leopardi (5th century) in Tarquinia. One scene depicts a servant in the act of bringing a bowl full of long, irregularly shaped pasta to the table.

As regards the origin of the name , there are several hypotheses, some more accepted than others. In fact, the link between the name pici and the historic author of De re coquinaria , Marco Gavio Apicio , seems tenuous, as does the link between pasta and the small Arezzo town of San Felice in Picis . More likely, the term refers to the act of appiciare , the movement made with the hands to give the dough its characteristic shape.

From the Viterbo area, the pici spread first to the nearby Val di Chiana and then throughout Tuscany and nearby Umbria, albeit with different names: in Montepulciano, Pienza and Montalcino they are the pinci ; in Anghiari and in the Tiber Valley they are the bringoli ; in the Viterbo area, lombrichelli ; in Umbria we find them as stringoli. However, what essentially changes is the seasoning which sees local ingredients as protagonists from time to time.

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