Homemade Fresh Pici Pasta

Pici are thick homemade spaghetti, made just with flour and water, typical of Val d’Orcia and Val di Chiana, two beautiful areas in Tuscany.

They are chewy and must be cooked al dente. They are typically dressed with a garlicy tomato sauce, and a generous sprinkling of grated pecorino.

• Pour La Tua Farina flour into a large bowl and add half a tablespoon of olive oil and the salt. Add gradually the water, stirring with a fork.





• When the dough will be too hard to be mixed with a fork, scrape the dough onto a wooden board and knead by hand to incorporate all the flour. If the dough is too dry, cut it in four parts: doing this, you will expose the inner, sticky part, and it will be easier to incorporate all the flour.



• Knead the dough with the palm of your hand, stretching and folding, until smooth. You might need more flour if too sticky or more water if you are not able to collect all the flour. Let the dough rest on the wooden board covered by the bowl for about half an hour.



• While the pici dough is resting, prepare the sauce. Open the jar of Salsa alla campagnola sauce and pour it into a pan with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and two cloves of garlic, with the skin on. Cook on medium – low fire for about 5-7 minutes, then set aside.



• After half an hour, work on the pici again. Roll out the dough on the board with a rolling pin to a thickness of about half a centimeter, slightly less than the thickness of a finger. Do not use flour, it won't stick. Brush lightly with olive oil to prevent it from drying.





• Cut the dough with a pizza wheel or a sharp knife into strips not larger than a centimeter, or a finger, and get ready to make pici. Roll the pici as they were playdoh worms. Children are great at it. Keep beside you a bowl of semolina or corn flour and dip your picio in the bowl as you go, then wrap it around your hand, gently stretch it, and put it aside on a tray.





• Cook the pici in salted boiling water for a few minutes. They will be ready when they will be soft but still have some bite. Drain them al dente and pour them into the pan with the sauce. Sprinkle with grated pecorino, stir thoroughly and serve immediately.

• You should make the pici and cook them, as if you leave them into the tray for long time they’ll tend to stick to each other. If you need to prepare them in advance, arrange them on a tray and freeze them. Once frozen, collect them in a bag. Then, when you want to cook them, just pop them frozen into the pot of boiling water. They will cook just for a few more minutes.



• Want to make a richer sauce? Cut some pancetta or bacon into thin strips and brown them in a pan, then add them into the tomato sauce and stir.

If a dish has a few ingredients, they must be of excellent quality: that's why choosing the right flour is really important when it comes to Pasta Fresca. To help us with our Pasta creations, Molino Pasini - experienced in providing celebrity chefs and pastry chefs with their special flour - is now offering his products to amateur chefs, aiming to bring the quality and reliability into our Kitchen as well.
Pasta Fresca Flour is ideal for Fresh Pasta both handmade or using mixers and pasta machines.This Special Flour allows pasta to maintain its natural yellow colouring for many days without turning grey. The pastry comes coarse and, therefore, retains better the sauce.

Il Vallino offers a selection of products that have made the history of Tuscan recipes, authentic delicacies that aim to rediscover the flavors and taste from the old kitchen traditional.
Its products are carefully made according to the tradition with seasonal vegetables chosen with care and attention. Made with high-quality raw materials, Salsa alla Campagnola sauce is the perfect season for a fresh past dish.