Cooking is one of the highlights of our land. One favorite dish of Tuscany are Pici, a format of homemade pasta that suits many condiments in the kitchen. Let’s see how they prepare and some tasty recipes to complete a first course using this type of pasta.
Pici are a type of pasta typical of Tuscany and, more particularly, the southern parts of the region including the Val d’Orcia, Val di Chiana and the whole province of Siena (including the area of San Gimignano). They are nothing more than a kind of shaped handmade spaghetti but slightly wider.
Similar pasta shapes are also popular in the Viterbo or Umbria but take on different denominations like umbrichelli, ragu or Strozzapreti. Here is an easy recipe to prepare.
Pici Recipe
Ingredients
400 grams of flour
a pinch of salt
water q.b
Procedure
Place the flour and started to pour half a glass of water in the basin center. Stir in the flour and started to work the mixture until it takes consistency. The goal is to have a smooth and solid dough to work with his hands. Let the dough rest for half an hour and divide it into small pieces.
Begin working the dough with your hands to form the cylindrical cords. Cut them into smaller pieces and continue to roll them between your hands: in the end you’ll have to get the spaghetti long as the traditional ones but thick around as a pencil of normal size.
Cover the Pici with a damp cloth to prevent drying out. To cook them you can just boil a few minutes in salted water.
Condiments and sauces for pici
Tuscan Pici can be seasoned to your liking. There are some typical condiments that is worth taking into account:
The aglione: is perhaps the best known and traditional pairing. This tomato sauce is tasty and enriched with garlic, red pepper and a little vinegar.
Duck sauce: Originally was prepared with the germane and is a kind of white sauce with a typical flavor of game
The crumbs: it is a very typical condiment made with coarsely grated bread passed back in the pan with oil or directly fried.
These are the traditional accompaniments but your imagination can create any kind of combination: the popular nature of the dish is suitable particularly well to condiments frugal and simple cooking.