Recipe By Andrea Geary
Published on November 7, 2024
For more than a millennium, Tuscan cooks have made pici—long, delectably chewy strands of pasta—using just their hands. You can too.
Time
2 hr 30 minYield
Serves 4Why This Recipe Works
Pici (pronounced “PEE-chee,” or sometimes “PEE-shee”), are made of long, wonderfully chewy strands that have been rolled out on Tuscan tables since Etruscan times. Pici are inherently frugal too and simple to make. Just mix together a dough of mostly flour and water then knead until smooth, let it relax a bit, then roll pieces of dough into slim ropes. Once boiled, they’re an ideal canvas for all sorts of sauces and toppings. Pair this hearty dish with a crisp, light salad.
Ingredients
Pici
1¼ cups (6¼ ounces/177 grams) all-purpose flour
1 cup (5¾ ounces/163 grams) semolina flour, plus 1 cup for coating pasta
⅔ cup water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon for brushing dough
Table salt for cooking pasta
Sauce
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ onion, chopped fine
½ teaspoon table salt
1 cup passata
2 ounces (57 grams) ’nduja sausage, casing removed
¼ cup chopped fresh basil, divided
1 ounce (28 grams) Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (½ cup)
Instructions
Cook along with these step-by-step instructions
- Whisk all-purpose flour and 1 cup semolina flour together in medium bowl and make well in center. Add water and 2 tablespoons oil and stir with fork until shaggy dough forms. Transfer dough to counter and knead until smooth and elastic, 6 to 8 minutes (dough will be firm). Wrap in damp dish towel and let rest on counter for 30 minutes. While dough rests, make sauce.
- Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Stir in onion and salt. Cover and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in passata and bring to simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add ’nduja and cook, mashing and stirring until it melts into sauce, about 1 minute. Cover and set aside.
- Sprinkle rimmed baking sheet with ¼ cup semolina flour. Repeat with second baking sheet. Place remaining ½ cup semolina flour in wide, shallow bowl. Divide dough into 4 equal portions. Shape portions into balls. Place 3 balls under damp dish towel. Pat remaining ball into 3-inch disk and brush both sides with oil. Pat and stretch into 6-inch square of even thickness. Cut dough into 12 strips. Separate strips and place under damp dish towel.
- Starting at center of 1 strip, roll dough into strand about 1/8 inch wide and at least 24 inches long (consistent width is more important than consistent length; if strand breaks, simply pinch pieces back together). Transfer to bowl of semolina and toss to coat. Gather strand loosely in your hand over bowl and shake gently to remove excess semolina. Transfer to prepared baking sheet, bending strand to fit. Dust your hands over sheet to remove excess semolina. Repeat with remaining strips (strands can touch as long as they’re well dusted with semolina). Repeat with remaining dough portions and oil, placing half of pici on each baking sheet.
- Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Lift pici and gently shake over baking sheet to remove excess semolina. Add all pici and 1 tablespoon salt to water and bring to boil. Cook until noodles are tender but still springy, about 3 minutes (start timer when water returns to boil). As pasta cooks, bring sauce to simmer over medium heat. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain pasta.
- Add pici and ½ cup reserved pasta water to sauce and cook, stirring constantly until pasta is well coated, about 1 minute, loosening consistency with additional pasta water if desired. Stir in 2 tablespoons basil. Transfer to 4 bowls and sprinkle with cheese and remaining 2 tablespoons basil. Serve.
PICI
SAUCE
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