Let's make pici together
Let's make pici together
On Sunday we'll make a vegan, traditional pasta dish from Tuscany, packed with flavour and so easy to make: pici
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In the previous newsletter I asked you what you would like to cook: you chose Pici.
SUNDAY the 26th of March, we will meet at 9 pm CET - 3 pm EDT - 12 pm PDT to prepare together pici all’aglione, probably one of the most appreciated dishes we make during our cooking classes. As always it is a moment when we cook together, but you can join just to have a chat, or a laugh, to ask questions, share stories, or simply listen while having a good cup of tea.
This is an event designed for those who subscribed to Letters from Tuscany: we’re slowly building friendships, shared memories, and we’re definitely having lots of fun!
(If you are a paid subscriber, read till the end where you can find the link to join tomorrow’s Cook Along and Live talk behind the paywall.)
Flour and water. The basic recipe to make pici is SO simple.
They are thick, homemade, hand-pulled and hand-rolled spaghetti from a specific area of Tuscany, mainly from Val d’Orcia and Val di Chiana.
When, years ago, I asked my grandma if she knew how to make pici, she replied: no, they are not typical. And mind you, I live in Val d’Elsa, about one hour drive from the pici homeland. That’s how local, and specific, often Italian food is. You drive for an hour and you pass from the bare, beautiful landscape of Valdorcia to the farmed land of Val d’Elsa, from a bowl of pici all’aglione to rustic ricotta and spinach ravioli.
Not only the ingredient list is short and essential, but also the tools required to make them.
Forget the pasta machine. You’ll need a rolling pin for a couple of minutes, and then you’ll do everything by hand. It will remind you of playing with playdoh: so if you have kids, grandkids, nephews, or neighbours’ kids in the surrounding, ask them to join you in the pici-making fun.
We’re going to dress them with an aglione sauce - a garlicky tomato sauce, and I’ll tell you more about aglione, the garlic of kiss, during our cook along - but I’ll be sharing also two more ways to dress them: cacio e pepe, and with briciole, fried breadcrumbs.
In the blog archive, you can already find several recipes for pici:
Pici all’aglione, the real deal, the most classic recipes to make pici
Pici with breadcrumbs and wild fennel, perfect for spring
Pici with squash and pecorino, my take on pici, where the dough is made with some rye flour, too.