Pici Aglione

A rustic pasta with its roots in Tuscany is hearty and so easy to make, it’s crazy. It’s all in the rolling.

Ingredient List:

• 14 oz pici pasta (fresh or dried), bought or homemade
• 14 oz tomato passata or fresh peeled tomatoes
• 1 head elephant garlic or 4 cloves
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt for pasta and to taste
• freshly ground black pepper. to taste
• ½ fresh red chili pepper or flakes
• fresh basil leaves optional 

Step By Step Instructions:

Peel, chop and crush the aglione. Chop the red chili pepper if using a fresh one. And peel and chop the tomatoes if using fresh too.

Sauté the aglione and chili pepper in a little olive oil just until the garlic starts to soften. Then add a little water. Cover the pan and let the aglione cook slowly on a low heat until it’s really soft. (About 15 minutes).

Every few minutes, mash the aglione with a fork and add more water if necessary. You don’t want it to brown. It should get creamy.

Once the aglione is soft and creamy, add the tomato passata (or peeled tomatoes), some salt and pepper and mix everything together. Cover the pan again and simmer on a low heat for about 20 minutes.

While the sauce is simmering, put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again. Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet.

Finally drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the sauce. Mix everything together gently over a low heat. Then serve immediately with some chopped fresh basil or grated Pecorino Romano if required.

Cook’s Tip: To make pici, simply combine 300 grams of 00 or semolina flour with 150 grams warm water and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Mix well to create a soft dough. Once a rough dough has formed, knead the dough for 10 minutes until it’s smooth and elastic. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Without adding any extra flour, roll the dough out into a 1cm thick round. Next, cut the dough into ¼ inch thick strips.

One at a time, roll each strip out on a clean work surface to resemble thick spaghetti. The pasta needs enough grip to roll so don’t add any flour or you won’t be able to roll it out. Place each piece of rolled out pici on a tray or separate area dusted with flour or semolina to stop them sticking.