One of the symbols of Italy is surely pasta, and every region has its own types. Homemade Tuscan Pici are one of the fresh pasta types typical of my region, easy to make, and hold sauce very well. They are a sort of thick spaghetti, a bit like Venetian bigoli, and for those visiting Tuscany, it is a must to try a dish with this type of pasta. Water, oil, and all-purpose flour are the necessary ingredients, along with some elbow grease, to make them at home in no time… and I say this as someone who is not at all good at making pasta! If I have piqued your curiosity, grab the pastry board and let’s knead!
For more recipes of fresh pasta or sauces suitable for homemade Tuscan pici, take a look at these links!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 7 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian Regional
- Region: Tuscany
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 162.24 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 32.43 (g) of which sugars 0.84 (g)
- Proteins 5.37 (g)
- Fat 1.92 (g) of which saturated 0.29 (g)of which unsaturated 0.37 (g)
- Fibers 1.35 (g)
- Sodium 303.32 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 2 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for homemade Tuscan pici
In the traditional recipe there are neither eggs nor semolina, as it comes from times past when cooking was done with what was available. This does not mean that you cannot use half semolina and half flour, achieving a different consistency. In this case, you need to be careful to measure the correct amount of liquids.
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup water (warm)
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp fine salt
Tools
- 1 Pastry cutter for pici
- 1 Pastry board
- 1 Fork
- 1 Cling film
- 1 Brush
- 1 Metal scraper
Steps
Making homemade Tuscan Pici is really easy. The only tricky part is shaping them, but otherwise, it’s all very simple! Let’s see the steps!
Pour the flour onto the pastry board and add the salt. Mix them together. Make the classic well.
Put the EVO oil in the middle.
Add part of the warm water and start to mix with a fork.
Gradually add the remaining water, continuously incorporating more flour, using the fork as long as possible.
Finish the water and start kneading the dough with your hands.
Gather all the dough into a coarse ball and knead it on the pastry board for about ten minutes to activate the gluten and make it elastic and soft.
When it becomes uniform and soft, the dough is ready.
Wrap the dough in film, cover it with a towel, and let it rest for at least half an hour.
Before starting to roll out, I recommend brushing a thin layer of oil on the pastry board. It’s important not to use extra flour for the successful making of homemade pici.
With a scraper, divide the dough into two or three parts, depending on the size of the pastry board. It’s best to re-wrap the part not being worked on in film.
Roll out the dough with a rolling pin to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Then proceed to cut the pasta. You can use a pasta wheel, a sharp knife, or, as in my case, a pasta rolling pin for tagliatelle.
If using the rolling pin, it needs to be slightly oiled, and you should maintain the same pressure from start to finish. If they don’t separate, go over the formed grooves with a sharp knife.
Then take a piece of dough at a time and roll it with your oiled hand to create thick spaghetti.
As you form them, transfer the homemade pici to a tray with some semolina so that they don’t touch. Continue until all the pasta is used.
Once all the pici are made, just throw them into boiling salted water for 4-5 minutes and then prepare them with your favorite sauce. Among the most famous are the aglione sauce and ragù, which are linked at the beginning of the recipe… but a simple tomato sauce works excellently too!
Storage of Homemade Pici
Fresh pici are best consumed immediately or within a couple of days if stored in the fridge. If you enjoyed this recipe, I invite you to follow me on Instagram!
