Hand-rolled pici all'aglione

Method

1. Mix the flour and 6 g salt. Make a well, pour in 250 ml warm water and 15 ml olive oil, and mix into a shaggy dough. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and supple. If dry flour remains, add the rest of the water 5 ml at a time. The dough should feel firm but roll without cracking and should not stick to clean fingers.
2. Cover and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Dust two trays lightly with semolina.
3. Roll the dough into a sheet about 5 mm thick. Cut strips just under 10 mm wide. Roll each strip under both palms from the centre out to make an irregular strand about 3 mm thick. Place the pici on the prepared trays without overlapping and dust lightly with semolina. Keep covered while shaping the remainder.
4. For the sauce, warm 45 ml olive oil in a 30 cm skillet over low heat. Add the aglione and chile flakes. Cook very gently for 8 to 10 minutes, crushing the softened garlic with a spoon. It must melt into the oil without browning.
5. Add the tomato pulp and 5 g salt. Simmer gently for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cohesive but still loose enough to coat pasta.
6. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it moderately. Shake excess semolina from the pici, lower them into the water, and stir once. Begin tasting after 4 minutes; thickness varies, so tenderness rather than the clock is authoritative. They will usually need about 5 minutes.
7. Reserve 150 ml starchy cooking water. Transfer the pici to the sauce and toss over medium-low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, adding cooking water a little at a time until the sauce grips every strand. Serve immediately.

Ingredient substitutions

• In Germany, Weizenmehl Type 405 gives tender pici. Type 550 absorbs a little more water and makes a firmer strand, so use the upper end of the water range only as the dough requires.
• In Canada, regular all-purpose flour works. Strong Canadian flour can absorb more water, so judge the dough after its rest before adding the final 25 ml.
• True aglione from the Val di Chiana is large and unusually mild. If it is unavailable in either country, use only 20 g ordinary garlic. Ordinary garlic is much sharper, so slice it finely and keep the heat very low. The result is useful but not identical to pici all’aglione.

Notes

• Pici are also called pinci in and around Montalcino. Both names describe the thick, hand-rolled Tuscan pasta.
• Do not chase mechanically perfect strands. Slight variation is traditional, but extreme differences make the batch cook unevenly.
• Fresh pici are best cooked the day they are shaped. Refrigerate dusted, covered trays for no more than 1 day. The sauce keeps refrigerated for 4 days or frozen for 3 months.

Sources consulted

• Visit Tuscany: Pici all’aglione
• Visit Tuscany: How to make pici pasta