Pici all'Aglione (Hand-Rolled Tuscan Pici with Jammy Garlic-Tomato Sauce)

Steps

1. Step 1

   Make the dough. Whisk the semolina and 00 flour together in a large bowl with the fine salt. Add the olive oil, then pour in the warm water a little at a time, stirring with your hand or a fork until it comes together into a shaggy mass. Turn it onto a work surface and knead firmly for 8 to 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, stiff and springs back slowly when pressed. If it cracks, wet your hands and keep kneading; if it sticks, dust with a little more flour.

   15 min

   • 2 1/2 cups semolina flour (fine semola rimacinata)
   • 1 cup 00 flour or all-purpose flour
   • 1 1/4 cups warm water
   • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
   • 1 tsp fine salt
2. Step 2

   Wrap the dough tightly in plastic or cover with an upturned bowl and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. This makes it much easier to roll.

   30 min, hands-off

3. Step 3

   Start the sauce. Pour the 1/2 cup olive oil into a wide skillet or saucepan and add the sliced garlic and red pepper flakes. Set over low heat and cook gently, stirring often, for 12 to 15 minutes, until the garlic is soft, pale gold and sweet-smelling. Do not let it brown — if it starts to color at the edges, pull the pan off the heat for a minute.

   15 min

   • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
   • 2 heads garlic
   • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
4. Step 4

   Pour in the white wine, if using, and let it bubble away for 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Stir, bring to a gentle bubble, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring every so often, until the sauce is thick, darkened and jammy and the oil pools at the edges. Taste and add more salt if it needs it.

   35 min, hands-off

   • 1/4 cup dry white wine
   • 2 cans crushed tomatoes (28 oz each)
   • 1 tsp salt
   • black pepper
5. Step 5

   Roll the pici while the sauce simmers. Dust a large tray with semolina. Cut off a piece of dough about the size of a lime and flatten it to 1/4 inch thick, keeping the rest covered. Cut the flattened piece into 1/4-inch strips. Roll each strip under your flat palms, working from the center outward, into a rope about as thick as a pencil and 10 to 12 inches long. Don't flour the surface — a bare surface gives the rope something to grip. Lay the finished pici on the semolina tray in loose nests and repeat with the remaining dough.

   40 min

   • semolina flour, for dusting
6. Step 6

   Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it generously. Add the pici, stir right away so they don't stick, and boil for 4 to 6 minutes, until they are tender but still chewy at the center. Taste one to check. Before draining, scoop out 1 cup of the pasta water.

   6 min

   • salt, for the pasta water
7. Step 7

   Drain the pici and add them to the pan of sauce over medium heat. Toss for 1 to 2 minutes, adding splashes of the reserved pasta water until the sauce clings and looks glossy. Take the pan off the heat, add about half the pecorino and toss again. Serve right away with the rest of the pecorino and a little more black pepper on top.

   3 min

   • 1/2 cup Pecorino Toscano or Pecorino Romano

Where it’s from

Written by AI from an idea

Version 1, saved Oct 5, 2026