This summer we spent a few days in Cortona, Italy at Il Falconiere, a Relais & Châteaux hotel/spa and home to the Baracchi winery and cooking school. One of our favorite dishes at the resort's Michelin star restaurant was the Pici con Pomodorino ed Erbette (Fresh Pici Pasta with tomatoes and herbs). We were fortunate enough to learn to make this unforgettable dish by Chef Richard Titi. Try it, you’ll be surprised by how easy and absolutely delicious it is. Enjoy some of the other recipes we learned during our stay, like, Stuffed Zucchini Flowers with Ricotta and Basil.
Mound the flour on a board and make a well in the center. Into the well add water and slowly mix the flour, adding water from time to time as the dough comes together.
You are aiming for a soft but not sticky mix, don’t worry if the dough is stiff, as it will relax as it rests.
Form the dough into a ball and cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside for 20 minutes.
Cut the dough into very thin pieces. Roll each piece into a snake about 1/2 cm in diameter and 30/60 cm long. Continue until the dough has all been cut and rolled.
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a saucepan with the chopped garlic until the garlic is soft but not brown. Add the cherry tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook rapidly, stirring occasionally.
Add the aromatic herbs.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and drop in the pici. Boil until the pasta rises to the top.
Remove with a slotted skimmer and transfer to the pan with the sauce.
Stir lightly to cost the pasta in sauce.
Add a handful of grated or shaved aged Pecorino cheese and chopped basil. Serve immediately.
We photographed two plated versions, the one above simply garnished and another garnished with Lima beans and finished with a drizzle of basil oil. (see last photo below)
Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
Pasta
- 15 dl/6.34 C Water
- 300 g/10.58 oz Flour
- Pinch of Salt
Sauce
- 8 T of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 T aromatic herbs (thyme-Marjoram)
- 300 g/10.58 oz of cherry tomatoes (each cut in four pieces)
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- Basil
- Percorino Cheese
Instructions
Pasta
- Mound the flour on a board and make a well in the center.
- Into the well add water and slowly mix the flour, adding water from time to time as the dough comes together.
- You are aiming for a soft but not sticky mix, don’t worry if the dough is stiff, as it will relax as it rests.
- Form the dough into a ball and cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside for 20 minutes.
- Cut the dough into very thin pieces. Roll each piece into a snake about 1/2 cm in diameter and 30/60 cm long. Continue until the dough has all been cut and rolled.
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a saucepan with the chopped garlic until the garlic is soft but not brown.
- Add the cherry tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook rapidly, stirring occasionally.
- Add the aromatic herbs.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and drop in the pici. Boil until the pasta rises to the top.
- Remove with a slotted skimmer and transfer to the pan with the sauce.
- Stir lightly to cost the pasta in sauce.
- Add a handful of grated or shaved aged pecorino cheese and chopped basil. Serve immediately.
Notes
Although we offer conversions, we highly recommend using metric measurements whenever baking or making pasta.
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