Erica's Italian Adventure: Giornata di Pici :)

I am obsessed with pici. When I was in Siena last summer, I had dreams about this pasta and HAD TO HAVE MORE! I brought it home and made it for a few friends in Colorado and also for my family before heading back to Italy this time. I have sought out WWOOF Farms that mentioned pici production. I LOVE this stuff! (In Italian I would say, “adoro i pici”). So when Kalyna mentioned that there was a day dedicated to pici, it was a dream come true for me.

Saturday, January 15, 2011 was a beautiful day in Montalcino and it was the day I learned how to roll pici like an Italian (kinda).

First, a little info on this glorious pasta. It is somewhat like very thick spaghetti. It takes 22-23 minutes to cook the dried variety. It comes from the Siena region of Tuscany and is nearly impossible to find in the US. In Montalcino, it is called “Pinci” because they add eggs and a bit of salt to the dough. This addition makes the dough softer. I assume they only add the salt to the cooking water. In the town of Siena, it is called “Pici” (with no “N”). In Siena, it is only made with farina (flour) and water… no eggs!

So, back to the rolling…. Kalyna, the kiddos and I went to Montalcino to one of the old churches and met up with the women of Montalcino. It was a room of mass pinci rolling!

To roll the pinci…

Knead the dough and let it rest a bit.
Roll it out to approximately ¼ inch thick.
Cut it into approximately 1 inch thick strips.
On a floured cutting board, start rolling, using only the palm & heel of your hand. Don’t be afraid to apply pressure or to add a little moisture to your hands so you can get some grip on the pasta.
As you roll, slightly stretch the pasta strip with the other hand.
Deposit the beautiful little worm-like creations onto a tray that contained finely ground cornmeal.
Wrap the pinci into individual nests like you would a garden hose.

So as if that wasn’t life-changing enough, there was also a town dinner that night that featured the pinci. Everyone was invited to attend. For 20 euro, you got an antipasta dish, 6 courses of pinci with all of the traditional sauces, a meat & vegetable course, tiramisu and flowing vino and aqua. What could be better?

Kalyna, Eliah and I found a perfect spot between a family and two men, both named Claudio. The dinner started at 8pm and we didn’t leave until nearly midnight! And that was when it was turning into a discotheque!

Below you will see each of the courses and the sauces explained.

Pinci with Bolognese (meat sauce) and freshly grated Parmigiano