PICI?

An old Tuscan treat

Some say “pee-chee,” others soften it to “pee-shee,” but throughout the region around Tuscany’s Valdichiana, from Cortona to Montepulciano to Pienza, it’s a revered local tradition, handmade, hand rolled, fat little ropes of flour-and-water pasta (durum flour semolina at that), absolutely no eggs added, relying solely on the skills of a gifted casalinga (housewife) or massaia (head of the farmhouse kitchen) to hold it all together. The pici in the picture were made at a farm restaurant in Petrignano called Agrió and served with a robust ragù in bianco, a pork ragú with no tomatoes, hence white or bianco. And while it may look a little like a dish of braised earthworms, believe me one bite convinced me that it was one of the finest plates of pici that I’ve ever consumed.