Tuscan Women Cook showcases the generations-old method of creating hand-rolled pasta.

Tuscan Women Cook, the week-long culinary immersion vacation in the Tuscan village of Montefollonico, teaches participants generational recipes created in the homes of the families of Tuscany taught by the local “nonnas” or grandmothers. Perhaps the most “hands-on” pasta they make is pici (from appicciare, to “stick/cling/adhere”), a long, luscious thick noodle that was created centuries ago. With little money for food, the resourceful cooks of Tuscany came up with a recipe for pasta that required only the basic provisions of water, flour, and salt. With these three simple, inexpensive ingredients and nimble hands, pici because a staple in most homes of the region. This basic pasta dough is hand mixed, flattened, and cut into thick stripes, then rolled and pulled into long, irregular, pillowy pasta ropes.

Pici tastes great tossed in a variety of sauces. A favorite of Tuscan Women Cook guests is the pungent aglione sauce taught by nonna Simonetta (pictured right). This spicy, tomato-based sauce gets its taste and texture from a prodigious pile of fresh, chopped garlic. Just when you think you’ve chopped enough garlic, chop some more and then, one more head of garlic after that. Now you’ve got the authentic aglione. Add the pasta and you have classic pici con l’aglione.

Other sauces that work great with pici are a sugo di carne (meat ragu), cacio e pepe (pecorino cheese and pepper), carbonara, and a primavera (chopped vegetables).

In 2018, Golden Globe Award-winning actress, Valerie Bertinelli and her husband participated in Tuscan Women Cook and hosted a “Pasta Perfecto” segment showcasing the recipes she learned while in Tuscany, on her hit Food Network series, “Valerie’s Home Cooking.” One recipe she and her guests made was pici. To view the entire segment go to: https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/valeries-home-cooking

“I learned to make pici. Pici is so easy!” says Valerie Bertinelli. “You can have fresh pasta, BOOM like that. It tastes so good. And it’s so fun to make. It’s like pasta Play Dough. I had the time of my life. It was a vacation of a lifetime. It was spectacular. You get to know all the people, the region is stunning, the food is sublime. Even the smells. I loved all of it. And the animals in Tuscany are so beautiful. I’d spot cats and dogs running around every village we visited.

Involve friends, family, and dinner guests in the rolling of pici. It’s a fun, social activity that often can get quite competitive. And there is something truly special about enjoying a meal that everyone helps create. Mangiamo!