🇮🇹 Italian · Pasta
🍝 Pici all'Aglione
Pici all'Aglione
Pici all'Aglione pairs Siena's thick, hand-rolled eggless spaghetti with a bold, garlicky tomato sauce made from aglione — a giant, mild Tuscan garlic variety.
Pici is often called 'poor man's spaghetti,' made from nothing more than flour, water, and a bit of olive oil, hand-rolled into thick, irregular strands. Paired with the pungent-but-mellow aglione garlic, it's one of the Val di Chiana's proudest specialties.
Ingredients
Equipment: Mixing bowl, Large pot, Large skillet
Pici dough
- 400 g (3⅓ cups) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 200 ml (¾ cup) warm water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Pinch of salt
Aglione sauce
- 4–6 large garlic cloves (or 1 aglione clove, if available), thinly sliced
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) extra virgin olive oil
- 500 g (18 oz) canned crushed tomatoes
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- Salt, to taste
- Fresh basil, for garnish
Method
- Combine the flour, water, olive oil, and salt into a smooth, firm dough. Knead for 8–10 minutes. Rest, covered, for 30 minutes.
- Pinch off small pieces of dough and roll between your palms on a lightly floured surface into thick, irregular strands, about the thickness of a pencil.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet over low heat. Add the garlic, cooking gently until soft and lightly golden but not browned, about 5 minutes — this mellows its sharpness considerably.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and red pepper flakes if using, and simmer for 20 minutes until thickened.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pici for 5–7 minutes until tender.
- Drain, reserving some pasta water, and toss with the sauce, loosening with pasta water as needed.
- Garnish with fresh basil and serve immediately.
Chef Tips
- Cooking the garlic low and slow mellows its sharpness into a deep, sweet flavor rather than an overpowering bite.
- Pici should be thick and irregular by nature — resist the urge to roll them perfectly uniform.
- No eggs are used in traditional pici dough — it relies purely on flour, water, and technique.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Rushing the garlic, leaving it sharp and overpowering rather than mellow and sweet.
- Rolling the pici too thin, losing its signature thick, hearty character.
- Overcooking the garlic to browning, which turns it bitter.
Nutrition (per serving)
Health Benefits
- Garlic contains allicin, associated with immune and cardiovascular benefits.
- Naturally vegan and dairy-free.
Cultural Note
Pici hails from the Val di Chiana and Siena area, closely tied to the giant, mild aglione garlic that grows almost exclusively in this part of Tuscany and gives the dish its name.
Storage & Serving
Storage: The sauce keeps refrigerated for up to 4 days; uncooked pici can be dried for room-temperature storage.
Reheating: Reheat the sauce gently, then toss with freshly cooked pici.
Serve with: A Chianti or Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Crusty bread