Pici are a type of handmade pasta, similar to spaghetti but wider, typical of southern Tuscany, in particular in the Val d'Orcia, in the Val di Chiana, Monte Amiata, in the Province of Arezzo up to the neighboring province of Viterbo, where however they are called umbrichelli or lombrichelli. Pasta with chickpeas and cod is instead a first course from southern Italy and in particular from Gargano. In these areas it is consumed as a main course at Christmas Eve dinner. In addition I like good Lucan, I use as in the regional tradition, to cook cod with peppers; it goes perfectly with taste. Combining these combinations and ingredients, this dish was born really delicious, but genuine and nutritious.
Production time: 90 minutes
Degree of difficulty (from 1 to 5): 2
Ingredients for 4 servings
For pasta
100 g of chickpea flour
300 of white flour mixed with durum wheat semolina
qs of warm water
1 pinch of salt
For the seasoning
300 g of salt cod already soaked
10 dried Senise peppers
1 clove of garlic
plenty of extra virgin olive oil
a large slice of homemade bread
salt
Process for making Pici with chickpea flour, cod and bran peppers
Sift the flours into a bowl; make a fountain in the center and add salt and water, a little at a time until everything is compacted. Work it with energy for 10 minutes. Obtain a soft and smooth dough, cover it with cling film, then let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
Take the dough and knead it one piece at a time to lengthen it (it must have a thickness of about 1 bucatino), then cut to the desired length and flour; rest on a pastry board.
Seasoning
Clean the dried Senise peppers with a dry cloth and empty them of seeds and filaments. Meanwhile boil the cod in boiling water for 10 minutes; drain, pinch and fillet. The bran peppers are then fried in hot but not too hot extra virgin olive oil for a few seconds and one at a time, then drain on kitchen paper and let them cool (they become crunchy at this stage); a part of them is then crumbled while a part must be left in full to serve and accompany the dish.
In a pan, sauté 1 large clove of garlic cut into pieces, removing the central bud, in extra virgin olive oil and once it is golden, remove it and pass the cod and crumbled peppers crumbled to flavour, stirring well for a few minutes. In another pan put 1 drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and the crumbled bread crumbs; fry continuously stirring until golden brown. Boil the pasta for 5/6 minutes (always try it) and put it in the sauce and stir in a dash of pasta cooking water.
Serve with whole bran peppers, pieces of cod and a sprinkle of fried breadcrumbs.
The recipe was made by Ornella Pasquariello.