Pici with Sausage Ragu

2025 Giro Stage 9: Gubbio to Siena.

It’s been quite some time since I’ve made a good meal. Work and life have been crazy busy. It’s been even longer since I posted! Last blog post was from the Oscars back in early March. But, work is slowing down with Memorial Day approaching. I’ve been watching a little of the Giro coverage in Italy here-and-there, and I had a full Sunday with no plans. So, I decided to make pasta with my girls. Pici is completely hand-made and can be done by anyone. It’s rustic in its shape (pretty much fat spaghetti) and I paired it with a tasty rustic ragu of onion, carrot, celery, pork, and some stock. It also features a hidden gem of some crushed juniper berry. This was really tasty and I hope you try it out. 

Pici with Pork Ragu

Pasta

• 3 cups Type 00 soft wheat flour 

• Extra-virgin olive oil 

• 1 ⅓ cup warm water

Sauce

• 1 large onion, minced

• 2 celery stalks, minced

• 1 large carrot minced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1.5 lbs ground pork 

• 10 juniper berries, crushed and chopped fine

• 2 bay leaves

• 4.25 cups of chicken stock

Begin by combining the pasta ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine, adding more water, if necessary for the dough to just come together. Once it’s in a mass, coat your hands with a little more olive oil and knead it on a wooden cutting board until soft, 3-5 minutes. 

Wrap the dough in cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

While the dough chills, add a tablespoon of olive oil to a pot set over medium-high heat and sweat the vegetables, with a pinch of salt, until softened. 

Add in the garlic and stir until fragrant, about a minute. 

Then, add in the pork with some black pepper. Stir to combine and cook until no longer pink.

Meanwhile, crush and mince the juniper. Then add it to the pot. 

Once the meat is no longer pink, add in the stock and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook and reduce the sauce, about 40 minutes or so.

Set a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil.

While the sauce reduces, remove the dough from the fridge and place it on a floured work surface. Pat out the dough into a rough circle/oval. 

Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out until it’s roughly a half-inch thick oval. Then, slice into half-inch strips.

Pinch the strips forming them into a rough cylinder shape. Then, using your hands, roll out the strips on a wooden cutting board until lengthened about 12-14 inches. Place the rolled pici onto a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper. 

Once all of the pasta is rolled out, salt the boiling water and drop in half of the pasta, one strip at a time to avoid clumping. You can add all of it in at the same time, but it’s easier to go in halves. 

Cook the pasta for about 3 minutes. 

Meanwhile, add some olive oil to a skillet set over medium-high heat. Once the oil is rippling, place a few ladlefuls of the ragu into the skillet. Usinga spider strainer spoon, or tongs, add the pasta into the skillet along with a few ladlefuls of pasta water. 

Toss it all in the skillet, adding another ladleful of water, if necessary, until the sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes or so. 

Split among two bowls and top with some grated pecorino romano cheese. 

______________________________ Copyright 2025, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.