Pici All'Aglione with Gochujang

Tuscan pici meets Korean spice in a garlicky gochujang twist

1.5 hours prep

30 minutes cook

Serves 4

Nell Carter

Ingredients

Tomato, garlic & gochujang sauce:

6cloves garlic, thinly sliced

3tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 x 400gcan good-quality tomatoes (San Marzano if possible, crushed)

1–2 tbspgochujang (adjust to heat level)

1 tspsoy sauce (instead of salt, for umami)

½ tspsugar (to balance acidity)

2spring onions, thinly sliced

fresh basil leaves

Pecorino Romano (to finish)

sesame seeds

Pici pasta:

400 g ’00’ flour

185 mlwarm water

1 tbspolive oil

coarse semolina

Hand-rolled pici pasta tossed in a garlicky tomato sauce lifted with gochujang for a spicy, umami-rich twist on the Tuscan classic.

Method

Start by making the pici. Tip the flour onto a clean work surface and shape it into a mound. Using the base of a bowl, press down in the centre to form a deep well.

Pour the warm water and olive oil into the well. With a fork, begin whisking the liquid, gradually drawing in flour from the sides until you have a thick paste in the middle.

Once the mixture is too thick to whisk, switch to a bench scraper (or your hands). Cut and fold the remaining flour into the paste until you have a rough, shaggy dough.

Gather it into a ball and knead vigorously for 4–5 minutes.

Wrap the dough tightly and let it rest for 10 minutes. Knead again for 2–3 minutes until smooth and elastic, then rewrap and rest for 1–2 hours at room temperature.

Cut the dough into 4 even pieces and work with a quarter of the dough at a time. Roll it with a rolling pin until it’s around 5 mm thick, the cut into strips about 1.5 cm wide.

Using your finger tips, pinch each strip and then use the palms of your hand to roll it into a long even strand, starting from the centre and working outward. If some sections are thicker than others, give them a little extra roll until the strand is uniform.

Arrange the pici on a tray and generously dust with coarse semolina to prevent sticking until ready to cook.

In a large pan, gently heat olive oil and garlic until fragrant and just golden at the edges (don’t burn it).

Add the crushed tomatoes, gochujang, soy sauce, and sugar. Simmer on low for 20–25 minutes until thick, stirring occasionally. Adjust balance of sugar/gochujang to taste.

Boil the pici in salted water until al dente (they’ll be chewy and rustic). Reserve a m1ug of pasta water.

Add drained pasta into the sauce with a splash of pasta water, tossing until it's glossy and clings to the pasta.

Off the heat, stir in the basil. Plate up and top with sliced spring onions, a fine grating of pecorino, and sesame seeds.