Pici with Cinta Senese Meat Sauce

Method

1. 01 / Prepare the pici dough

   Put the flour in a bowl, add a pinch of salt, the extra virgin olive oil and water, gradually incorporating it into the mixture. Work vigorously for approximately 10 minutes, until you get a smooth and even dough. Cover with cling film and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

2. 02 / Prepare the pici

   Roll out the dough to a thickness of 5 mm, and then cut into strips of approximately 5 mm in width. Work the strips with a decisive movement but without flattening the dough, until you get the classic pici shape. Gradually roll out the pici obtained on a lightly floured work surface, without overlapping them so as not to make them stick together.

3. 03 / Prepare the flavouring for the meat sauce

   Clean and cut the carrot, celery and onion into cubes of similar size. Pound the juniper berries and chop them roughly: this way the juniper berries will release their flavours to the full.

4. 04 / Cook the meat sauce

   Put a saucepan on the heat and add the extra virgin olive oil. Add the vegetables, bay leaves and meat. Let it brown over a high heat and, when the meat has turned a golden colour, add the chopped juniper berries, the salt and the meat stock, so that the meat is completely covered by the liquid. Lower the heat and cook for approximately 40 minutes, until the meat is soft and the stock has evaporated.

5. 05 / Finish the prep

   Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water, tasting it after approximately 5 minutes to check if it is cooked: remember that pasta in Italy is served al dente. When the pasta is cooked, transfer it to a pan with the desired amount of meat sauce; leave it to flavour for a couple of minutes, adding a little of the pasta cooking water to make it perfectly creamy.

6. 06 / To serve

   Place the pici on serving plates, distributing a generous amount of meat sauce over the pasta. Serve the pici immediately, while very hot. You can also add a sprinkling of Parmigiano Reggiano or Tuscan pecorino to your liking.