Pici

Classic sauces: all'aglione, con le briciole, cacio e pepe Pici are fat, hand-rolled strands of flour and water from the Siena area, uneven along their length and dense enough to chew on. That bulk is what aglione needs: a tomato sauce slowly melted with the giant, mild garlic of the Valdichiana, which would drown a thinner noodle. With toasted breadcrumbs, the crumbs lodge in the irregular surface instead of sliding to the plate. Cacio e pepe on pici is a Tuscan borrowing of a Roman dish, and it works because the thick strands release plenty of starch to bind the cheese. Cook them longer than you think; underdone pici are doughy in the middle.