Pici - Episode 1324

Directions

1. Place the four and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and whirl the mixture to blend. With the motor running, slowly pour the water through the feed tube. Add the olive oil and continue processing until a ball of dough is formed that is moist and holds together. If the dough seems too dry, add a few drops of water and pulse.
2. Gather up the dough and knead it for a few minutes on a wooden surface, adding a little flour only if the dough is sticking to your hands. Cover the dough with a bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.
3. Divide the dough into quarters and work with one piece of dough at a time; keep the remaining pieces covered.
4. Flatten the dough slightly with a rolling pin, then thin it in a hand-crank pasta machine or us a rolling pin. Do not make the dough too thin. If using a pasta machine, thin the dough to the next to the last setting.
5. Cut the dough using the vermicelli or fettucine cutter. the dough is very stretchy and resilient. Place the pici on clean kitchen towels or, to dry for long-term storage, hand the pici over dowel rods.
6. Cut pici either 1/8 or 1/4 inch wide.
7. NOTE: Both versions of pici can be made ahead, dried on dowel rods, and saved for future use. Pici will keep for months in a cool place loosely covered with aluminum foil.