Servings: For 4 persons
Ideal for: Lunch or Dinner
Required cooking duration: Half an hour
Preparation time needed: 30 minutes
Ingredients needed:
– Semolina flour about 175g
– Either 00 flour or just plain flour measuring 175g
– Warmed water of about 175ml
– Fine salt amounting to 1½ teaspoons
– Extra virgin olive oil of about a teaspoon
– Six sausages of the herb and garlic type, alternatively, use Italian sausages
– A single courgette – slice it into thin rounds
– Half a kilo of cherry tomatoes – slice each into two
– One burrata
– Fresh oregano or basil amounting to 2 tablespoons
Preparation method:
First, mix together the flours and salt in a bowl. Add in the warmed water along with the olive oil. Using your hand, mould it into a dry and ragged ball. Continue to knead and mix the dough before shifting it onto your countertop.
Work on the dough for about 6-7 minutes till it is smooth and then mould it into a sphere. Let the sphere take rest under the upturned bowl for an hour. Depending on your own schedule, you could even put it in the refrigerator if you’re not going to use it immediately.
To prepare the sauce, begin by taking out the sausage casings. Each of the sausages should now be turned into approximately six small meatballs. These go into a large and heated pan where they can be seared on each side. Some olive oil may be needed, this will depend on the fat content of the sausages. Now add the slices of tomato and courgette. Mix them all well and then cover it. Let the mix cook for five minutes. Stir it and let it cook for five more minutes. At this stage, the courgette will wilt and the tomatoes will split. Check and adjust the seasoning and then keep it warm.
For the pasta shape, slice the dough ball into two halves. Keep one side covered whilst rolling the other half on a slightly floured surface till it is ¼ inch thick. You could use a knife or even a pizza cutter to make half an inch wide and long strips from it.
Roll each of these strips into a smoothly rounded shape using your hand with your fingers spread out. Do the same for any leftover dough.
Do remember that the dough will expand during cooking. Roll the formed pici in semolina and maintain their long shape rather than rolling them into small balls.
Bring a generous quantity of salted water to a boil in a large saucepan and allow the pici pasta to cook for roughly four to five minutes. Check if the pasta is cooked sufficiently by nibbling a piece. After draining, transfer the pasta into the pan where tomatoes and sausage are already prepared. Mix them slowly ensuring the sauce spreads evenly on the pasta.
Immediately serve the dish in a oversized bowl, gently setting the burrata in the middle. Enhance its taste by sprinkling some herbs and drizzling olive oil over it. To serve, rupture the burrata gently and integrate it well with the sauce before distributing it across the bowls. This ensures each serving includes some of the delectably creamy cheese.