Pici with Mushrooms, Pancetta & Guinness
Dania’s Pici
This recipe is inspired by Instagram. When I asked my friends and followers what ingredients they would like in their pasta dish, I got all sorts of interesting combinations. One of the suggestions was Mushrooms & Pancetta. Immediately I wanted to make ravioli and add in some mascarpone but, the request came from someone who is lactose intolerant. This piece of information made the challenge more interesting and I wanted to make something equally tasty but with no dairy involved.
The days outside are getting shorter and we all are in this lazy and cosy mood. The current Covid-19 restrictions also don’t allow us to do much meaning we are all staying at home, hiding under warm blankets and eating comforting food. This feeling of comfortably staying at home is what inspired this dish.
Pici is in my advice one of the most comforting pasta varieties. These are rolled out by hand and their fatty and irregular look as well as their chewy consistency make them just perfect. Guinness, with its malty sweetness and its coffe aftertaste acts like the perfect binding ingredient for pici and mushrooms. Last but not least, crunchy pancetta on top to seal the deal!
Enjoy Dania’s Pici
Dania’s Pici
Ingredients
For the Pici
225g 0 Flour
130g water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pinch of salt
For the sauce
300g Chestnut mushrooms
2 Cloves of garlic
200ml Guinness
Olive oil
Parsley
1 handful of thinly sliced pancetta
Salt & Pepper
These quantities are for 3 people roughly
Step by step
For the Pici
Mix all the ingredients and knead until the dough comes together. Wrap in cling film and let it rest for 30min
With a rolling pin roll out the dough in a rectangle of roughly 20cm width
With a knife cut thin strips of 0.5cm-1cm max. Oil the surface in front of you and with your hands roll out each strip on the oiled surface
Pici are not meant to be perfect or thin so you can have irregular length and difference in thickness.
Put them aside on a tray sprinkled with coarse semolina (in this way they won’t stick)
For the Sauce
Thinly slice the mushrooms and add a generous amount of olive oil in a pan
Sauté the garlic in the pan and add the mushrooms and a few leaves of chopped parley. Season them and sauté them for a few minutes
Turn the heat up and add in the Guinness. Let the alcohol evaporate before you turn the heat down and let the mushrooms finish cooking
In a separate hot non stick-pan, cook the thinly sliced pancetta until crispy. You won’t need any added fat in the pan. Let the pancetta sweat
Separately bring the pasta water to boil and cook the pici. It should only take a few minutes
Drain the pici, mix them with the mushrooms and add on top the crispy pancetta and some parsley
Enjoy!
Tips & cheats
You don’t have to make pici if you don’t fancy making your own pasta. Just use the pasta you like and make the sauce.
Try not to add grated cheese. It’s one those Italian food rules — never eat cheese with mushroom pasta!
Make sure you oil the surface where you roll out the pici. That will help you get a rounder shape.
If the dough is too sticky you can balance it with some extra flour.
Pici, like all pasta, gains volume when cooked. Don’t roll them out too thick or they’ll become huge as soon as you dip them in boiling water!
