Ingredients
Green pici
- 200 g fresh baby spinach washed and well drained
- 300 g all-purpose flour plus a little for dusting; dusting amount excluded from estimates
- 1/4 tsp fine salt about 1.5 g
Tomato coating
- 400 g cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 tbsp olive oil 28 g total
- 4 garlic cloves about 12 g, thinly sliced
- 40 g Parmesan finely grated
- 10 g fresh parsley chopped
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Equipment
- 1 Food processor
- 1 Large pasta pot
- 1 Wide skillet
- 1 Kitchen scale
Instructions
- Pulse the drained spinach in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the 300 g flour and salt. Process until the mixture clumps and holds together when squeezed. If very dry, add water 1 teaspoon at a time; if wet and sticky, add flour a little at a time. Knead briefly until pliable, cover, and rest for 10 minutes.
- Keep most of the dough covered. Pinch off small pieces and roll on a lightly floured clean surface into irregular pici strands about 3–4 mm thick. Keep the thickness fairly even and lay the strands apart on a lightly floured tray.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile warm the measured oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Cook the garlic for 30–60 seconds without darkening, then add the tomatoes and pepper. Cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring, until some tomatoes soften and release juice.
- Cook freshly rolled pici in the boiling water for about 5–7 minutes, stirring gently to separate. Test the thickest strand: it should be cooked through with a pleasant bite and no raw flour center. Thickness and dough moisture affect the time. Reserve a mug of cooking water.
- Transfer the cooked noodles to the tomato skillet. Toss with a small splash of cooking water, adding only enough to make a light coating. Remove from the heat, fold in parsley and the measured Parmesan, and divide into four portions.
Nutrition
Calories: 410kcalCarbohydrates: 65gProtein: 14gFat: 11gFiber: 4.5g
Video
Notes
Nutrition is estimated from 300 g flour, 200 g spinach, 400 g tomatoes, 28 g oil, 12 g garlic, 40 g Parmesan, and 10 g parsley divided by four. Extra dusting flour, dough adjustments, and salt absorbed from cooking water are excluded. Contains wheat and milk. Cost allowance: US$0.40 flour, US$2 spinach, US$2 tomatoes, US$1.20 Parmesan, and US$0.80 combined oil, garlic, parsley, and seasoning portions; local prices vary.
Do not taste raw dough. Refrigerate cooked leftovers within two hours, use within 3–4 days, and reheat to 165°F/74°C with a little water.
Video credit: Jamie Oliver, Easy Entry Level Pasta With Spinach, Courgettes, Tomatoes & Pine Nuts. The companion demonstrates spinach dough and hand-rolling. This recipe has its own tomato, garlic, parsley, oil, and Parmesan amounts and omits the video’s zucchini, pine nuts, basil, and chili. Follow this card’s quantities and thickness checks.