Pici Pasta al fumo: a Carmel Take on a Cortona Recipe

Transport yourself to the heart of Tuscany with Pici Pasta al Fumo, a rich and smoky pasta dish with deep roots in Cortona’s culinary history. Created in the 1970s by Adriana Biagianti Accordi of Tonino Restaurant, this dish combines smoked pancetta, tomatoes, and cream for a luscious, velvety sauce that’s now a local favorite in Cortona.

At Joe’s, we’re proud to bring this authentic Tuscan experience to Carmel, with all ingredients available at Joe’s (marked with a “J” below) from February 1 to February 28. Prefer to dine out? You can also enjoy this dish at Convivio Italian Artisan Cuisine. Best of all, a portion of sales from this dish at both Joe’s and Convivio will support the 501(c)(3) Carmel-Cortona Sister City Committee.

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Serving Size: 8

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Ingredients

Pasta:
- 4 cups of Caputo 00 flour (J)
- 1/2 tsp. of kosher salt (J)
- 1 cup of water
- Try with Nicole Taylor Buccatinni or Tagliatelle, sold at Joe’s!
Sauce:
- 2 tbsp. olive oil (J)
- 3 cloves of garlic (J)
- 1 sprig of rosemary, 1.5in long and cut into three equal parts (J)
- 3.5oz or 1/4 lb of smoked pancetta or minced bacon (J)
- 1 cup of chopped tomatoes (J)
- 3 tbsp. of tomato paste (J)
- 1 generous shot of vodka (optional)
- 1/4 tsp. of red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1/3 cup heavy cream (J)

Instructions

Pasta Instructions: If you’re making your own pasta, mix the flour and salt in a bowl and stream in the water. Mix with a fork until a shaggy dough forms.
Turn onto a floured work surface and knead for about 15 minutes until smooth and elastic. Let dough rest for 30 minutes.
Roll dough out into a rectangle so it’s about 1/2 inch thick. Then, cut into 1/2 inch wide strips. Roll out each strip until it’s round and about 1/4 inch thick and cut to be about 12 inches long, depending on how long you like your pasta! Doesn’t need to be perfect! Let rest on slightly floured sheet pans.
Sauce Instructions: Place olive oil, 1 piece of rosemary, and garlic in a medium saucepan. Turn heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is light golden. Remove garlic and rosemary, and set aside in small glass bowl, now add pancetta/bacon to the pan and remaining 2 pieces rosemary. Cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until pancetta is golden-brown. Remove the rosemary.
Add vodka and roughly chopped tomatoes, cook until the smell of alcohol is and tomatoes are broken down (4 minutes) then stir in tomato paste and cream. Bring to a low simmer for 3 minutes.
Stir in red pepper flakes and add back in the pancetta/bacon from Step 1 and bring back to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes or until sauce is thick and deep orange in color. Taste and adjust with salt as you needed.
While sauce is simmering, Boil the homemade Pici in salted boiling water for about 5 minutes, (or follow Nicole-Taylor fresh bucatini instructions on container) until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water and then add the pici/bucatini to the sauce along with the pasta water. Stir until nice and creamy and beautiful then plate and enjoy!