Ligurian Picagge

Traditional of Liguria, picagge resemble large fettuccine: they are made with flour and eggs and served with pesto, but there are variations. A traditional pasta from Liguria, picagge are egg tagliatelle a few centimeters wide whose dialect name means "cotton ribbons". They can be seasoned with pesto - as the Ligurian tradition dictates - or with a meat or fish sauce. Try to prepare them at home: in the recipe I suggest how to make fresh pasta, but also how to best make pesto, the symbolic condiment of Liguria that has become famous all over the world. Picagge can also be made by mixing wheat flour with chestnut flour, as I have done here, and in this case they are called picagge matte. On the other hand, green picagge are those kneaded with marjoram and "advantaged" if made with whole wheat flour.

Ingredients

for the pasta

500 g white flour

2 eggs

salt

For the pesto

40 basil leaves

20 g pecorino cheese

20 g Parmesan cheese

30 g pine nuts

two cloves of garlic

olive oil

Salt

Procedure

To prepare the Ligurian picagge, put the flour in a well on the pastry board, add the eggs, a pinch of salt and about 150 g of warm water. Knead everything well until you get a uniform and consistent dough. Roll out a thin sheet, let it rest for about half an hour, then cut it into tagliatelle 1.5 cm wide, like fettucce (picagge). Let them air dry and, in the meantime, prepare the pesto, possibly in a marble mortar, working and adding in succession the basil, lightly toasted pine nuts, a pinch of salt, garlic and cheeses. Complete with half a glass of oil. Boil the pasta, drain it then season it with the pesto diluted with half a ladle of the cooking water.