In Italy the one for food is a real passion, but what we love most is surely her majesty the “Pasta”! Discover with us which are the best first courses typical of Tuscany!

Handmade fresh pasta, an all-Italian tradition

Fresh pasta is a real must of the Italian gastronomic tradition, from the simple recipe with water and flour to the tastiest fresh egg pasta.

Egg pasta, thanks to its unmistakable flavor, is the basis of many Italian dishes. Once it was prepared at home by grandmothers, in the great country kitchens where antique marble tables served as pastry and with wise mastery the dough was worked and then transformed into tagliatelle, tagliolini, fettuccine and much more.

Each region of Italy has its traditions regarding egg pasta and the yellow pastry is transformed into an infinite number of formats served with as many sauces and combinations.

This variety of forms and recipes gives rise to a vast selection of regional first courses, including the first courses of Tuscany.

What are the typical Tuscan first courses?

In Tuscany, as throughout Italy, pasta has always been a symbol of the culinary tradition, with recipes handed down from mother to daughter.

The variety of recipes and types of pasta is really wide. To accompany pasta and wheat semolina, in Tuscany there are also numerous first courses based on potatoes or vegetables, just think of the “gnudi” or the famous “ribollita”.

Here are the best typical Tuscan first courses:

• Pappardelle with wild boar;
• Pici all’aglione;
• Potato tortelli;
• Acquacotta;
• Tomato soup;
• Maremma tortelli;
• Gnudi;
• Tordelli.

The Pici all’Aglione recipe

Pici all’aglione is a typical first course of Tuscany and in particular of the Val di Chiana.

To cook this delicious Tuscan dish with skill it is essential to use the aglione, a type of garlic grown in the Val di Chiana, making it completely melt in the olive oil with a very slow fire cooking.

Here’s how to prepare the sauce for one of the best first courses in all of Tuscany: the pici all’aglione!

Ingredients

• Aglione;
• Basil,
• Thyme;
• Capers;
• Tomato pulp;
• Extra virgin olive oil;
• Salt;
• Sugar;
• White vinegar.

Preparation

Crush the garlic cloves without removing the peel and then fry the aglione in a pan with extra virgin olive oil until it melts.

Add the chopped tomatoes or diced tomatoes and cook for about half an hour over a low heat.

Sprinkle with a little white vinegar, season with salt and add a pinch of sugar for a delicious sweet and sour taste.

The pici are quite widespread throughout Tuscany, with a greater concentration in the Maremma, Val d’Orcia, Val di Chiana and in the province of Arezzo. They are prepared with water and flour and have a rather long cooking, of about 18 – 20 minutes.

If you want to become a true connoisseur of aglione and all the typical Tuscan first courses we are waiting for you in our restaurant L’Olivaia, where you will taste the best regional flavors prepared with mastery by our Chef!