We sift the flour on a wooden pastry board, arranging it in a fountain in which we will add a glass of water, a pinch of salt and black pepper, two soup spoons of extra virgin olive oil and a whole egg.

Then we hard work the mixture, incorporating more flour if necessary, until we have a smooth, homogeneous and sufficiently elastic dough.

Let rest the dough in the refrigerator for about an hour and then proceed making “Pici”: remove a piece of dough, brush it with very little oil and work it on a pastry board, stretching it out gradually with a twisting motion, trying to thin it into large spaghetti (few millimeters 3/5 mm.).​

However simple a recipe may seem, it is advisable to pay close attention to some details to obtain an optimal result

The choice of the cheese to be used must be based on semi-seasoned and rich in flavor cheeses but above all suitable for a "fondue", which we will obtain by heating in a water bath with the addition of a small amount of cooking water, or as in this case, the water itself where I left the saffron stigmas to infuse in order to best extract its aroma and fragrance (0.25 gr of saffron stigmas are sufficient for 4-5 people).

I recommend using a mix of excellent Roman pecorino and black pecorino from Val d'Orcia, calculating about 60-70 gr as a quantity sufficient to season a portion of pici of 140-150 gr for each guest.

To the pecorino fondue, to be prepared during the cooking of the pasta, I will then add the freshly ground black pepper in a whirlpool and finally the infusion of water with the saffron stigmas, and in the same, once the fondue is homogeneous in color and consistency, I will go to stir the pici cooked al dente.