To prepare these “Pici all’Aglione”, which have a slightly new “touch” thanks to the parcel and the herbs that accompany them, you can use La Vialla’s Sugo all’Aglione.

If you’d like to prepare the sauce yourself here’s a recipe that uses “common” garlic, which is easier to come by. Squash 6 garlic cloves with the palm of your hand, remove the skin and the green germ inside them (the garlic becomes easier to digest). Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan with the garlic and the chilli pepper, broken up by hand (you “taste” it more), and sauté over a very low flame. As soon as the cloves of garlic begin to brown, add the peeled tomatoes (or when in season, fresh ripe tomatoes, washed and diced) and 3-4 fresh basil leaves (once more ripped up by hand); season with salt, stir and leave to cook for approx. 20 minutes over a moderate heat, until the sauce becomes thick and creamy.

While the Pici are cooking in plenty of boiling, salted water, thinly slice the remaining clove of garlic. Strain the Pici when they are “al dente”, tip them into the frying pan and toss them for a few seconds to mix them with the sauce. Take the pan with the pasta off the heat. Lay each sheet of greaseproof paper on top of a bowl and place a portion of Pici in the centre, dividing the slices of garlic, thyme leaves, capers (well squeezed) and basil between them. Quickly tie up the parcels with kitchen string (with a bow, so they’re easier to open at the table) and place them on a baking tray; put in a preheated oven, at 180 °C, for 5 minutes. Take the baking tray out of the oven and serve the parcels on plates, still tied up… when the “bow” is undone and the parcel opened, the fragrance released will immediately make your mouth water…

.....buon appetito!