Miguel Maestre shares his family-friendly pici pasta recipe

Few Australian chefs bring as much warmth and energy to the kitchen as Miguel Maestre. Best known for his television appearances, bestselling cookbooks and infectious enthusiasm for sharing good food, Miguel has built a career around making cooking accessible, fun and something to enjoy with family and friends.

This rustic pici pasta with fresh pesto is one of those recipes designed to bring everyone into the kitchen. While making pasta from scratch might seem intimidating, Miguel says perfection isn’t the goal. Instead, it’s all about enjoying the process together and mastering one simple technique that brings the dish together.

The PPP: Pici Pasta Pesto

Serves 4

If you want to get your family involved in making a dish, this is the one! It doesn’t matter how thick or thin the pici are rolled, the only thing that matters is the mantecare. This is the magical process of emulsifying the sauce with the residual pasta-cooking water. You need a really big mixing bowl and plenty of tossing and mixing to achieve this, and it is the one thing that will make your pasta perfect. Don’t worry about anything else, just enjoy the family working together to create this classic pasta dish.

Ingredients

225 g (1 ½ cups) ’00’ flour or plain flour, plus extra if needed
2 pinches of salt flakes
1 teaspoon finely grated parmesan
3 tablespoons thickened cream
320 g mixed mini tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Small basil leaves and grated parmesan, to serve

Pesto

2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 pinches of salt flakes, or to taste
100 g (2 packed cups) freshly washed basil leaves, still wet, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
125 ml (½ cup) mild extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons finely grated pecorino
3 tablespoons finely grated parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Place the flour, salt and parmesan in the bowl of a food processor, add 125 ml (½ cup) of warm water and process until the dough forms a ball. It should be smooth with the consistency of modelling clay, so add a little extra flour if needed. Wrap the dough and rest in the fridge so the gluten can relax, making it easier to roll out. Rest for at least 1 hour, though you can leave it for up to 24 hours.

To make the pesto, put the garlic and salt in a large mortar and use the pestle to pound to a paste. Add the basil and pine nuts in batches, and pound to break them up and form a paste. Gradually add the oil and mix until combined, then stir in the cheese. Taste and season with pepper and more salt if needed.

Pinch off a 2–3 cm piece of the rested dough and place between the palms of your hands. Roll into a log, then roll the log outwards with both palms, applying pressure evenly to form a noodle the same thickness as a fine pencil. Finish rolling on a clean surface (no extra flour) to the width of a fine green bean. Don’t worry about being too precise – they are meant to be irregular. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and repeat with the remaining dough.

Alternatively, you can pat out the dough to a 3 mm thick rectangle and cut strips of dough, then roll, pressing lightly on each strip to roll it into a long worm shape about 3–4 mm thick.

When you are ready to cook the pasta, bring a large, wide-based saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook for 4–5 minutes until al dente.
Meanwhile, combine the cream, tomatoes and 3 tablespoons of the pesto in a large mixing bowl. Using tongs, transfer the cooked pici from the boiling water straight into the sauce, add the oil and toss to coat well.

Divide among bowls and serve topped with basil leaves and grated parmesan.

Tips

Store the leftover pesto in an airtight container, covered with a thin layer of oil. It will keep in the fridge for up to one week.

The amount of salt required for the pesto depends on the type of cheese you use. Some can be very salty so taste as you go. You can use 50 g (½ cup) of parmesan if you don’t have any pecorino.

See Miguel live at the Good Food & Wine Show

If you’d like to see Miguel in action, he’ll be cooking live at the Good Food & Wine Show later this year.

For more than two decades, the Good Food & Wine Show has brought together Australia’s leading chefs, winemakers and producers with food lovers from across the country. The event attracts more than 90,000 visitors each year and gives attendees the chance to watch cooking demonstrations, discover new products and learn from some of Australia’s biggest culinary names.

Miguel will be joined by fellow chef Kirsten Tibballs and MasterChef favourite Nat Thaipun at selected events throughout 2026.

Remaining 2026 dates:

Perth: 17–19 July at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre

Brisbane: 23–25 October at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre

Sydney Christmas Markets: 20–22 November at the International Convention Centre Sydney

Melbourne Christmas Markets: 4–6 December at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre