too many truffles?

A word about these truffles. When most people think of truffles they imagine pale slivers being shaved off a precious tuber in an expensive restaurant. As the waiter shaves, you are mentally adding up just how much that heavenly pasta or risotto will cost. And cost it does. But those are white truffles from Alba, in Piemonte, and are quite a different animal from what I have in my freezer.  

Black truffles from Umbria are known as scorzone and, depending on what time of the year they are harvested, they can be more or less fragrant. But they never, ever get up to the level of pure heavenly olfactory bliss of the white truffles. They also don’t cost nearly as much. (especially when your neighbor give them to you for free) Don’t get me wrong. They are plenty fragrant. And they aren’t dirt cheap. But to get the full impact of their beauty you really do need a heavy hand.

The locals know this, and you will never see them shaving them onto anything. They use them by the handful, and treat them almost like a vegetable. Ad expensive vegetable, but a vegetable.

So: dinner last night. I decided to use them to make pasta. I bought some fresh fettucine from the pasta maker on Via Boschetto, and made this sauce. It is very Umbrian, and typical at this time of year, made with late summer/ early fall truffles.

Black Truffle Pasta
Serves six 
1/2 pound of black truffles
1 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
2 anchovies
freshly ground pepper
1 Tablespoon of butter
1 1/2 pounds of fresh fettucine

A few hours before you are going to make the pasta, roughly chop all but 2 small truffles and put them into a food processor. Add chopped garlic, anchovies, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Run food processor until a smooth paste is formed. It will probably stick to the sides, so keep scraping it down. You may have to add a bit more oil.   Put into a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit at room temp a few hours, to let flavors develop.

Bring a pot of water to boil, and add fettucine to salted, boiling water.

Thinly slice the reserved truffles.

Put the truffle paste into a large bowl.
 
When fettucine is done (this takes only a few minutes if pasta is fresh) drain, reserving the pasta water

Add about a half cup of pasta water to truffle paste, quickly stirring to loosen it up. You may need to add a bit more water. You want it to be sludgy/saucy.

Add the drained fettucine, and toss well, adding the butter, and more pasta water if you think you need it.

Sprinkle the sliced truffles on top.

Traditionally parmesan cheese is never served with truffle pasta.