The white truffle and fresh pasta are two foods known to be elite in Italian cooking. When you combine pasta with white truffles, you get a decadent and delicious dish.
The best Italian pasta dish to transport yourself to Italy is the white truffle Tagliolini. Tagliolini, or Tajarin noodles, tend to complement the white truffle the best, but you can use whatever kind of pasta you enjoy. Cooking pasta with white truffles isn’t as intimidating of a dish as you might think.
There are many other ways to enjoy white truffles, as well as ways to enhance the classic white truffle and pasta dish to your liking.
Tagliolini or tagliatelle tends to be the preferred pasta to incorporate the white truffle into. A long noodle of any kind can be used if you can’t find Tagliolini or aren’t able to whip up a fresh batch of pasta.
How To Make White Truffle Tagliolini
This pasta dish doesn’t require a ton of ingredients. You’ll need your Tagliolini, butter, grated parmesan, white truffles, and of course your salt and pepper as needed.
In a large pot, bring your water to a rolling boil. When the boiling starts, add salt, and wait for the water to boil again. Drop your pasta into the boiling water and cook it to al dente.
As your pasta is cooking, you’ll want to wash your truffle by using a damp paper towel and gently pat it. Grate your truffles based on how much you want to add to your dish. Once the pasta is cooked, drain your pasta while saving some cooking water.
In a large sauté pan, you’ll want to melt your butter until it starts to bubble, then throw your grated truffles into the butter. Be sure you’ve saved some of your pasta cooking water and pour it into the pan. Once that’s mixed nicely, transfer your cooked pasta into the sauté pan.
Grate some fresh parmesan cheese on top of your cooked pasta and mix everything together. You want to make sure you evenly coat your pasta in the butter, truffle, and parmesan mixture. Serve immediately, adding some freshly grated cheese or salt to taste if you would like.
Fresh Pasta With White Truffles
The thought of making fresh Tagliolini might make some nervous. This particular type of pasta is rich in egg yolk, and so a lot of eggs need to be separated in order to make even a small batch of this particular pasta.
Tagliolini dough is made by combining flour and egg yolk. Flour should be made into a well and yolks poured into the center of the well. The dough will have to be tossed and kneaded until everything is incorporated well which can take a lot of time. The dough is then rolled into a circle and cut into thin strips.
What Does Truffle Taste Like On Pasta?
White truffles have a prominent taste and strong aroma which is balanced out perfectly with the milder taste of cooked pasta. When mixed with some freshly grated cheese and a pinch of salt and cream, they create one of the best sauces you’ll eat on a pasta dish.
In terms of sauce, a cream sauce made with cheese and butter is best. Melt the butter on low heat with a sprinkle of pepper or salt and you get the perfect sauce. You can use some flour to make the sauce thicker if you choose. You can also use either salted or unsalted butter for your sauce.
What Can I Do With White Truffles?
White truffles complement simple recipes since they are so flavorful. They can be grated onto a finished dish using a special truffle grater to add texture or taste. Truffles cooked with some roasted potatoes in unsalted butter make a side dish that could easily become the star of a meal.
Truffles have an umami flavor profile that is often disrupted by spicy foods. Foods that are high in acid can also muddy the taste of truffles. Since you want to get as much as you can out of a white truffle, you don’t want to ruin the taste.
Otherwise, white truffles truly complement a lot of foods. They are an acquired taste for some, especially since those who haven’t had truffles before may not expect such a powerful punch of flavor from a mushroom.
What Is So Special About White Truffles?
White truffles are a delicacy due to their rarity. Italy is the best place to find a few varieties of white truffles, though they do grow in a couple of other European regions. They are not as readily available as black truffles so they tend to be much more expensive.
The intrigue surrounding white truffles isn’t just due to how hard they are to find or how much they cost. The taste is one that can’t be mimicked by any other food. The smell of the mushroom combined with the flavor makes the white truffle stand out from any other kind of truffle.
Final Thoughts
The best way to enjoy white truffles is with some fresh pasta, but you can cook truffles with a variety of main course recipes for a decadent and indulgent meal. Restaurants will often toss some white truffles into vegetarian meals to add depth and aroma, but this fantastically rare and epicurean ingredient truly tastes delicious when paired with most foods.
For a completely different experience with truffles and pasta, check out our article on Truffle Mac & Cheese.
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