How To Make The Perfect Truffle Pasta Using Black Summer Truffles: Tips & Tricks

Introduction

Truffles are a world delicacy that is admired by chefs, foodies, and culinary specialists. This incredible treasure is hard to be found, it is not available throughout the whole year and has a specific unforgettable earthy aroma that is hard to describe but you can’t forget.

There are truffle experts that get truffles from the truffle hunters, who find the truffles with trained dogs or pigs in the forests. The experts then select the best pieces, wash them, store them, and prepare them so you will receive the best possible quality batches to make your truffle pasta. 

Understanding Truffles

It is not just the size. It’s important to know that truffles have maturity and during the season the aroma is changing. At the beginning the aroma is very light with some sweet notes of caramel or sweet corn and the truffles are white inside but very tender on the outside. The peak of ripeness is in the middle of the season of harvesting.

The truffles have a more intense aroma with nutty flavor and they get more brownish inside and not so delicate on the outside. When it’s almost the end of the season the truffles become drier with less “life” in them. The aroma is still nutty, but lighter. Anyway, doesn’t matter what time of the summer the black truffle (tuber aestivum vitt) is always an incredible addition to any dish.

Benefits of Truffles

In this article, we will explain to you how to make the perfect truffle pasta. Adding these gems they will change the whole conception of pasta. It will get a whole new flavor and experience. I can’t forget the first time I’ve tried truffles. It was on pasta, yes. It was so delicious and addictive that I couldn’t stop eating. It leaves you with an amazing feeling of satisfaction. 

We should notice that truffles also have some good benefits for you. They contain a lot of vitamins such as vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, and iron. They are high in antioxidants, cholesterol-free, reduce inflammation, and are low in fat. They are also bio ingredients which nowadays are very valued and wanted quality of a product. It’s all ‘natural and green’.

No matter if you’re an experienced cook or you will make pasta for the first time. There is always a need for some tips and tricks that you can use in your kitchen.

For me and my family, we love pasta. It’s easy to cook, you can experiment as much as you want and I don’t know a kid who doesn’t like eating pasta. You will get some extra points on that. Also, there are more than 300 types of pasta. Isn’t that incredible?! You just need any kind of pasta, some truffles (especially for our recipe), and a little bit of imagination. It will become a masterpiece. Perfect for date night or special occasions at home. Even nowadays it’s more common having dinner at home, after all this Covid and isolation, we got used to staying at home and cooking all the time. But why don’t you try an easy recipe worth a Michelin star? 

This coated pasta with a truffle creamy sauce is amazing. You will taste the earthy and nutty aroma of the truffle and every bite will be just like heaven. It’s not only that but will be a good budget variation of an expensive restaurant dish with simple and easy-to-use ingredients.

Recipe for Creamy Truffle Pasta with Bacon/Pancetta and Fresh Truffles

So ladies and gentlemen, pour some glass of wine for a good mood and turn on your stove. We will make creamy pasta with bacon/pancetta and fresh truffles.

Servings for 2

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2-3 strips of bacon/pancetta chopped
• 1 clove garlic (optional)
• 200g fresh or dried pasta (we use spaghetti or tagliatelle)
• 100ml heavy cream
• 2-3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp black truffle oil
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• 50g/1.76oz fresh black summer truffles (tuber aestivum vitt)

1. Cook the pasta to al dente in salted boiling water according to the package.
2. While the pasta is cooking cook the chopped bacon or pancetta over medium heat in 1tbsp olive oil until it renders fat, drain it if it’s too fatty. Cook for about 5 minutes and add the garlic if it’s needed. Then add the heavy cream to get warm and remove the pan from the heat.
3. Drain the cooked pasta and reserve ½ cup of the water. 
4. Add the pasta to the sauce, add the truffle oil, salt and pepper, and the grated parmesan gently toss to coat.
5. The cooked pasta will absorb the sauce quickly then you can add the reserved water to make a silky smooth consistency.
6. Serve it hot on plates then you can add some more parmesan for decoration and slice the fresh truffles over the pasta so they can spread the aroma over the hot dish.

Tricks for Making Pasta Creamier and Truffle Sauce

1. To make the pasta creamier, you can use béchamel sauce. It is made with equal parts of butter and flour (50gr butter and 50gr flour). Once the butter is melted in a pot you can add the flour and constantly stir the ingredients. Then you can add 150-200ml of milk and continue to stir until it’s saucy. You can salt to taste and some nutmeg. The pasta becomes creamier and my husband loved it.
2. To make a truffle sauce you can use heavy cream and salsa tartufata too. When your ingredients are ready in the pan add 1-2 tbsp of black salsa tartufata and stir all the ingredients. Add your heavy cream and 2-3 tbsp of the reserved water from the pasta and mix all together. You will get a nice truffle creamy sauce which will give your pasta amazing truffle flavor.
3. Always add at the top of the dish sliced fresh truffles or truffle carpaccio. It gives the plate a more luxurious look.
4. You can use the truffle olive oil not only in the pasta. It’s perfect for dressing salads or appetizers. This way you will have a whole truffle menu for the evening.
5. Adding fresh truffles and truffle products to your dish you add a pinch of nature, amazing aroma, and some new ideas to show to your family and guests. All of us know that truffles are not that common in households so you will impress someone for sure.
6. You can add to your pasta also some fresh mushrooms such as champignon. It can get earthier. After cooking the chopped bacon or pancetta add the mushrooms and continue cooking 20-30min before adding the pasta and the heavy cream.
7. You can make this whole recipe with white truffles. Just add white truffle oil/white salsa tartufata and white fresh truffles instead. You can use either tuber magnatum pico or tuber borchii.

I hope you guys enjoyed our pasta with black truffles and managed to make it and maybe you will repeat it.

Don’t hesitate to leave your comments on how the dish turned out and share some photos with us or ask any questions.

Thank you and have great meals!