Tajarin ai Tartufi Bianchi
RICH EGG TAJARIN (TAGLIOLINI) WITH SHAVED WHITE TRUFFLES
Sara speaking: Years ago, when I was still a photographer and before I became a chef, I was sent to photograph the food at La Contea di Neive, a classic restaurant in the Langhe, one of the prominent wine-growing districts of Piemonte in northwestern Italy. It was October, already dark and foggy. Claudia, the chef/proprietor, met me at the little local train station. As I got into the car, the smell of the white truffles she had just picked up enveloped me. Seeing my nose twitch, she immediately suggested that I have some pasta and truffles when I got to the restaurant. I protested faintly that I would be fine eating something simpler. “What could be more simple than pasta and truffles?” She laughed, and I protested no more.
Whenever I am lucky enough to have a white truffle, this traditional Piemontese way to serve them is still my favorite. The pasta dough is interesting and rich; using no water and only the liquid of the egg yolk with soft white 00 flour results in a springy, not very sticky dough that works well for the finest cutter on the pasta roller. The fresh tajarin (tagliolini in Italian) cook in seconds. Dressed with abundant melted butter, they come to the table and the white truffle is shaved tableside over the pasta in front of you. The aroma of white truffle, rising from the warm pasta in its buttery sauce, is, as Italians say, indimenticabile. You should eat it immediately. And in seconds.
If you can get Italian 00 flour (called doppio zero, or double zero), it is ideal for this pasta. King Arthur Flour makes an Italian-style flour that is very similar, and Antimo Caputo’s 00 flour is available on www.amazon.com. Otherwise, regular unbleached all-purpose flour may be substituted—but if you’re going to all the trouble of getting a tartufo bianco, you might as well go an extra mile for the best flour too.
Once you’ve acquired a white truffle, usually at considerable expense, take good care of it. Wrap it loosely in paper towels and tuck it in a plastic or glass refrigerator container until you’re ready to use it—which should be as soon as possible. Do not clean the truffle until you’re ready to use it. The best cleaning should be as gentle as possible, using the kind of soft brush you use for cleaning mushrooms. (Note: Don’t buy any truffles that are impacted with mud—you will be paying for the weight of the dirt, rather than the truffle itself.) Never rinse the truffle under running water. If necessary, dampen a bit of paper towel or a dishcloth and use that to get away stubborn bits of dirt. The point of a paring knife can also be used.
Note that this recipe makes 4 generous servings.
1¾ cups flour (see headnote), plus a little more for the board
Sea salt
14 to 16 egg yolks (a little more than 1 cup)
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter (best quality you can buy)
1 fresh white truffle (50 to 60 grams; about 2 ounces)
This is one case where the pasta dough is easier to make, with better results, in the food processor than by hand. Place the flour and a pinch of salt in the bowl of the processor. Turn the machine on and, with the blade running, slowly pour in the egg yolks. Let the machine continue running until everything is well amalgamated.
Remove the dough from the food processor. Transfer to a very lightly floured board (just a shadow of flour to keep the pasta dough from sticking). Knead the pasta dough for a few minutes until you can feel it come together in a nice, supple ball, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and set aside to rest for at least 15 minutes. (You may also leave the wrapped dough resting for up to 3 hours, or even overnight refrigerated; if you refrigerate the dough, let it come back to room temperature before you continue.)
Break the dough into 7 or 8 even pieces. Working with one piece at a time and keeping the others covered with a cloth, roll the pasta out on a pasta machine, diminishing the openings until you reach number 5 on the small Atlas home pasta roller. Put the sheet through the tagliolini cutter. Dust with a little flour and curl the tagliolini into nests. Set each nest aside to dry for at least 30 minutes, but no more than 3 hours.
When you’re ready to cook the pasta, bring a large pot of abundantly salted water to a rolling boil.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan and keep warm while you cook the pasta.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and give a gentle stir with a long-handled spoon. (Fresh egg pasta like this is a bit more fragile than pasta secca from a box.) The noodles are cooked when they float to the top—in 2 or 3 minutes.
Add half the butter to a warm serving bowl and roll it around to coat the sides. Scoop the noodles out with a sieve as they float to the top and transfer to the bowl. Add the remaining melted butter and toss; using a truffle cutter or a Japanese mandoline set to the thinnest setting, shave the white truffle over the top in very fine, scattered slices. Serve and eat immediately.