Easy Black Truffle Pasta Recipe

This simple black truffle pasta recipe will make you fully appreciate the earthy taste of the famous black truffle - effectively a wild mushroom. Fresh tagliatelle, butter and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano is all you need to make the most of its oaky, nutty and world celebrated flavor.

Jump to:

• What is a truffle
• How to clean a truffle
• Making the pasta
• Top tips
• Other recipes with truffles
• Alternative to fresh truffle
• More recipes with wild mushrooms
• Recipes you might also like
• 📋Easy Black Truffle Pasta Recipe

What is a truffle

Truffles are wild mushrooms that grow underground, their taste is very special and either you love it or hate it...personally, I LOVE IT!

They have a hearty nutty taste which can be more or less intense depending on the variety.

There are 4 main types of truffles:

1. Black truffle which is found from September to April. It is black and wrinkled on the outside and blackish purple inside with a characteristic white grain. The most valuable types are found in Perigord in France, Norcia and Spoleto in Italy
2. Truffle Aestivum, a less valuable black truffle can be found from June till September. Similar to the other black truffle on the outside, but can be distinguished once open as the inside is light brown. This is the truffle I have used in this recipe.
3. Bianchetto or Mazzola is a white truffle found from January to March. It can be confused with the white truffle, but its flavour is not as refined and not as valuable. It has a slightly garlicky taste. The colour is very similar to the white truffle but becomes darker when matured.
4. White truffle or Alba truffle - this is the most refined and expensive truffle. Its price is the same as gold. White truffles from Alba cost between $ 5000 and $ 10 000 per pound depending on their availability. Found from August until January they are small and have a silky white yellowish skin and a very distinctive aromatic flavour.

How to clean a truffle

1. To clean the truffle immerse it into a bowl of lukewarm water and brush off the dirt with a vegetable brush
2. Change the water and rewash a second time until all the dirt is gone

Making the pasta

The best pasta to use for truffle are fresh tagliatelle. You can either buy them or make them at home: Homemade Italian pasta recipe: Tagliatelle

1. Once cleaned, shred the truffle into thin slices
2. Melt the butter in a frying pan at a medium/low temperature
3. Add the shredded truffle and let it simmer for a few minutes
4. Now you can add the white wine if you wish, this is optional
5. In the meantime boil the pasta and when it is ready add it to the frying pan
6. You can also add 1 tablespoon of the pasta water
7. Stir well until the pasta is well seasoned with the truffle and the butter
8. Transfer into a serving dish and add the freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Hint: To cook pasta to perfection you can read the article: How To Cook Pasta Like An Italian

Top tips

• Use the truffle as soon as possible as their flavour diminishes with time once they are picked from underground
• Use a good quality butter
• Pasta should be fresh tagliatelle. Either make it yourself or buy it fresh from a shop
• Use only the original Parmigiano Reggiano and grate it freshly over the finished dish.

Why are truffles so expensive?

Truffles are expensive because they cannot be cultivated. Many techniques have been tried and tested, but have always given poor results.

Truffles, therefore, can only be found in the wild and because they grow under the ground they are very difficult to find.  Searching for truffles is a very specialized skill and requires extensive training and is a considerable investment.

There are some special dog breeds with an acute sense of smell that are trained to sniff and detect truffles from a distance. Only expert truffle hunters succeed in their quest to find them.

Other recipes with truffles

Because you want to preserve and enhance their flavour, truffles should be served with ingredients that will not overpower their taste. Their best companions are:

• Parmigiano Reggiano cheese or any other mild flavoured cheese like Taleggio or Brie
• Butter
• Eggs
• Pasta
• Potatoes
• Gnocchi
• Rice

You can store your truffle in rice, salt or oil and they will release their flavour into whatever they are stored in. However, do not store in this way for more than a few days as they will lose their flavour.

Usually, I cook truffle at low/medium heat with butter to release their flavour, I also add some freshly shredded raw truffle over the final dish.

Alternative to fresh truffle

Although, you don't have to spend a fortune to buy the white truffles. There are so many other alternatives as for example the less expensive and still delicious black truffles.

You can also find truffle oil, truffle-infused salt, butter or cream mix. However, there are a lot of synthetic truffles flavours which are not at the level of real truffles.

It is therefore very important to read the labels and buy only a proper brand. I personally like the Valnerina tartufi , and I want to specify that I have not been sponsored nor offered products to mention their brand.

It is a small producer based in Umbria, an Italian region renowned for their truffles. Their jars can go from € 12 to € 29 depending on the mix you choose.

Wherever you live, you might find different brands of truffle creams, and I would recommend to buy a small jar and try it. I have been disappointed many times, so don't take it for granted.

And if you have a brand you tried and liked, please leave a comment below so we can all share our knowledge and experience.

If you want to see how I use the truffle cream, look up the recipe: A Special Gnocchi Sauce

More recipes with wild mushrooms

• Baked Frittata with Wild Mushrooms
• Truffle Gnocchi Sauce
• Easy Chanterelle Recipe With Potato

Recipes you might also like

If you are looking for more pasta with vegetable recipes, you can check the category: Pasta

Also check the recipes below:

• Baked Tortellini Souffle
• Red Pesto Pasta Sauce
• The Classic Pesto Recipe Pasta Trofie
• Pasta Caprese Salad
• Zucchini Recipe Pasta And Ricotta
• Pasta a Frittata: Italian Fried Pasta
• Simple Tomato Sauce Recipe

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