Truffle pasta

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 250 g egg noodles (e.g. tagliatellini)
• 25 g truffles, fresh (black summer/autumn truffle)
• 100 g truffle butter, alternatively regular butter and a good dash of truffle oil
• 5 tbsp Parmesan, freshly grated
• 1 shot of olive oil, good quality
• salt and pepper
• Parsley or basil

Instructions

Working time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 25 minutes

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Preheat two large pasta dishes. Melt the truffle butter in a large, deep frying pan over low heat. When the butter has melted, stir in 2-3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. If the Parmesan cheese doesn’t melt right away, increase the heat slightly (max. heat 3 out of 9). It’s important to stir vigorously immediately and not to let the heat get too high so the cheese doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Then finely grate about half of the fresh truffles with a cheese grater, stir into the sauce, and let it simmer for a while over low heat. Now add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Just before draining the pasta, add a large ladleful of the pasta water to the sauce and stir to combine. (I also set aside a cup of pasta water as a reserve in case the pasta needs more liquid later.) Drain the pasta, add it to the sauce in the pan, mix well, and drizzle with a drizzle of olive oil. Season carefully with pepper and a little salt if needed. Divide the pasta among the warmed plates, finely grate the remaining fresh truffle over the top, garnish with a leaf of parsley or basil if using, and serve. Place the remaining Parmesan cheese in a small bowl on the table for seasoning. A well-chilled Gavi di Gavi or Lugana wine pairs perfectly with this dish.