Oh truffles, how I love you so. It’s officially truffle season and I make my way down to Pyrmont Grower’s Market to visit the Lowes Mount truffle stand. As truffles are ready for harvest during winter, they showcase their products at the markets in July and August. Truffles is the fruiting body of the fungus Tuber melanosporum and have a symbiotic relationship with roots of tree species such as hazelnut and oak. Truffles are found from just below the soil surface to a depth of 20cm with specially trained dogs and pigs. The type of truffles Lowes Mount grows is the black Perigord truffle which grows exclusively in oak trees and named after the Perigord region in France.
Gold nuggets
Range of Lowes Mount Truffle products
I walked away with a piece of truffle and a jar of truffled honey, already knowing what dish I was going to cook with my new prize.
I’ve never been to Buon Ricordo but have heard of his signature dish: fettuccine al tartufovo (fettuccine with cream sauce and lightly-fried, truffle-infused egg). I watched Armando Percuoco cook his dish at his farm on an episode from Neil Perry’s Lifestyle channel show: Fresh and Fast. I wasn’t sure what it should taste like but I thought I would give it a go. As fresh truffle needs to be stored in a cool place, wrapped in an absorbent towel, I placed my truffle in a jar along with two eggs overnight so the eggs will be infused in the flavour. You could make fresh pasta to accompany the dish but I followed Armando’s footsteps on the show and used dried fettuccine to save time. This dish can be put together in less than 30 minutes and is a winner if you are trying to impress a special someone.
Hello Precious!
Fettuccine al tartufovo - a piece of shaved truffle for an extra special touch
A piece of shaved truffle for the extra special touch
Mixed at the table - just like the restaurant
I couldn’t believe how rich and decadent this dish was. Warning this dish is not for the faint hearted or the calorie counters. I don’t know how people could eat this dish as an entree and proceed to eat a main. We shared a main portion between the two of us and even then I struggled. This dish has few ingredients and the truffled egg brought the whole dish together with its earthy flavour.
Recipe:
250g fettuccini
125g butter, chopped
200ml pouring cream
1 cup finely grated parmesan
2 truffled eggs
extra parmesan, to serve
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add pasta, stir well to ensure it does not stick.
2. Meanwhile, heat butter and cream in a large frying pan until butter melts. Simmer gently until slightly reduced. Add parmesan and stir to combine. Season to taste.
3. In a separate small frying pan; gently fry eggs until just cooked.
4. Drain pasta; tip into cream mixture. Divide pasta between serving plates; top each serving with an egg. Chop egg through pasta and toss to combine.
Tip: if you are unable to get truffled eggs; drizzle the finished dish with a little truffle oil.
