Oh Truffle! Glorious Glorious Truffle!
Yup. That ugly thing to the right? That's it.
Just the mere mention of anything "truffled" at a cocktail party will send polished guests into a frenzy -- a joyful, excitable frenzy.
This small, dark, warty, and rather hideous fungus that can only be harvested by pigs -- YES PIGS -- is one of the most sought after, expensive, and exotic ingredients in the world. And now, more than ever, it is finding itself into dishes that you would never expect itself to burrow. And boy oh boy -- are we ever grateful.
First a little truffle schooling.
Yes, it is a mushroom and is therefore a fungus.
The truffle is harvested with the aid of a handy dandy female pig. Thanks pig.
The odor of the truffle is similar to that of the male swine sex attractant. That's right. So, to a female pig, a truffle smells like her boyfriend looking for some action.
Whatever it takes I suppose.
So, she smells the attractive scent and begins her truffle hunt. Unfortunately, considering pigs have a natural tendency to eat anything and everything that is remotely edible, one must keep a very watchful eye on their talented squirmy friends.
The two most "famous" of these funghi are
1)The WHITE TRUFFLE (most famously harvested in Alba -- a town in Northern Italy). They are sold for approximately $6000/lb. Yes indeed. Holy Moly.
2)The BLACK TRUFFLE is found mostly in France and retails at about $2500/lb. A real bargain.
Fortunately for us, the tiniest wee morsel of a truffle goes a LONG way. You can buy as tiny a truffle as you can find ($40-$50) or buy more affordable items such as truffle oil and truffled cheese.
Feel like showing off to your sophisticated friends? Hit them up with this baby...
TRUFFLE MAC & CHEESE
Ingredients
1 lb. short pasta like orecchiette, cavatappi, gemelli, ziti
1 qt milk
2 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. all purpose flour
1 tbsp. truffle oil
1/2 cup diced pancetta
1 cup frozen or fresh english peas
1 cup japanese bread crumbs
1 cup shredded truffle cheese
1/2 cup shredded fontina or asiago cheese
1/2 cup shredded fresh or shredded mozzarella cheese
-Cook pasta as directed and set aside.
-Cook pancetta in medium sized saucepan until the fat has been rendered. Remove and drain on paper towels.
-Add the butter & truffle oil in sauce pan over medium heat
-Once butter is melted add the flour and stir frequently for about 3 minutes (to cook out the raw flour)
-Add milk one cup at a time while whisking to incorporate it into the roux.
-Once all the milk has been added, add the shredded cheeses a little at a time until it is a thick smooth liquid.
-Season to taste
*If you dip a spoon into the liquid, take it out and turn it sideways you should be able to draw a line through it with your finger without the liquid dripping into the line. You have now created a bechamel.
-Put the pasta, peas, & pancetta in a large mixing bowl.
-Add half the bechamel and mix thoroughly. The pasta should be well coated. Add more as needed to coat all the pasta.
-Pour the mixture into a baking dish and spread it evenly.
-Pour the rest of bechamel over it, top with the bread crumbs and bake until it is hot in the center.
Taste. And weep with joy.
Mexicue
