Nutty Truffled Pasta
The key ingredient in this recipe is the quality and powerful olive oil from OEL Berlin. It carries through the risotto and the breadcrumb crunch, really tying the dish together. Using good quality olive oil is essential in most Italian recipes as it holds so much flavour, setting an already sensual base before adding any other ingredients.
I have been a big supporter and fan of OEL and their products since day 1 (over 3 years ago). Their reliability, philosophy and quality is truly remarkable and is something that can be preached but only really understood when experienced for oneself.
Their products are farmed from produce in Greece where they own and run a family olive tree orchid. All products are made on site. They are never frozen or cooled to be transported - this ensure premium flavour and maximum quality. This is then carried over into anything and everything is touches (ie. you make).
Shop their collection here - OEL Berlin - or go directly to the olive oil used in this recipe here.
Nutty Truffled Pasta
Ingredients
3 tbsp OEL olive oil
2 tbsp butter
6-8 sheets of lasagne or fat pappardelle
1 shallot, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, diced
1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup swiss brown mushrooms, peeled and roughly broken + stems finely chopped
25 grams Truffle
50 grams parmesan, grated
Salt and pepper
Method
Boil the pasta according to the instructions on the back of the packet. Drain, coat in a drizzle of OEL olive oil and set aside.
Place the porcini mushrooms in a bowl. Pour the boiling water over the porcini mushrooms and leave to sit for at least 5 minutes. Once they have seeped, remove the porcini mushrooms from the liquid but do not throw this out. Cut the mushrooms up finely.
In a skillet pan, heat the OEL olive oil with the butter. Add the shallot, cooking for 1 minute before adding the garlic. Once the garlic is fragrant, add the porcini mushrooms and the Swiss brown. Stir well, allowing the mushrooms to be coated in the butter, oil goodness. Pour the porcini stock into the skillet and simmer for 5-7 minutes or until the mushrooms have wilted down. Season with salt and pepper.
Finely chop roughy 1 tablespoon of truffle and add it to skillet - this helps to have an all round truffle flavour rather than it being just a side note. Do not cook for more than 3-4 minutes after adding the truffle. Add the Parmesan, stirring to incorporate and turn off the heat.
Serve in a beautiful pasta bowl with the remaining truffle shaved on top and extra grated parmesan.
Note; When shaving truffles, you need a proper truffle shaver. Buy this on Amazon or your local Italian deli. Please do not use a potato or carrot peeler - it will ruin the clean, sharp lines needed for perfect thin truffle shaves.
