Truffle tagliolini with local chanterelles

Uploaded to Flickr by Seattle Bon Vivant on 29 Sep '06

Last Thursday my friend Su and I wanted to get together for dinner and perhaps a movie but did not feel like going to a restaurant (we had a gorgeous dinner at La Medusa just the day before after the market). nor cooking anything that was too complicated or too heavy.

Rather, we felt like a simple meal, preferably a one dish supper. Something we could serve in a bowl. The evening did not feel like soup so I though perhaps roasted chicken with veggies or..what about noodles?

Me: Great! I have the chanterelles I got at the market yesterday.
Su: And I have truffle pasta and cheese!
Me: Excellent! There's fresh garlic in the fridge and plenty of wine.

Minutes later (the joys of having a fellow gourmand friend that lives only a block away) Su was at the door with her basket. She showed me the beautiful  Tagliolini with Truffle from Antico Pastifico Toscano Morelli she had picked up at O&Co (at Pacific Place).

As I sautéed 1/2 pound of chopped chanterelles (local, Foraged & Found Edibles) with two cloves of minced, garlic, freshly ground red pepper flakes (Cape Herb Chili Bite), Normandy butter, a bit of O&Co olive oil and fleur de sel, we had the pasta boil for 7 minutes, which we timed using the microwave (you don't want to overcook pasta this pretty).

When the pasta (made with wheat germ so it is also good for you) was ready we tossed it with the mushrooms and butter/olieve oil drippings. Meanwhile Su grated (with a Microplane zester) a mile high pile--airy, light and fluffy--of the sharp and salty Pecorino Romano she had brought along.

In less than 20 minutes dinner was served.

The aromatic, truffly pasta paired with the locally sourced chanterelles made this a dish that albeit its simplicity of steps and ingredients was utterly delicious and elegant enough to serve to guests. It is also a perfect way to put to good use all the beautoful mushrooms that can be found right now at local farmers markets.

The fact that on an improvised, last minute dish like this one, all we are doing is basically sautéeing, boiling, grating and tossing is proof that any one can make a beautiful meal at home in a short time, without too many steps, as long as you have a few basics in the pantry to put together in a snap.

And if you are lucky enough to have a great friend to help around the kitchen, even better!

Comments

[lisa]

OMG! I didn't read your follow-up until now but was in Seattle on vacation the last week of August so went in to get my Morelli Pasta. They had samples and a sale on fig balsamic and basil olive oil. I bought the set and only wish I bought a larger sie. That fig balsamic is most amazing. Your have great taste. Sorry I didn't try your other recommendations...

[lisa]

I have spent the last hour surfing around trying to remember where I bought this absolutely awesome Morelli Pasta with Truffle. Thank you, thank you, thank you! As soon as I clicked on the link, I remember that I DID get it in Seattle at O & Co. You rock.

Lisa: The manager of O&Co is a doll. If they are out of it she will order it for you.

And while you are at it, you gotta taste their Tomato Jam, Basil Oil, Fig Balsamic and Tortas de Aceite de Oliva. Yum! :) V

[seadevi]

I picked up some chanterelles at the capitol hill market yesterday and tried the recipe above with a couple of modifications. We used off the shelf whole wheat pasta and added some Trader Joe's truffle oil. Though I like many of TJ's products, the truffle oil was a great disappointment~tasted like olive oil with no hint of truffles. Do you have a recommendatio for good truffle oil?

Hi! So nice that you tried a modified version of the recipe. That's what it is all about! Ok, for truffle oil (I prefer white) I usually buy the Casale Bartorini from La Buona Tavola at the Market, Da Rosario from DeLaurenti but my favorite (for both price, availability and convenience of finding it in my neighborhood is the one from O&Co at Pacific Place. :-) V

[Jeff]

My wife picked up some white truffle oil from O&Co...I'm afraid to waste it :)

Hey Jeff! What good purchasing beautiful ingredients to cook with if you are afraid to use it? You do not need a lot... a little truffle oil (white is my favorite too) on an omelette, scrambled eggs, popcorn, simple pasta (olive oil, cheese, mushrooms) and you have a lovely meals with a hint of truffle. Try it.
:-) V

[nazilam]

Hey Viv, Very Similar to our dinner last night of "sicilian pasta" with sauteed chanterelles from "wild things" - donna out of darrington at the U. District Market. We sauteed with some shallots, unsalted butter, parmesan, a bit of half and half and topped with home grown parsely.

Yum.

After a few weeks of road food and an overabundance of green chile, it was nice to eat local.

I hope for more rain and more mushrooms soon!