Classic White Truffle Pasta

Ingredients

Copyright 2001 Lynne Rossetto Kasper

Serves 4 to 6

This is the simplest of pastas, all you need is prime ingredients. If making your own pasta isn't possible, seek out one of two premium dried pastas (most mass-produced fresh pastas are disappointing). One brand is Spinosi, the other is Cipriani. Use good butter with flavor and fragrance and a Parmigiano-Reggiano that tastes creamy and complex.

When cleaning the truffle, do not wet it. Merely brush it with a soft brush to remove any dirt. Shave or cut paper thin. Store any leftover truffle wrapped in a paper towel then placed in a sealed plastic container. Keep in the refrigerator and use within a week.

• 1 pound homemade fresh egg pasta, or one of the premium brands of dried pasta mentioned above

• 6 quarts boiling salted water

• 6 to 8 tablespoons unsalted butter

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

• 1 fresh truffle

1. Warm 4 to 6 soup dishes in a 200 degree oven. Drop the pasta in the boiling water and cook at a boil until barely tender to the bite. Drain in a colander and return to the pasta pot.

2. Toss with the butter, salt and pepper to taste, and the cheese. Use tongs to pile the pasta in individual heated soup dishes.

3. At the table shave a generous amount of the truffle over each serving.

Instructions