This is blog post on making pasta with black summer truffle. Over the summer, I have spent some time in Italy. Also called as Tartufo Nero estivo. This is found a fascination of black summer truffles. I have tasted in the past in restaurants around Barolo. It has got an acquired taste to it. My 6-year-old hates the taste of it. It has got lovelly woody taste to it. Black truffle lifts up the flavors of a bland cheese, pasta and egg. Just gives those lovely umami taste to a decidedly bland dish.
Black summer truffle how to get hold
It cost a lot less than white truffles for one. So cost wasn’t an issue to start with. However, to buy fresh black summer truffles the journey wasn’t as easy I found. It’s August and I want some not white ones. Lots of offering online, none in my local delis in the Liguria region. Then I decide to head up to the Piemonte region and finally it in a counter of a rather fine food deli in Mondovi. I am sure there is other much more known towns in Piemonte that sell summer black truffle but I just didn’t to a touristy one. Anyway, I am so glad I bought the black truffle as it was fresh and amazing. an experience that I would mind going back there and buy again.
It is from a shop in the square just off the main Saturday market. I will post an update of any other places I come to. To be honest I wasn’t sure how much to buy I ask for 100 grams in which the latter I found lasted me ages. It cost me about 45 euros as it wasn’t quite near 100 grams. The truffles are sold by the whole size and they don’t cut it down.
Italy is not my permanent home so I had to buy more than what I need. Yes black summer truffle is also available in the UK but I have to find a shops that sells it a reasonable price as well. Yes sure this is London one can get anything but only you have the cash as well.
How to store
A look on the internet eats it immediately fresh as soon as you can. Otherwise, it will keep in the fridge. Don’t store in the freezer as the flavor will dramatically disappear. Yes, I had it fresh and also store in the fridge. It is a funghi the flavour will deteriorate over time. Anyway, I bought it back with me to the UK stored in a portable fridge all the way. Left it in fridge after 2 weeks the sie of the truflle has shrunk/ dried out. I then decided to heat some good olive oil in low temperature and add the final of these black truffle. The low temperature is to kill some germs hopefully it prolongs the shelf life. I then store in a container in the fridge it lasted for a few more weeks. Yes I am preserving it in olive oil but I am not making black summer truffle oil and keeping it at room temperature. That is a different thing altogether. Some use butter instead of olive oil and that I reckon will work as well..
Thank you for dropping by. I will post some recipes using black summer truffle. Do have a look at my other Italian recipes like how to make pesto and bolognese sauce.
I have an unsealed glass jar of Tartufi Estivi dated 20 Set, 2003 by Tentazioni Co, of Italy. I would like to know if it is still good to use, the jar is sealed tight and never opened. Can you advise if it’s O.K. to use or just through it out?
It’s twenty years old. In my opinion, I would just open it and see. If it’s bad throw it out.