This rotten dish showcases the famous black truffle

(CNN) – In the Umbria region of Italy, most people enjoy their meat. Pork and wild boar are the main – and sometimes the only – dishes on the Umbrian delicacy menu. But pork is not the only specialty in the area.

Umbria is one of Italy’s main producers of the highly sought-after black truffle, an aromatic earthy fungus famous throughout the world. The traditional method of truffle hunting with dogs and a lot of digging in the mountainous terrain can be difficult to maintain.

The Essence of the Woods Pasta – also known as Assoluto di Bosco – was introduced to Stanley Tucci when he visited the family farm while exploring Umbria in “Stanley Tucci: The Search for Italy”. The dish combines the delicious flavors of beetroot, porcini mushrooms, and black garlic to create a mouthwatering pasta sauce that complements but doesn’t overpower the star of the show — lots of truffles.

“A fitting conclusion,” Tucci concluded, “a celebration of Carlo, Alice, the future of truffles, and perhaps the future of Umbrian cuisine.”

Assoluto de Bosco

(Essence of the Woods Pasta with porcini and truffle)

Makes 4 servings

You can buy black garlic in specialized stores or online. Alternatively, make your own by placing a whole fresh garlic bulb in a slow saucepan over a warm (not low) heat for 2 to 3 weeks. It has a milder and sweeter taste compared to raw garlic. Store the remaining garlic cloves in an airtight container.

The precious black truffle from the Umbrian town of Norcia can be found online and in some Italian specialty stores.

Ingredients

mushroom broth

2 cups | 500 g dried porcini mushrooms

1 cup | 300 gm fresh porcini stalks

¾ cup | 200gm fresh black truffles from Norcia

beet mousse

3 1/2 tablespoons | 50gm unsalted butter

2 leeks, minced

4 red beets, peeled and sliced

¼ cup | 60 grams of white wine vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Black garlic breadcrumbs

2 black garlic cloves

3 1/2 tablespoons | 50 milliliters of extra-virgin olive oil plus more for frying if needed

2 3/4 cups | 300 gm bread crumbs

Splash of white wine vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

pasta sauce

1 ¼ pound | 600 grams of spaghetti

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon | 70g extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon | 5 grams of salt plus more for frying

¼ cup | 30 grams fresh Norcia black truffles, chopped, plus 1 cup (70 grams) for freshly grated shavings

100g fresh porcini mushrooms, cut into 1/2-inch (½-centimeter) pieces

3 1/2 tablespoons | 50gm unsalted butter

3.4 oz | 100 milliliters of white wine to soften the sauce

Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish

equipment

immersion mixer

1. Make mushroom broth: Pour 4 cups (1 liter) of water into a saucepan and add the dried and fresh mushrooms. Add fresh truffle. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for an hour. Remove from fire and filter.

2. Make the beetroot mousse: Melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the shallots over low heat. Add the beets and desulfurize the pan with white wine vinegar to allow the caramelized leeks to seep from the bottom. Season with salt and pepper and blend the beets with an immersion blender until creamy.

3. Make the Black Garlic Bread Crumbs: In a separate skillet over low heat, saute black garlic with 3 1/2 tablespoons (50 ml) oil. Add the breadcrumbs and fry, stirring constantly, adding more oil if not wet to avoid burning for 10 minutes. Once the breadcrumbs are toasted, remove from the heat. Then add a little vinegar, salt and pepper.

4. Pasta cooking and dressing: Boil a large pot of salted water. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup (30 grams) of truffles with the oil, garlic, and 1 teaspoon (5 grams) of salt. Clean the porcini mushrooms and cut them into 1-inch (½-cm) slices.

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat until golden and saute porcini mushrooms until brown and soft, about 4 minutes. After that, it is seasoned with salt and diluted with wine. Let the alcohol evaporate before adding the broth. Add ½ cup (30 grams) of the truffle oil mixture and let the liquid in the pan reduce by one-third. You will need the remaining liquid to finish cooking the pasta.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to instructions on package, making sure to drain pasta 2 minutes before necessary time. Stir pasta in a skillet with sautéed mushrooms over medium-low heat and finish cooking with a few scoops of mushroom broth.

5. Meal plate: Divide beet mousse among 4 deep plates by arranging 3 tablespoons of beet mousse in the bottom of each. First put the pasta on top, then the mushrooms from the pan. Finish with a dose of black garlic breadcrumbs. Divide ½ cup (70 grams) of freshly grated truffle shavings among the four bowls and garnish with chopped parsley.