Oregon Truffles?!

That's right, wild Oregon truffles. And you (and I) thought truffles came from France and Italy (and occasionally from Croatia and China). I recently read about the existence of Oregon truffles, and didn't quite know what to think. Then a few weeks later, in Berkeley, I happened upon a sign in Berkeley Bowl (a grocery store with the most incredible fungi selection!) offering Oregon truffles. 

Oregon mushrooms on offer

I needed a Christmas present for someone (my mother!) with a very strong affinity for truffles. So I decided to splurge and get her some tasty tubers. She almost believed that I had given her a stocking full of coal! But really, who keeps coal in a jar of rice?

We prepared them very simply over pasta. And we had so many that for breakfast the next day my mom and I had some tasty scrambled eggs with truffles. (If you know you are opting for the egg dish, keep your truffles in an airtight container with the eggs.) Family consensus decided that French black truffles and white Italian truffles are more aromatic. But for a local counterpart, at a fraction of the price (Italian whites can go for upwards of $1000/lb), these domestic truffles are a very viable--and tasty--alternative.

Oregon whites mixed in with the black? Or Chinese mixed in with those from Oregon? More truffle study required!

Here are two simple ways to serve your truffles: 

Pasta with Shaved Oregon Truffles

Cook egg pappardelle according to instructions to al dente. Once cooked, mix in butter and Parmigiano Reggiano. Serve onto pasta plates. Sprinkle with fleur de sel. Shave fresh truffles over the pasta. Serve immediately. 

 

Pairing Suggestions: A nice Burgundy would be perfect. You can also try a Chateauneuf du Pape. (We drank a 2006 Siduri Truett Nolan Pinot and a 2005 Chateauneuf from Domaine de Beaurenard--both drank beautifully, and I especially liked the Beaurenard.)

 

Slow-Cooked Scrambled Eggs with Oregon Truffles
Mix eggs with a drop of table cream and set aside. Over medium heat melt butter in a saute pan. Add chopped green onions and a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute a few minutes until they start smelling cooked. Reduce the heat to very low. Add the eggs and cook very slowly, stirring constantly. As the eggs begin to thicken add the shaved truffles. Serve with toast and butter.

Indian-Style Ratatouille

I came up with this recipe after talking about India with someone at the Glenwood Springs Farmer's Market. When I went home to make dinner I felt like diverging from my traditional Mediterranean based diet. (But not too far off, as you'll see!)

Ingredients
1 Onion (small), diced
1 Zucchini (large), cut into bite size pieces
1 Eggplant (small), peeled and cut into bite size pieces
Tomatoes, rough cut
Garlic, crushed
1 Cinnamon stick, whole
Turmeric
Curry powder
Olive oil
Cayenne pepper

Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet. Add cayenne pepper and cinnamon stick. Add diced onion and saute until soft. Add Eggplant and Zucchini and a bit more olive oil. Saute. Add turmeric and curry powder. Stir well. Add garlic and any other desired herbs. Add cut up tomatoes and continue to cook. Serve with rice and chutney.

Wine suggestions: What else but a riesling! (From the Mosel of course)

Ratatouille

Yum! Before summer runs out of steam, as it is quickly doing here in the Rockies, I have to profer up a directive for ratatouille. It is the simplest of dishes to prepare, and the most rewarding to freeze and rediscover in the heart of February.

Ingredients
1 Zucchini, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks
1 Eggplant, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks
1 Onion, diced
Alot of Tomatoes, cored and rough cut (maybe 10 or so, depending on size)
Olive Oil
A fair amount of Garlic, crushed
Fresh herbs of choice (I use basil, parsley and tarragon), cut
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Bay leaves

Heat olive oil in a pot (I use cast iron dutch oven). Add onion and salt. Saute until soft, slightly golden. Cut and add eggplant and a bit more oil, continue to saute until soft. Cut and add zucchini. Stir. Cut and add tomatoes. Add crushed garlic, bay leaves and herbs. Simmer covered until cooked (at least one hour). Add more garlic and herbs, salt and pepper as desired.

This recipe is great when finished but even better the next day when all of the flavors have come together. Traditionally you would also add red and green bell peppers to this recipe. I peel the vegetables because I almost always make extra to freeze some and the texture works better if the veggies are peeled. If you have no intention of freezing any you need not peel the zucchini and eggplant. But why wouldn't you save some of this for those drab tomato-less days of winter?!

Wine Suggestions: Great with a rose from Provence or other Rhone varietal white (Roussane, Viognier...). Can also work well with a hearty, earthy red such as Gigondas or Vacqueyras

Clams with Fettuccine

This is a great, simple recipe in which the finished dish appears to have involved a bit more work than was actually required. Enjoy!

Ingredients
Clams
3 Shallots sliced
3 Cloves garlic roughly chopped
1 pint Cream
1/4 cup Parsley finely chopped
Fettuccine
2 Tbs. Olive oil
1 Tbs. Butter
2 Tbs. Flour

Put on a large pot of water to boil.

In the meantime, heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-low heat, add about two tablespoons of olive oil and shallots and garlic, saute (making sure they do not burn) for about two minutes, add butter and mix. Add flour and stir until thickens. Add parsley and half of the cream; mix thoroughly. Add rest of cream and mix. Add clams and coat with mixture. Cook until the clams open and release their juice. Taste and add salt and pepper. Turn down heat enough to keep clams warm.

When water boils add salt and pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and add to clam sauce.

Wine Suggestions
I had this with a good cold Sake and it was perfect! You can also enjoy with a rosé or a French or New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.