Instructions
Knead the flour with a pinch of salt and about 200 ml warm water into a firm dough; rest 30 minutes.
40 minRoll to 2 mm and cut into long ribbons just narrower than tagliatelle. Dust with flour and nest loosely.
20 minGrate or finely chop three quarters of the truffle; slice the rest into shavings for the top.
6 minWarm the oil with the crushed garlic over the lowest heat until the clove turns ivory and the kitchen smells expensive; remove the garlic.
6 minOff the heat, stir the grated truffle into the oil with a small pinch of salt. It must scent, not fry.
2 minBoil the strangozzi in well-salted water until al dente with a wheaty chew, 4 to 5 minutes.
5 minDrag the pasta into the pan with a ladle of cooking water and toss off the heat until a glossy truffle emulsion clings to every ribbon.
2 minPlate, crown with the reserved shavings, and serve before the perfume gets away.
Chef's Tips
- Buy weight, not bottles: Truffle oil from a shelf is perfume from a lab. Forty grams of real winter truffle beats any bottle, and this dish is exactly where to spend it.
- Warm, never cook: If the oil ever sizzles after the truffle goes in, the dish has already lost half its voice. Keep it at hand-warmth.
- Out of season, the same pasta carries a sauce of mushrooms and a spoonful of preserved truffle paste honorably; call it what it is and enjoy it.
