Tagliolini with White Truffles

• 1 pound Tagliolini pasta, fresh or dried
• 1/4 cup Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 ounces Butter
• 1/8 teaspoon Freshly Grated Nutmeg
• Coarse Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper to taste
• One White Truffle

Boil the pasta in a large pot with plenty of water and half the olive oil. Drain, but leave a tablespoon or two of the pasta water in the pot. This will help to bind the sauce. Add the butter and remaining olive oil, and swirl them together until they are homogenous. Add the nutmeg and toss in the pasta. Season with salt and pepper, and serve, covering each serving with generous shavings of White Truffle. This is amazingly simple and delicious.

Truffled Potatoes

We first tasted this dish in a tiny trattoria near the sea, and have remembered it for years. This casserole will please your guests. One of our dearest friends, the great cook Sandra Petrone, serves this at holidays and her family won't let her forget to make it, ever. This recipe serves 6 people generously.

• 2 pounds potatoes
• 2 cups Milk
• 1/4 pound Unsalted Butter
• 1/8 teaspoon Freshly Grated Nutmeg
• 1 small Chopped Onion
• 1 tablespoon Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 cup Heavy Cream (or more)
• 2 tablespoons Chopped Flat Leaf Parsley
• Coarse Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
• One White Truffle.

Slice the scrubbed and peeled potatoes rather thickly, and then place them with the milk and butter in a heavy saucepan with a lid. Simmer gently until just cooked through. It ought to take around 20 minutes, but do check them regularly. While the potatoes are cooking, gently sauté the onion in the olive oil. It should absorb most of the oil. You don't want the onion to brown; just cook it until translucent.

Butter a large casserole dish and add the drained potatoes and onion. Mix the cream, seasonings, and parsley and pour over the potatoes. It should just about cover them, but you can adjust the cream amount accordingly. Bake in a 325 degree oven for about 45 minutes, or until the cream is thickened and not liquid. Shave the truffle generously over the casserole before serving.

Tuscany is a truly wonderful land for truffles, and their pursuit never really stops here, but moves from one area to another. Our best truffles, however, the prized Bianco, are gathered from September to December. In the newsletter linked above, we talked about white truffles in general, and those of San Miniato in particular. This time, we travel to that strange rough landscape known as the Crete Senesi. Here lies the Castello of San Giovanni d'Asso, and if one could climb to her ancient gothic windows during the pre dawn hours of autumn, one would see a few dozen lights flickering in the distance, like strange morning fireflies.

These are the truffle hunters of San Giovanni d'Asso, out before light with their dogs and lanterns in their pursuit of the White Truffle. Most of the people out so early have jobs and schools to attend later in the day; many of them work in the factories around nearby Siena. But young and old alike are devoted to the truffle hunt, a traditional search as old as the town itself.

Today, only about three hundred people still live in San Giovanni d'Asso. Most of the former farmers left their fields in the Crete Senesi to work in the factories mentioned above. But of these three hundred, the truffle hunters number at least sixty. The tuber they seek is called the Bianco delle Crete Senesi, and one kilo can sell for as much as 2,600 Euros. The economy of this shrunken village depends upon the fortunes of the truffle hunters.

These truffle hunters are secretive, and they don't boast of their finds or tell of their hunting grounds. According to material put out by the region's ministers for scholastic agricultural education, an anonymous retiree tells us that these quiet hunters depend upon their dogs, each dog more precious to his master than the truffles they hunt.

"The truffle hound doesn't have to come from a fine breed," he tells us. "But it has to be trained from puppy hood. It is long, exhausting training. Hunger must drive the dog to rout out the truffles. If its instincts were attracted by pheasants, it would be good for nothing."

According to our regione's guide to agriculture, "Truffle-hunting calls for an essential figure, whose role is even acknowledged by Italian law: 'The search, no matter who is involved, must be conducted with the aid of a purposely trained dog, and excavation, with the appropriate tool (a small spade), must be limited to the point indicated by the dog.'

"Only thanks to the dog's sense of smell, in fact, is it possible to locate exactly the point in which to dig without disturbing the equilibrium of the forest. But which dogs are the best for truffle-hunting? There are no clear rules on this. Although there exists an Italian breed recognized as a 'truffle hound', the Lagotto Romagnolo, many people swear by mutts, insisting that they are faster and more intelligent. The ideal characteristics of a truffle hound are keen sense of smell, speed, resistance to fatigue and obedience. Fundamentally important is the dog's relationship with its master, who must be able to encourage the dog's hunting instinct, make himself obeyed and reward the dog suitably."

According to our old truffle hunter, the truffle hound "must be the kind of animal that sleeps on a straw pallet. It's nose must be like radar. You should see this truffle hound on the hunt. Its muzzle pointing to the earth, it gait nervous and excited."

"Vai, vai," urges the old man. The dog runs about anxiously, then roots like a pig among the bushes. As if it were struck by lightning, it suddenly leaps backward, then plunges nose first into a spot on the ground. "It yelps, scratches, and digs with its paws, furiously throwing up stones." The old man then gently stops the dog and moves it aside. He takes his long iron spade with its curve, and searches with great delicacy. Then, he has it: the golden truffle of the Crete Senesi. He secretly marks the spot, and carefully wipes off his treasure. He will know where to bring his dog next time.

As we have stated, San Miniato, in the province of Pisa, and San Giovanni d'Asso, in the Siena province, are Tuscany's two leading truffle producing areas. Both towns celebrate the tuber with Autumn Truffle Markets and Festivals. Because dates change each year, it is important to get in touch with the local tourist offices to ascertain the exact dates for you visit.

The town of San Miniato, famous for its Cathedral and featured in the newsletter linked at the beginning of this one, produces about one quarter of Italy's entire white truffle crop. Most truffle related activities in San Miniato are held in November, during the second, third and fourth weekends of that month. The piazzas are filled with booths and stands selling any number of truffle related products, including truffle oil and spreads, and there are also handicraft booths and demonstrations. In short, it is a typical festa, with food, fun and things to buy.

The tourism office in the Piazza del Popolo is the very best source for information on all festival activities, and they usually also offer a list of local restaurants featuring truffle specialty dishes.

We have eaten in Ristorante Canapone, and wrote about it previously in our Dining Guide. Canapone is in San Miniato on Piazza Bonaparte, and it will definitely be featuring truffle enhanced dishes during festival time. (tel. 0571/418121)

In San Giovanni d'Asso, the annual truffle festivities take place on the first two weekends of November. This is much more of a village affair, and a bit more personal than the larger festival in San Miniato. I have found a link that says one can even dig for one's own truffle! I don't know if it's true, but try www.assotartufi.it for more information.

Volterra also has a truffle festival that is usually held during the last weekend in October and the first weekend in November. For all of the festivals, do be sure to check exact dates and times with the local tourist offices.