Acqualagna, Pesaro-Urbino province, Marche — the white truffle of Acqualagna (Tuber magnatum pico) is equal in quality to the Alba truffle and significantly less expensive. The Acqualagna truffle fiera (fair) occurs in October-November each year. The town claims the highest density of white truffle production in Italy.
Acqualagna, in the Metauro valley of the Pesaro-Urbino province, is one of Italy's two great white truffle centres (alongside Alba in Piedmont) — producing Tuber magnatum pico from October through January in the oak and poplar forests of the northern Marche Apennines. The definitive preparation is the simplest: freshly made egg tagliatelle tossed with good butter and a thread of the best available olive oil, finished with a generous shaving of Acqualagna white truffle at the table. No cheese, no garlic, no further seasoning — the truffle is the entire preparation. The pasta must be delicate enough not to compete; the butter must be of excellent quality; the truffle must be shaved at the last moment.
Tagliatelle al tartufo bianco di Acqualagna at the table — the truffle shaved at the last moment, each slice translucent, the fragrance immediately filling the room — is one of the most intense flavour experiences available in Italian cooking. The butter provides the medium; the pasta provides the vehicle; everything else is the truffle. Nothing else is needed.
Make fresh egg tagliatelle the day of: 100g 00 flour, 1 egg per person. Roll thin (setting 6 on most pasta machines). Cut 5-6mm width. Dry 15 minutes on a cloth. Melt excellent quality butter (100g per portion) gently in a wide pan — do not brown. Add a thread of mild olive oil. Cook tagliatelle in abundant salted water 2-3 minutes; drain with a small amount of pasta water retained. Add to the butter pan; toss gently. Plate immediately. Shave white truffle generously over each plate at the table using a mandoline truffle slicer. No Parmigiano, no other additions.
The truffle must be cleaned with a small brush under cold water and thoroughly dried before shaving. Storage: wrap each truffle individually in dry kitchen paper; keep in a sealed container in the warmest part of the refrigerator (not the coldest drawer); change the paper daily. The truffle will last 7-10 days when stored correctly; it loses aroma daily. Eggs stored with truffle for 24-48 hours absorb the truffle aroma through the shell — truffle scrambled eggs made with these eggs are extraordinary.
Pre-shaving the truffle — truffle loses 80% of its volatile aroma within 2 minutes of shaving; it must be shaved at the last moment at the table. Using truffle oil instead of real truffle — commercial truffle oil (made with synthetic 2,4-dithiapentane) is not a substitute; it produces an artificial, chemical odour. Using pasta with too strong a flavour — whole wheat or egg-yolk-enriched pasta competes with the truffle; delicate 00 flour tagliatelle is mandatory.
Giorgio Locatelli, Made in Italy; Slow Food Editore, Marche in Cucina