Tajarin (pronounced tie-yah-REEN) is a very thin, golden pasta from Piemonte. The name is dialect for ‘to cut’, the same verb that gives tagliatelle its name – but tajarin is much finer than tagliatelle, more like Roman tonnarelli or spaghetti chitarra. Unlike other fresh egg pastas of northern Italy, typically made with 1 whole egg per 100g flour, tajarin is made using only the egg yolks – with 3 or 4 per 100g flour. As yolks are high in fat, this makes tajarin the perfect pasta to serve with truffles. In Piemonte tajarin al tartufo is made with the local white Alba truffles, and in Australia it works just as well with our local black truffles. I often prepare tajarin with frozen black truffle butter that I’ve made during winter as a super quick yet indulgent dinner. If you’re making tajarin al tartufo in winter when fresh black truffles are available, melt 125g butter in the pan to toss with the pasta and shave about 25g fresh black truffle over the top once it’s plated.
Serves 6 as a starter
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