When spring comes around, the regulars at SRV, a renowned Venetian-style bacaro and wine bar in Boston's South End, know to start getting in touch to ask when the tajarin will be back on the menu, according to chef and owner Michael Lombardi.
It's a simple pasta dish made with black truffle and fresh asparagus. Lombardi loves it both for highlighting a seasonal ingredient and the wheat he puts into the pasta, which is milled at his restaurant.
Lombardi explained why it's so important to use fresh wheat in episode two of "The Dish I Miss," our new podcast featuring conversations with chefs around the Boston area about the dishes they most miss cooking for their diners while restaurants are locked down because of the coronavirus crisis. He also told us about how the management has helped its workers while the restaurant is temporarily closed.
Listen to the episode here and see the recipe below -- though for the freshly milled pasta, you may have to order from SRV, which just started offering limited delivery:
SRV's Tajarin
Servings: 1 person, or 85 grams of fresh pasta
Ingredients:
Water: 1 fluid ounce
Butter: 2 tablespoons
Black truffle: 3-4 grams
Truffle oil (optional): a dash
Asparagus, grated or thinly sliced: 3/4 cup
Parmigiano-reggiano, grated: 1/4 cup
Extra parmigiano-reggiano to garnish
Salt: pinch
Note: Tajarin can also be called Tagliolini. You can make this shape by using an egg-based pasta dough, rolling it out and cutting it into thin strips. Other substitutions could be Spaghetti, Tagliatelle, or Bucatini.
Procedure:
Cook the pasta in boiling salted water (it should taste like the sea).
Add 1 fluid ounce of water to a saute pan and warm on medium-high heat. When the water begins to steam add half the butter and whisk it to incorporate into the water. When it is fully dispersed and emulsified, add the other half of the butter.
If the pasta is not ready, turn the heat off and add the grated black truffles, leaving a small amount to garnish at the end (you can use the dash of truffle oil here if you can't get fresh truffles).
Add the pinch of salt and, when the pasta is cooked, add it into the butter sauce (put the pan back on the heat for this). If the sauce needs more liquid, add a splash of water.
Add the grated green asparagus and 1/4 cup of parmigiano-reggiano. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese to make the sauce slightly creamy.
Plate into a bowl and garnish with more parmigiano-reggiano and grated black truffles.
