I am a big fan of truffles and I’m talking about the truffles pigs and dogs find in the ground that are used to add their “perfumy fragrance” and intoxicating flavor into a simple pasta dish or bowl of risotto. Hard to find fresh here in the United States and prohibitively expensive even if you are able to find them, I resort to the more modestly priced truffle oil.

I wanted to know more about truffles, how they are found, where they come from in Italy, who can take them from the ground so I asked my friend Lola, who lives in Italy and has been out hunting for truffles many times, to answer some questions I have about this elusive tuber. These are questions I hope you find interesting because Lola’s responses are terrific.

Featured Contributor

Many of you are familiar with Lola from my interview with her and then her brilliant post on Pasta e Fagioli. She is a wonderful food writer whose writing takes you right into her kitchen. I’ve asked Lola to become a featured contributor on The Reluctant Gourmet Cooking Blog so we can all enjoy more of her superb writing. Of course you can get a lot more of her on her own blog, Aglio, Olio & Peperoncino, but it will be great having her join us here.

“I heart tartufi”

I’m glad you asked me to write about truffles, RG,  because I love to speak about the foods I love best. Truffles are in my top 5 favorite foods, along with chocolate, seafood, tomatoes, and basil.

Preposterously elusive, harvested with spy-story secrecy, imbued with an otherworldly mix of  sublime and naughty fragrances and often confused with the fine chocolate with the same name, the truffle has been prized by peasants and nobles alike for centuries.

This quote from the French writer Alexandre Dumas sums up the infatuation:

“The most learned men have been questioned as to the nature of this tuber, and after two thousand years of argument and discussion their answer is the same as it was on the first day: We do not know. The truffles themselves have been interrogated, and have answered simply: Eat us and praise the Lord.”

Are there professional truffle hunters or do locals find them and sell them to distributors? And how deep are truffles buried in the ground?

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A quick post to tell everyone about the new article I just posted on my web site, www.reluctantgourmet.com, on clarified butter describing what it is, how to make it, how it is used in cooking and the advantages of using it.

I also talk about ghee or clarified butter that is cooked a little longer to cook off the milk butter.

And then there are some very cool cooking videos from Rouxbe offering step-by-step directions for making both clarified butter and ghee.

Go to Clarified Butter & Ghee

What Is Panko?

Panko-crusted mahi.  Mmm.  It sounds very swanky, but what exactly is “panko?”  Panko is the Japanese word for bread crumbs.

Suddenly, panko sounds much less swanky, but there are many characteristics of panko that often make them superior to American-style bread crumbs in many culinary applications.

There are two general types of panko sold in stores - white panko is made without crusts, and tan panko is made from the whole loaf, crusts and all.  What sets panko apart from regular bread crumbs is the processing.

The bread is processed in such a way that the resulting panko looks like flakes rather than crumbs. The flakiness means a much broader surface area than regular breadcrumbs.  What this means for your cooking is crispier coatings, crunchier toppings and lighter end-products, depending on how you use the panko.

If you dredge food in panko before frying, you will end up with a crisp, light fried coating.  Oil does not soak into panko as readily as it does into regular breadcrumbs, so you are left with a lighter, less-greasy coating.  Try this with seafood or chicken.

Panko makes a wonderful crisp topping for casseroles.  Toss panko together with some grated parmesan, salt, pepper and maybe some herbs.  Then, drizzle in some melted butter.  Spread this topping liberally on a casserole, and upon baking, you will be rewarded with a light, crunchy and flavorful topping—a nice contrast to your creamy casserole.  Try this trick on top of scalloped potatoes, lasagna, tuna noodle casserole or macaroni and cheese.

Use panko in any recipe that calls for bread crumbs as an ingredient.  Panko does not compact like breadcrumbs, and since grease doesn’t soak into them, your results will be lighter in texture than your original bread crumb-based recipes.  Use panko as an ingredient in crab cakes, meatballs or meatloaf.

By itself, panko has almost no flavor.  This makes it the perfect blank canvas.  Panko readily soaks up other flavors— and from the seasonings in the food and also from whatever seasonings you toss with it.  A simple topping of panko, a little salt and pepper, and some melted butter will result in a richly flavored, crunchy topping after baking.

If you do not have panko on hand, you can certainly substitute bread crumbs, but your toppings won’t be as crisp and any recipe you use them in will have a somewhat heavier texture.  A better substitute for panko is cracker meal.  You can crush up saltine crackers or matzo or purchase ready-made matzo meal.

Where To Find Panko

Look for panko in Asian markets, where it is readily available.  Panko is becoming more and more common on the shelves at your local grocery store, as well, as more people discover its light and crispy texture.  Find panko in the Asian section of your store or in the same aisle as standard bread crumbs.

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