I absolutely love it when I get sent products to review that I haven’t tried before and from companies I’ve never heard of. It kind of gives me this new lease of life in the kitchen and encourages me to think a bit more creatively with the food we eat as a family.
Sous Chef is one of those companies that just simply hasn’t been on my radar before. I’ll be honest, I’ve never heard of them. But whenever I receive new products I like to do a bit of snooping around to find out more about them and oh my goodness I am so glad I checked out the Sous Chef website. Because it turns out it’s an online shop for people who love cooking. And that’s me… I love cooking!
I’m going to show you three products from the Sous Chef truffle collection and also give you a simple recipe in which I used one of the products. Yep that’s right, I’m chucking in a recipe for free, ‘cos I’m nice like that 🙂
Torres Black Truffle Crisps
You know on a hot summer’s evening when you’re feeling a bit peckish before dinner and you fancy something to nibble on as you drink your G & T on the patio? Well, these are exactly the savoury snacks you’ve been looking for. Torres Black Truffle Crisps taste unlike any flavour crisp I’ve had before, and I’ve had a lot of crisps! I wasn’t sure at first whether I liked them, it was one of those Marmite moments. However, the more I had, the more I liked them and before I knew it I’d polished off a whole bowlful. They are very salty, which just means you’ll need to make sure you’ve got plenty of drink (I don’t see a problem with that 😉 ), almost a bit garlicky, but very different to your bog standard packet of crisps. These are the big guns you bring out when you’ve got guests.
Torres have been making gourmet crisps since 1969 and what I particularly love about them is that there are only 5 ingredients (potatoes, sunflower oil, salt, dehydrated black summer truffle (0.09%), truffle flavouring (0.07%)). It’s so impressive that such a flavourful crisp can be achieved with so few ingredients.
The crisps both feel and taste expensive and I think we could all do with a few luxurious treats in our lives at the moment. Cheers!
Truffle Oil
If you’re already a lover of good quality olive oil, then you’ll love this Extra Virgin Olive Oil flavoured with black truffle. The taste is subtle, but again different, and makes a lovely addition to a salad or to drizzle on top of pizzas and freshly baked bread. It went perfectly with this simple salad of homegrown rocket (yes I really am that smug) and Parmesan shavings. Sometimes simple is the best way when it comes to food.
Asparagus and Truffle Puree
I loved all three of these products and like I said at the beginning, it’s always a joy to try out new products and flavours. I’ve certainly never tasted truffle products before and I was really impressed by not only the taste and quality but also by the wide range of products available on the Sous Chef website. As well as this truffle collection they also offer lots of other worldwide ingredients, kitchen equipment, tableware and gifts that have been inspired by some of the world’s leading restaurants and international food.
*products gifted for review
I know right, it sounds proper posh doesn’t it. And well I suppose it kind of is, after all these are both rather luxurious and decadent ingredients to put together. But don’t let that put you off, as this versatile puree from Sous Chef is perfect for adding some deep earthy pizazz to your meals. Use it as a sauce for pasta like I have (see below), mix it into a risotto or soup for a punchier flavour, use it as a topping for grilled or barbecued meats, or you could even have a go at replacing the garlic butter in garlic bread with it or rubbing it on the top of some homemade focaccia. Honestly it has so many uses and the basic rule I think is that if you’re making something Italian inspired, then this is probably going to work with it.
Like the truffle crisps, it is an acquired taste. Truffles have a taste like no other and they are very strong; this puree is 100% testament to that, but what that does mean it that you need only use a very small amount of it to great effect.
Simple Homemade Pasta Recipe
I’ve always thought making pasta yourself would be really difficult and require lots of machinery and tools to get it looking half decent, but that is so not the case. All you need is some flour (Italian Doppio Zero ’00’ is best, but if you can’t get hold of that semolina flour or even good old plain flour will also work) a few eggs, olive oil, salt and some water and that is literally it.
Ingredients
Method
If you’re up for the easy, no mess life then you can totally make this pasta in a food mixer, but personally I love time spent concentrating on a task that takes my mind away from other life issues and if you’ve had a particularly stressful day there ain’t nothing like a bit of dough bashing to sort you right out.
Tip the flour and salt into a mound on a clean worktop and make a little well in the middle. Crack all four eggs into the hole and add a drizzle of olive oil on top, then slowly draw the flour in from the sides. Now it’s time to get your hands right on in there, so roll up your sleeves and prepare to get messy. Mix together until the dough starts to form. It will take a while and you will feel as though this sticky mess couldn’t possibly come together, but it will. Keep kneading until the dough forms a smooth ball – add a tiny amount of water at this point if you feel the dough is a little dry. Cover in cling film and leave to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Lightly flour your worktop and remove the clingfilm from the pasta dough. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out as thinly as you possibly can. I won’t lie, this does require a bit of muscle, but hey homemade pasta and a workout… it’s an added bonus right? Roll the dough lengthways and then cut 1cm rounds using a sharp knife. Unravel each round to give tagliatelle like strips. You can of course shape your pasta however you like, it’s your time to get creative here.
Place pasta in salted boiling water and cook for about 5 minutes or until the pasta is al dente (firm to the bite). Remember to give the pasta a stir from time to time to prevent it clumping together and sticking to the bottom of the pan. Drain and then stir in the sauce of your choosing, which in this instance is 2 big spoonfuls of Asparagus and Truffle Puree – the perfect posh pesto!