Truffles on the Beach: Grand Velas Los Cabos in Mexico

Los Cabos, Mexico (January 31, 2019) – With dining experiences helmed by masters of their crafts, Grand Velas Los Cabos features diverse cuisine and techniques from around the globe. At Lucca, Executive Chef Antonio La Monica of Salerno, Italy showcases a cultural collaboration of traditional Italian ingredients and techniques alongside what is available fresh in the destination. During the winter season, Lucca’s gourmet menu of fresh Italian and Mediterranean cuisine is blessed with fresh winter Black Truffles from Italy. With the restaurant’s Fettuccine with Black Truffle, the black truffle gently complements the local extra virgin olive oil from Ensenada in the north of the Baja California Peninsula. Below the resort shares its recipe to make at home.

FETTUCCINE AL TARTUFO NERO

Pasta

1 ½ C Wheat flour 00

2/3 C Extra fine semolina durum

5 Whole eggs

1 ½ tsp Salt

Truffle Sauce

½ oz Black truffle

1 clove  Garlic

4 oz Butter, divided in 2 portions

2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

To taste Fresh Black Pepper

To taste Parmigiano Reggiano

Directions:

• **To make the pasta: Form a mountain with the flour and semolina. Use your finger to make a crater in the center. Break the eggs into the hole, add a pinch of salt, and beat with a fork. Begin to incorporate the dry ingredients, stirring constantly. Once the mixture takes the consistency of cream, use your hands to continue incorporating the dry ingredients. Once incorporated, knead for about 10-15 minutes. The mass will become smooth and elastic. Once you can press the dough with a finger and it quickly recovers its shape, wrap it in cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Dust your workspace with flour and taking a quarter of the dough, flatten it a bit with your hands. Pass the dough through a pasta roller machine, folding and passing again, closing the machine opening a bit with each turn, until you reach your required thickness. Pass the dough one more time through the machine with the Fettuccine cutter and then refrigerate covered.
• To make the sauce: In a hot pan over medium heat, add half of the butter, the oil and the clove of garlic. Sauté. Add the truffle in the skillet and cook slightly.
• Cook the fresh pasta in boiling water for just a few minutes. Pour the pasta into the sauce and sauté with a little cooking water and the other half of butter. Serve with a grated fresh truffle, Parmigiano Reggiano and fresh pepper.

** Though the resort makes its own pasta, at home one could substitute 1 lb. dry fettucine. Adjust cooking time in boiling water as needed.

Complementing the resort’s authentic cuisine is the region’s largest wine selection, with 2,500 bottles from 1,500 different producers, including the best of Baja California. Whether dining at the resort or at hotel, the resort’s sommelier, Don Pedro Poncelis Brambila, recommends pairing the Fettuccine Al Tartufo Nero with the Tempranillo / Cabernet Sauvignon blend from the D´Poncelis vineyard in Valle De Guadalupe, Mexico