One of my all time favorite food memories is my first experience eating truffles in Italy. My husband and I were in Verona and we stumbled upon a tiny restaurant hidden in an alley behind the ruins of an ancient coliseum. We peeked in, it looked great and we made reservations for later. That night after watching with great anticipation as they ever so slowly poured the red wine from one decanter to another, swirling and speaking enthusiastically in Italian; they finally presented me with a beautiful plate of Fettuccini; warm and melting with parmesan. The waiter ceremoniously brought over the small white truffle and began shaving (very liberally I might add) the tiny tuber over my pasta. The smell was unlike anything I have ever smelled; the taste sent waves of pleasure sensation through my entire body. While I have never been able to duplicate the deep, rich, heady, almost indescribable taste of white truffle here (even when ordered in restaurants -- very expensively I might add and never worth it) -- it just doesn't have the same intensity. So...this is where the truffle oil comes in. It’s not the same as an actual white truffle, but the cost is much less and it evokes a nice memory of that first experience in Italy. I have tried quite a few and "Etruria" (bought at the Wine House here in L.A. and I'm sure available online) is pretty good. I've substituted risotto for the fettucini and the process of cooking the white sliced mushrooms over medium high heat caramelizes them and brings out a deep depth of flavor. I hope that you enjoy this dish as much as I enjoyed making it and eating it!

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