Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City
We are in the midst of truffle season. This is the time of year that fancy restaurants attempt to convince diners to let them shave luxurious white truffles on top of a pasta, salad, or egg dish. It’ll only cost them an extra $60 or so. And that’s cheap this year!
For those of us less willing and able to pay an exorbitant amount for a garnish, we’ll have to stick to the black variety. The earthy, funky flavor of black truffles is enough for me and is a luxury I can splurge on. Oftentimes I find the truffle flavor in oil form floating atop ravioli or something. It’s unusual to find actual truffle bits incorporated into meat.
I first encountered Charlito’s Cocina during a free tasting at my favorite Brooklyn provision store, Stinky. Representatives from the Long Island City-based company cut me slices of three of their cured meat products. Each salami was rich, minerally and seasoned distinctly with bold lingering flavors.
While the chorizo and country sausage were phenomenal, I fell head over heels in love with their Trufa Seca. And had to take a link home with me (don’t worry, I paid for it!) Using pasture-raised heritage pork, the sausage is dry cured and seasoned with the perfect amount of sea salt and decadent black truffle – the real thing, not the oil.
It makes for a rich and meaty snack. Hell, I could even shave it over pasta and I bet it would taste potentially better than the obscenely expensive white truffles. After all, everything is better when you add pork. And even better when you save 50 bucks or so.
| CHARLITO’S COCINA |
| Available at Multiple Locations |
| charlitoscocina.com |
