How to make fuži, the hand-rolled pasta of Istria, and dress them with butter and black truffle. A step-by-step recipe for four, with realistic quantities.
If one dish sums up autumn in inland Istria, it is fuži with truffles. Fuži are a short, hand-rolled egg pasta, made by wrapping small squares of dough around a stick so that two corners meet. The result looks a little like a quill, with a hollow centre and soft edges that hold butter and sauce beautifully. Dress them with butter, a little cheese and freshly shaved truffle, and you have one of the great simple dishes of the Mediterranean.
The good news is that fuži are easy to make at home. You need flour, eggs, a rolling pin and something thin and round to roll the pasta around: a wooden skewer, the handle of a wooden spoon or a clean pencil all work. The truffle is the expensive part, but a small one goes a long way. For more on the truffle itself, see our guide to truffle season in Istria.
Ingredients (serves 4)
For the fuži
- 400 g plain flour (soft wheat, type 00 or all-purpose), plus extra for dusting
- 4 medium eggs, at room temperature
- 1 pinch of fine salt
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (optional, makes the dough a little easier to handle)
- 1 to 2 tbsp water, only if the dough is too dry
For the truffle sauce
- 80 g unsalted butter
- 30 to 40 g fresh black truffle (or 15 to 20 g white truffle in season)
- 150 ml single cream (optional, see note below)
- 40 g finely grated hard cheese, such as aged Istrian sheep's cheese or Parmesan
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- A ladle of the pasta cooking water
Butter or cream? Both versions are common in Istria. Purists dress fuži with butter, cheese and truffle alone, which lets the truffle speak most clearly. Many konobas add cream for a richer, silkier sauce. If you use white truffle, leave out the cream: white truffle is too delicate for it.
How to make fuži: step by step
- Make the dough. Tip the flour onto a clean work surface or into a large bowl, mix in the salt and make a deep well in the centre. Crack the eggs into the well, add the olive oil if using, and beat them with a fork, slowly drawing in flour from the sides until you have a shaggy dough.
- Knead. Knead with the heel of your hand for 8 to 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, firm and elastic. If it cracks and will not come together, add water a teaspoon at a time; if it sticks, add a little flour.
- Rest. Wrap the dough in cling film or cover it with an upturned bowl and leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes. This relaxes the gluten and makes rolling much easier.
- Roll out. Divide the dough into four pieces and keep the ones you are not using covered. Roll each piece on a lightly floured surface to a thin sheet, about 1.5 to 2 mm thick. You should just be able to see the shadow of your hand through it.
- Cut squares. With a sharp knife or a pastry wheel, cut the sheet into squares of about 4 cm.
- Roll the fuži. Lay a square in front of you like a diamond, with one corner pointing towards you. Place the skewer or spoon handle across the nearest corner and roll the dough around it towards the far corner. Press the far corner gently onto the dough so the two corners stick together, then slide the fuži off the stick.
- Dry briefly. Spread the fuži on a floured tray or a clean tea towel in a single layer and leave them for 15 to 30 minutes while you shape the rest and prepare the sauce. They can also be made a few hours ahead and kept uncovered in a cool place.
- Prepare the truffle. Brush the truffle clean with a soft brush; do not wash it under running water. Grate about a third of it finely and keep the rest whole for shaving.
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and salt it well. Add the fuži and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Fresh pasta cooks quickly: taste one after 3 minutes. They should be tender but still have a little bite.
- Make the sauce. While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a wide frying pan over a low heat. Add the grated truffle and let it warm in the butter for a minute without frying. If using cream, add it now and simmer gently for 2 minutes until slightly thickened. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Combine. Lift the fuži out with a slotted spoon straight into the pan, add a splash of the cooking water and toss over a low heat until every piece is glossy. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cheese.
- Serve at once. Divide between warm plates and shave the remaining truffle thinly over each portion at the table, using a truffle slicer or a very sharp vegetable peeler.
Shave the truffle at the table, at the very last moment. Heat is its enemy.
Which truffle should you use?
Istria has both black and white truffles. The white truffle is found in autumn and early winter and has the most intense, heady perfume; it is always used raw, shaved over the finished dish. Black truffles are found at different times of the year, depending on the species, and are milder and more affordable. Black truffle tolerates a little gentle warmth, which is why this recipe infuses part of it in the butter.
- Buy from someone you trust. A fresh truffle should be firm, heavy for its size and strongly scented.
- Store it well. Wrap it in kitchen paper, put it in a closed jar in the fridge, change the paper daily and use it within a few days.
- Perfume your eggs. Keep the truffle in the jar with a few whole eggs for a day, then use those eggs in the pasta dough.
- Avoid cheap truffle oil. Most is flavoured with synthetic aroma. A small fresh truffle is always better.
Other ways to serve fuži
Truffles are the celebration version, but fuži are everyday food in Istria too. The classic alternatives are fuži with a slow-cooked chicken sauce, known as fuži s kokošjim gulašem, and fuži with a rich game sauce, often made with wild boar or venison in autumn and winter. Fuži are also served with beef sauces and, in spring, with wild asparagus. Our guide to Istrian cuisine explains these dishes and the pljukanci, the other hand-made pasta of the region.
What to drink with fuži and truffles
A rich, well-made Malvazija is the classic local partner: ideally a version aged on the lees or in wood, with enough body to stand up to butter and truffle. If you prefer red, choose something soft rather than sharp; young Teran can be too lively for such a delicate dish. Our guide to Istrian wine grapes explains the styles.
Fuži are best made with company. Rolling the little squares goes much faster with three or four pairs of hands, a glass of wine and a long kitchen table. It is how the dish has always been made in Istrian homes, and it is half the pleasure.
