Every so often in these semi-arid regions we get thunderclaps and torrential rain. And for the days following this rare weather event people go creeping out into the countryside, eyes to the ground, seeking new cracks in the damp earth, or trampled areas where the wild boars have been digging up the ground.
They are looking for terfez – desert truffles. In Europe, white truffles – especially the beautiful Alba variety found Italy in are highly prized and can fetch up to £2000 a kilo: but their taste is more pronounced. Our truffles can be bought for a whole lot less down the souk: maybe only 100 dirhams a kilo – and when the terfez hit town word goes round like wildfire and you’ll find people queueing up to buy them, full of pent-up excitement and anticipation. Bawdy remarks will be made (mainly by the women), there will be blushing and jokes. Wives will encourage husbands to dig deep to buy a good supply. People will be taking note of who bought the most: and who didn’t buy any at all.
Those who did will be running home and cooking them up whole in tajines … and settling down to wait for the effect to take hold. Because desert truffles are believed to be a major aphrodisiac. And everyone wants to ‘climb the curtains’ – an interesting Berber euphemism!
Terfez tajine is actually not very nice! Truffles grow in sandy places and tend to incorporate lots of grit, so they need careful preparation. If you’re lucky enough to time a visit with the arrival of desert truffles in the market, this is the recipe I recommend for using them up.
White truffle soup (4 servings)
7 or 8 terfez
1 large clove of garlic, minced
half a large onion, chopped fine
a pint of milk
a good stock cube
some light cream
a little roux to thicken (a tbsp melted butter blended with flour)
First prepare the terfez: soak them for 20 minutes in cold water: discard the water and grit.
Then rinse them, cut them in half and soak them again for 10 minutes.
Then scrub them gently and peel as thinly as possible.
Chop the terfez roughly - some will be white inside, some a dusky pale pink.
Sweat the onion in butter for a few minutes, then add the garlic and terfez and cook gently for 10 minutes.
Add half a pint of milk and a stock cube (chicken or veg) dissolved in hot water.
Add a tablespoonful of roux mix to thicken the mix.
Add more milk to thin the soup, then put the whole lot in a liquidiser or use a hand blender to render it silky smooth.
Add the cream and serve at once, flaking a few wafer-thin slices of truffle on top.
This really is the most gloriously luxurious soup you'll ever eat, even better than Jerusalem artichoke soup.
I can’t absolutely guarantee it’ll have you climbing the curtains, though ;-)