Desert truffles aka Kamaa aka fuqa

[Peter Green]

Things started with a phone call.

Be in front of the building now. I have 3 kg.

Bang! I was out of the office, down the staircase, and in front of the building.

Or was I?

I didn't see my contact, so I sprinted through the building and out the other side, running for the wire.

When I got to the gate, I remembered that this entry was decommissioned a year ago.

Back through the building went I, and there he was, wondering where I'd gotten to.

A shopping bag passed hands, a flash of money, and I was holding.

I started getting looks in the elevator. It's natural when everyone stares up at the numbers going by, hoping against hope that four will come before three for once. But not now. Everyone was looking at my loosely closed plastic sack.

Back in the office, I tried to sneak in, but I couldn't manage it. I was made.

"How much a kilo?"

"Hey, look at these! You won't find these in Riyadh!"

"Where'd you get those?"

I mumbled a few things and closed my door.

I was on the phone in an instant.

"Get over to the lab gate. I've got the stuff, and it won't keep."

Back out of the building, through the wind tunnel, careless now of who would spot me.

I brazed the gate, and then waited for the pick-up.

The Rover pulled up on schedule. She's on a clock. I opened the passenger door, plopped the sack on the seat, said "Godspeed", and closed the door.

She was gone.

My work was done.

But not hers.

I got off of work and home in time to find her only 1/4 of the way through the cleaning. What we have here are about 3 kg of dessert truffles, or fuga in the suqs. It's arguably not really a truffle, but rather a member of the Trefezia family of subterranean mushrooms.

They're spotted by walking the dessert. After the rains, they'll broach the surface, and then are descended upon by the hordes roaming looking for them. The last couple of years have been bad, with very little to be found. This is the first material I've had to work with in three years now.

Cleaning these is the sore spot (at least in my family, as I don't do it). The manner in which the truffles grow subducts veins of sand into the body, so long hours have to be spent manually working through the fungus with a paring knife.

Also, you are on a clock. These things need to be cleaned, and then either put sealed into the freezer, or else wrapped up in paper towels with dry rice added as a dessicant to keep them from going moldy (and they go moldy really quick).

So, with a little less than 2 kg once we're finished cleaning, what should we do?

Previous successes have included:

- risotto (similar in effect to the Arabic tradition of making kepsa with this rather than meat)

- stuffing for turkey (decadence is bliss)

- pan fried in good olive oil with a bit of herbs and served over garlic'd pasta

What else is suggested?

Moderator note: This post has been edited to fix the broken links to the great and unique pictures Peter posted. Enjoy.

[Nicolai]

Congrats on your findings.

Many recipes are used from omelette to pasta. Some recipes borrow from the European truffles preparation and other is indigenous to each particular country in the Middle East.

I would consider the following

- Salad with EVOO - lemon juice - parsley - S&P

- Kharouf Mehshi bel Kemaa (stuffed lamb with Kemaa) the Kemaa are part of the stuffing (rice - mince meat – pine nuts – spices accompanying the lamb).

- Kemaa Meshoui (Kemaa on a skewer with or without minced lamb or lamb cubes)

However, I personally eat them straight from the cooking pot with a sprinkling of S&P.

Of course you can serve them Nature and present each truffle tucked in a white pristine starched serviette de table a la Francaise.

Alternatively, I would cut the Kemaa into thick slices and serve in Arabic bread with EEVO drizzle and S&P.

The Kemaa flavour and taste is best Nature.

Edited February 20, 2007 by Nicolai (log)

[Peter Green]

Congrats on your findings.

Many recipes are used from omelette to pasta. Some recipes borrow from the European truffles preparation and other is indigenous to each particular country in the Middle East.

I would consider the following

- Salad with EVOO - lemon juice - parsley - S&P

- Kharouf Mehshi bel Kemaa (stuffed lamb with Kemaa) the Kemaa are part of the stuffing (rice - mince meat – pine nuts – spices accompanying the lamb).

- Kemaa Meshoui (Kemaa on a skewer with or without minced lamb or lamb cubes)

However, I personally eat them straight from the cooking pot with a sprinkling of S&P.

Of course you can serve them Nature and present each truffle tucked in a white pristine starched serviette de table a la Francaise.

Alternatively, I would cut the Kemaa into thick slices and serve in Arabic bread with EEVO drizzle and S&P.

The Kemaa flavour and taste is best Nature.

←

Nicolai,

Those sound good. Especially the EVOO routes. I've got some good Spanish and Italian oils I'm going to break out for these.

Thanks,

Peter

[FoodMan]

I've only had those , known as Kamma or Kam'a in Lebnon, marinated in garlic and oile oil, placed on skewers and grilled over charcoal. Very good stuff.

Here is a pretty informative article about these truffles as well as a recipe for creamy soup. If you have access to camel milk it is supposedly even better .

You can probably use them any way you would use mushrooms, in stews, sauted with onions and tomatoes, in pasta sauce or a risotto, as filling/topping for pastries or pizza, but simply grilled with little adornments has to be one of the best ways.

[Peter Green]

Okay, here's tonight's attempt.

I've taken Foodman and Nicolai's advice (Thanks!) and have gone with a variation on a common theme. I've done the usual of searing my tenderloin, then finishing it in the fat from pan frying the foie gras. The dice in the upper right is the dessert truffle, cleaned of sand (and a root, in one case, that it had wrapped itself about). They'll go into the jus, and then I'll serve them over pasta with some good Spanish EVOO. This'll increase the surface area, and distribute them nicely.

I must admit, I was in a rush tonight, with a starving wife and two vermin. But generally the approach met with some acceptance. Seeing as I had the wife do all of the sand cleaning, I have to be careful about this.

The kebab approach is intriguing, and the soup sounds excellent.

I wonder how much trouble I'd get in trying to milk a camel out here?

[FoodMan]

These pictures are fantastic Peter. It's been many years since I've seen these, but I could've sworn the variety I used to have in Lebanon was much darker in color. More like a tan or light brown, rather than white! It might be due to different soil/environmental conditions I guess.

[maher]

there are two varieties, one is the white one, and one is quite a bit darker, though still more of a beige or a light brown.

it is generally perceived that the darker ones have a more intense flavor, so you probably had those Foodman.

my recipe goes with the charcoal grilling, then tossed into a green zaatar salad with spring onions, EVOO and lemon juice, with a little salt.

... absolute heaven.

[FoodMan]

Thanks to Peter, I am really wanting to try some of these again! My local middle eastern store sells them canned. Anyone had those canned? Are they any good? Do I treat them the same way as fresh ones but with shorter cooking time?

[Peter Green]

I've seen the Lebanese truffles once or twice in the stores here, but it's been a few years. Unfortunately, it was one of those things you see once, and then it's gone.

There's a good piece here in Aramco World from 2002 talking about these.

[Peter Green]

I was banned from the kitchen, but the wife did up some of the truffles with gnocchi tonight.

I've posted the results here in the Dinner! thread.

Following the advice given, we've kept things simple, giving the truffles a chance to show through.

I'm thinking a risotto next.

Edited March 2, 2007 by Peter Green (log)