Valentine’s Day will be here soon, and what could be more over the top to celebrate love than truffles. No, not chocolates, but the musky, heady fungi that are a rare treat — especially if you know how to cook with them.

Accursio Lota, owner and chef of Cori Pastificio Trattoria in North Park, is an expert. He’s been cooking with them for more than 20 years, since he first encountered them in Rome when he was 19. He knows how difficult it is to get good ones, appreciates how expensive they are, and still he finds them so compelling he wants to showcase them to customers.

Because they’re so precious, they’re perfect to serve for a special Valentine’s Day meal and Lota prepared two very distinctive dishes for readers that feature black truffles. Check out my new story in The San Diego Union-Tribune to get his recipes and learn the techniques.