Recipe: Truffle risotto
2017-03-31
The
truffle was created when Jupiter released a lightning bolt by an oak, his sacred tree. This supernatural origin may explain why this underground fungus which grows spontaneously by the roots of certain trees, particularly oaks, holm oaks, willows and hazelnuts, is so
highly valued.
The Italian name for the truffle, “tartufo”, which became common in the 17th century (the ancient Romans had referred to it as
tuber terrae, tuber of the earth), is said to have originated with the tuber’s perceived similarity to
tufo, a porous stone typically found in central and southern Italy.
A
rare food (it cannot yet be cultivated, though some experiments are underway, and it must be hunted in the wild with the aid of specially trained dogs) which is very much
appreciated in the kitchen, the truffle can fetch very high prices.
In Italy, the valuable
white truffle (
Tuber Magnatum Pico, named after the Milanese physician who was the first to classify it) is found in Alba and the province of Asti, but also around San Miniato (Pisa), Acqualagna (Pesaro-Urbino), San Pietro Avellana (Isernia), Pecoraia (Piacenza) and Ateleta (L’Aquila).
The
black truffle is more common in Italy: Umbria, especially around the town of Norcia, is one of the geographic areas with a historic vocation for truffle-hunting.
Traditional Italian recipes containing truffle include a classic
risotto.
The
ingredients for four are:
Carnaroli rice (300 grams);
one small onion;
dry white wine (100 millilitres);
meat broth(1.5 litres);
butter (60 grams);
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (80 grams);
white or black truffle (to taste);
salt (to taste).
It takes about
28 minutes to prepare: ten minutes of preparation and eighteen minutes of cooking.
Here is the procedure: Mince onion and brown lightly in a pot in 20 grams of butter. Add rice and toast well, splash with wine and wait until all the wine evaporates, stirring constantly. Continue cooking, gradually adding meat broth, a ladle at a time, stirring frequently. When the risotto is ready, taste it and add salt if necessary, then take it off the flame and add the remaining butter and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Serve the risotto sprinkled with truffle, slicing it directly onto the risotto at the table with an appropriate utensil.
Mariagrazia Villa
Recipe: chef Mario Grazia (Academia Barilla).
Source: Academia Barilla (ed.),
Cucina Italiana. I grandi classici della nostra tradizione, Edizioni White Star, Novara, 2012.
