Summer Truffle Recipes, amaze your guests with these easy recipes
The black summer truffle is a much sought-after species that, due to its pleasant aroma and delicate flavor, expresses itself very well on the table by enhancing dishes made with quick and easy recipes.
Before using them, truffles should be cleaned without ruining them; to do this, use a soft brush and cold water. Once the soil residue has been removed, wipe the surface with a damp cotton cloth and then a dry cloth, rubbing gently.
Summer truffle recipes for appetizers:
Truffled soft-boiled eggs
To obtain an excellent soft-boiled egg, two basic notions must be observed:
- Eggs must be fresh, no more than three to four days after laying, preferably organic;
- Eggs should be used at room temperature, so if kept in the refrigerator they should be taken out at least two hours beforehand.
A perfect soft-boiled egg has the white fairly firm but the yolk still runny; achieving this is easier than you think and can be done with two procedures.
- IN COLD W ATER: Dip the egg into the cold water of a not-too-large saucepan and turn on the heat. From the time the water starts to boil, count about 40 seconds.
- IN BOILING WATER: Bring the water to a boil and then dip the egg while holding it over a spoon so that it does not hit the bottom of the pot.
Cook the egg for about 2 minutes; if you prefer the yolk more cooked, you can cook it as long as 3 minutes, but no longer or you risk making it firm.
Remove the egg from the pan and run it under cold tap water, dry it and open the shell at the top using a sharp knife. If you place the egg with the apex downward, it will be easier to open it because a pocket of air will form.
Season with a pinch of salt.
While the water comes to a boil, cut the bread into thin sticks and roast them in an oiled nonstick skillet with a knob of butter, keep the fire cheerful for a few minutes until crispy.
Insert the still-warm bread sticks into the egg.
Add black summer truffle shavings, if you prefer you can put some grated truffle and complete with two to three shavings.
Truffle Crostini
Cut the bread into slices that are not too thick, it is preferable to use wood-fired bread, trim the slices by reducing the thickness of the rib with a sharp knife, and roast them for a few minutes in a nonstick pan.
Meanwhile, grate the black summer truffle and reduce it to a pesto, with the addition of E.V.O. oil and salt. On top of the still-warm toasted bread slices lightly rub a clove of garlic, add a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt, complete with the grated black summer truffle .
As a variation you can use a Champignon mushroom and black summer truffle sauce.:
Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a nonstick skillet with a clove of garlic cut in half; when the garlic browns, insert the sliced mushrooms. Halfway through cooking add a pinch of salt.
When cooked, mash the mushrooms with a manual medium-hole strainer and then add the grated summer truffle, the amounts are 50% mushrooms and 50% truffle. Return the mixture to the heat for another minute.
In this variation, before spreading the mushroom and truffle sauce on the toast, drizzle only a little extra virgin olive oil over the slices, excluding both garlic and salt.
Summer truffle recipe for a traditional first course:
Strangozzi with truffle
Ingredients for 4 people: 600 gr of strangozzi, typical Spoleto long pasta, thick but not wide, pulled by hand, in the original version kneaded only with water and flour. Alternatively, 500 gr. of spaghetti, preferably bronze-drawn.
One clove of garlic, extra virgin olive oil to taste, one fillet of salted anchovy, 200 grams of well-ripened black summer truffle, salt and pepper to taste.
In a pan heat the olive oil with the crushed garlic clove and the anchovy fillet. When the garlic is golden brown remove it and add the truffles you grated leaving a small amount to put on top of the prepared dishes. Leave the heat on high for a minute adding a pinch of coarse salt and a sprinkle of pepper.
At the same time cook the strangozzi or spaghetti in plenty of salted water, drain when al dente and toss the pasta with the truffle sauce in a nonstick skillet, pouring over a few tablespoons of the cooking water, just enough to make the mixture creamy.
Serve by adding raw truffle shavings on top of the dishes.
Truffle recipes andstive for main courses:
Truffle omelette
Ingredients for 4 people: 8 fresh eggs, 150 grams of well-ripened black summer truffle, extra virgin olive oil and salt to taste.
Prepare the truffle by grating one part coarsely and cutting another part into very thin slices. Beat the eggs in a bowl with a fork, combining 6-7 pinches of salt, then add the truffle. Pour the mixture into a nonstick skillet where you have heated a generous tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Handle slowly with a fork while keeping the heat cheerful. As the mixture thickens, lower the heat, working with the fork especially at the edges of the pan and then with the handle. With the help of a plate flip the omelet, splash a little white wine on the bottom of the pan before depositing the side to be cooked.
Continue cooking for a few minutes (two or three at most), working the omelet with the handle of the pan.
Remove the omelet while it is still very soft; it is very important not to overcook it, which would dry out the omelet too much, compromising its flavor.
To make sure you get a fluffier omelet, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks with a pinch of salt and then incorporate them with the yolk, always mixing from the bottom up, otherwise the mixture will come apart.
Truffled trout
Ingredients for 4 people: 4 trout, 100 gm well-ripened black summer truffles, 40 gm butter, 1 clove garlic, extra virgin olive oil, wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.
Choose trout weighing about 200 grams each and after cleaning them place them in a buttered baking dish. Once cooked, fillet the trout and arrange the flesh of each on a serving plate. Meanwhile prepare the sauce by heating the olive oil in a small pan, when the oil is hot add the finely chopped garlic, salt and pepper. Stir well and after one to two minutes add the grated black summer truffle. Leave the sauce on the heat for one more minute making sure it remains fluid.
Top the trout fillets with the still-warm sauce, garnish with truffle slices, and serve.
Insights:
The Black summer truffle "tuber aestivum" is highly sought after and widely used in traditional summer recipes throughout the Apennines.
Its size varies from 1 to more than 10 cm and weight can reach 400 to 500 grams. The round shape can often be oval or flattened when grown in stony soils. Its outer protective membrane "peridium" is blackish brown with warts that may be larger or smaller and protruding, some times almost flat and others pronounced pyramidal in shape. The summer truffle, also called scorzone, ripens from June to August at a depth of a few centimeters. This variety has a high adaptability to both soil and climate and 'altitude, in fact it can be found from sea level up to 1,200 meters above sea level, on limestone soils even if compact. It lives in symbiosis with oak, hornbeam, hazel, linden, beech, holm oak, black pine, Aleppo pine, and lodgepole pine.