White Truffles season in Italy goes from October to November. Each year you can taste truffles, wine and food at the International White Truffles Fair of Alba, in Piedmont.
Through this autumn Italian recipe you can enjoy white truffles at home.
Ingredients
(Serving 6)
480 gr carnaroli or arborio rice;
240 gr butter; 1 tbsp finely chopped onion
200 gr grated parmesan cheese
16 zucchini flowers; 1 lt meat stock
1/2 glass white wine;
100/150 gr white truffle;
extravirgin olive oil.
Preparation
Rinse the zucchini flowers, then chop ten of them and cut the remaining six into 1.25cm strips and set aside.
In a large cast iron saucepan, or large non-stick one, heat 90 gr of butter, add the onion and sauté for two-three minutes over medium heat.
Add the white wine and keep stirring until the alcohol evaporates and the onion starts sweating, almost dissolving into a creamy consistency in the pan.
Add the rice and turn up the heat. The rice will now begin to lightly fry, keep stirring until it starts looking slightly translucent, then add your first ladle of stock.Turn down the heat to a simmer and keep adding the stock, stirring so that the rice releases its creamy starch. As with all kinds of risotto, make sure that each ladleful of stock is absorbed before adding the next one. After ten minutes, add the chopped zucchini flowers and cook for a further 5 minutes. Keep adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. The overall cooking time should be approximately fifteen minutes. In a smaller pan, heat 60 gr of butter, add the zucchini flower strips and cook on a gentle heat to soften.
Then remove the risotto saucepan from the heat and add the remaining 90gr of butter, grated Parmesan and 50/70 gr finely sliced white truffle. Place it back on the heat, stirring well for a couple of minutes.
Plate the risotto, place the the zucchini flower strips on top and, using a mandolin, shave the truffle over to finish.
