Let’s discover the secrets of truffles in the kitchen with a short guide on how to cook truffles.

Do you eat truffles raw? How do you cook fresh truffles?

Find out the answers with Trivelli Tartufi’s truffle cooking suggestions.

Types of truffles in the kitchen 

The truffle is a very particular underground mushroom that grows in well-determined conditions and in symbiosis with certain trees or plants. “Truffle” is actually the generic term that indicates a family of tuberaceae including different species, with different characteristics and maturation times.

Therefore, to discover how to cook truffles we must first clarify what type of truffle we are talking about. The precious black truffle, the white truffle, the Scorzone – summer truffle, are perhaps the most famous types of truffles, but we must not also forget the presence of the black winter truffle, the bianchetto truffle, and many other species.

Trivelli Tartufi collects and transforms the best truffles of our territory, the Piceno area, since several years. Therefore, we want to give you, with this short article, some basic tips on how to cook the different types of truffles to make first courses, second courses, appetizers and even desserts with the magical touch given by the unmistakable scent of these treasures of our woods.

The first introductory rule that we would like to give you on how to cook truffles is to look for simple combinations, with soft tastes that do not conflict with the important taste of truffles. The advice is to create a base on which you can develop the refined architecture of a dish that highlights the truffle, without covering the other ingredients.

If you decide to opt for a grated truffle on your plate, then, the best thing is to play it safe: enrich a risotto, embellish a fresh pasta, make a small jewel with a bull’s-eye egg, stir the truffle in butter or combine it with a very delicate cheese – you can’t do anything wrong!

How to cook truffles: the summer truffle

The scorzone is also called summer truffle because it is harvested from May to August-September. This variety is certainly of less interest than the precious black truffle. Anyway, this truffle reserves, with its delicate taste, excellent surprises when used correctly in the kitchen.

The scent of the summer truffle, as mentioned, is less intense than other truffles. Moreover, it is similar to the porcini mushroom with which it goes very well. You can taste this flavor in our Tomato Sauce, Porcini Mushrooms and Summer Truffle, an ideal product for a tasty truffle pasta.

The secret to enhancing the scent and taste of the summer truffle is certainly to slice it on hot dishes, in order to release its fragrance best. On the other hand, this precaution can be applied to all types of truffles – but when we cook the precious black truffle or the white truffle, we can also obtain very valuable results with a cold use, always considering that, of course, the truffle should never be cooked for a long time or even worse, fried!

Risotto with summer truffle

As we said before, the advice is to favor classic and simple combinations to cook the summer truffle, but this does not mean that chefs do not know how to find new recipes to enhance the flavor of this product. For instance, you can read, and maybe get inspiration for a dinner with friends, the recipe of chef Daniele Citeroni to prepare a delicious truffle risotto with:

• Carnaroli rice, red onion, summer truffle, fresh cheese, and Trivelli Ground Summer Truffle – a practical jar in which this precious mushroom is simply preserved in oil and salt.

Summer truffle and second courses

Since the scorzone has a more delicate fragrance than the other types of truffles, this characteristic makes it also suitable for combinations with meat and fish main courses (always within the limits of a soft combination and without contrasts). 

For example, you can try to combine the summer truffle in second courses based on salmon, amberjack, sea bass, seafood, squid, pork, turkey, or chicken depending on your tastes and also experimenting new flavor combinations with your imagination.

How to cook truffles: precious black truffle and white truffle

The scent of the precious black truffle is pleasantly intense and rich in any sense. At the same time its scent is balanced and extremely enjoyable in appetizers, first and second courses. The black truffle offers maximum flexibility in the kitchen. In fact, it can be used in many different ways, even though its fragrance is best released during cooking. For instance, it can be used cold and thinly sliced on hot and warm dishes of any kind. 

The white truffle, on the other hand, has a particularly strong aroma and flavor and can give its aromatic notes to any dish, risking covering the taste of the other ingredients.

That’s why the use of the white truffle in the kitchen is a proper art.

An art in which the small doses must be preferred, also considering the cost of this type of truffle. In fact, we’re talking about the most expensive one.

There are those who argue that the white truffle, because of its bold flavor, should be consumed only raw and cold or, at most, on warm dishes, but we believe that you cannot put limits on the uses of a raw material of this power, provided you wisely adjust the quantities so as not to disturb the balance of flavors.

Truffle pasta with precious black truffle and white truffle

There is no doubt that any pasta, and especially fresh egg pasta such as tagliolini, combines perfectly with both the precious black truffle and the white truffle. Nonetheless, we do not neglect the combination with roasted fish and meats of all kinds, cheese fondues, eggs, and butter, whose flavors are all enhanced by the unmistakable fragrance of these jewels of our land.

If you want to cook truffles, of any kind, in an optimal way you can always follow our advice on how to cook truffles. 

In addition to that, you can also discover and try our recipes out! The love for truffles and their world has already led Trivelli Tartufi to remarkable goals. Therefore, we want to spread the truffle culture and help our customers with maximum effort!