At the table with Piera: favorite products of the truffle lover.

Truffle. Just reading the name, can't you smell its intense and intoxicating aroma?
The autumn season is just around the corner and you are immediately flooded with that irresistible desire for hot and steaming dishes, for mushrooms, for chestnuts, and... for truffles of course!
I consider myself the ultimate truffle lover: I literally adore it in all forms!
Whether it's an appetizer, a first course, a main course, and, why not, even a dessert, if you add a hint of truffle to the dish, it immediately becomes the undisputed star. Amazing.
For this reason, with this article, I have chosen to present you a menu entirely based on truffles, so you can take inspiration for some preparations and, who knows, come up with a new dish with the ingredients I share with you.
Are you curious? You just have to keep reading!

At the Table with Piera: Here are the appetizers and first courses for a truffle lover

If you also go crazy for truffles (even if you just enjoy it, you don't have to be a fanatic like me), I have a super combination in mind for an aperitif or appetizer, to be enjoyed solo or in company.

Essential in an appetizer for me are Sundried Tomatoes in oil with Truffle, delicious on their own or tasted with some truffle taralli of course, or an truffle perlage simply placed on some crispy bread crostini.

If you prefer a charcuterie board, no problem: a nice wooden board of cured meats and cheeses, which I would pair with a Pink Apple and Truffle Jam from the Sibillini Mountains, which pairs perfectly with a seasoned alpine cheese, like Monte Veronese for example!

Now let's move on to the first course, or rather, first courses, because I have various options to present to you, all obviously based on truffles!
The Linguine with black truffle are the first I suggest. Sensational if dressed with just a knob of butter or a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

I also suggest a fantastic alternative to these types of pasta: Gluten-free Casarecce with Truffle, a good product without animal-derived ingredients, perfect for the diet of celiacs and vegans, thus satisfying all dietary needs.

If you prefer classic pasta, but want truffle in the sauce, I can only recommend trying the Pesto with Truffle, an exceptional product that brings simplicity and the fragrances of the earth to your table.
The sauce is already ready to use, perfect for seasoning first courses, but can also be tried on bruschetta: stunning for your taste buds!

Another incredible first course that, in my opinion, fully enhances truffles is undoubtedly the Carnaroli Rice with truffle. A fantastic risotto stirred with truffle, creamy in texture and with an unmistakable aroma, is just what you need on a cool autumn day.

At the Table with Piera: Second courses based on truffles for an unforgettable dinner

Let's start with a delicious dish that prepares in no time: a charcuterie board of cured meats and cheeses exclusively themed truffle!

For the salami, I thought of the Truffle Salami and I will try to describe it: high quality, decisive flavor, intense aroma, sweet and pungent, enveloping. A organoleptic triumph!

Next to the salami, I would place another product I can't do without. I'm talking about the Truffle Cheese aged 2-3 months, made from a truffle caciotta aged for only 60 days. Just think that during processing, the caciotta is enriched with truffles, and afterward, a maturation of about 2-3 months is expected.

Another truffle cheese I like to recommend because it has a flavor that makes it unique due to its processing is the Perlagrigia truffle cheese in ash.
Here, black truffle is added in pieces to the mixture. What distinguishes it and makes it so special is the process after the one-month aging: the form is placed under beech ash and massaged with various spices. The result is a perfect balance between truffle, spices, and milk. I consider it a true experience.

If we’re already well into autumn, if not winter, you could prepare it alongside meat, with truffle puree.

But is there also dessert with truffle? Why of course, but it has nothing to do with the "truffles" you find at the restaurant, as those only take their name from the shape they have, very similar indeed to that of truffles.

I suggest a Acacia Honey with truffle, a delight for the palate. Sweet and with a tantalizing flavor! It's delicious with fruit, but also simply spread on a slice of toasted bread for breakfast!
In fact, paired with cheeses, it’s no joke! In short, a product that goes well with everything, sometimes it just takes a little imagination.

Another sweet gem is certainly the Raspberry and Truffle Specialty, which combines the sweet and sour taste of raspberry with fresh summer truffle.
The interesting combination of these two ingredients makes it perfect for decorating and enhancing desserts. It also pairs very well with cheeses.

And finally, for the last one, I wanted to reserve a place for the king of black gold, that product which is so versatile that it can be used in a thousand different ways and dishes: the Extra virgin olive oil with truffle!
With this multifunctional ingredient, you can dress pasta, rice, but also white meats roast. Also try drizzling a bit of this oil on a sliced red meat steak... you will see what goodness! Moreover, if you put it on baked potatoes, it will give a special flavor to a simple dish.

I think I’ve given you some tips, or rather, perhaps I got a bit carried away... But you know how it is when an ingredient is so... I don’t even know how to describe it anymore! Let’s do this, try some of the products I’ve presented, you can find them all in the selection from Spaghetti & Mandolino, and find an adjective to describe the truffle.

P.S: and if you too are like me a truffle lover, there’s a special box for you: Truffle Lover, the luxury basket. Inside you can find the main truffle-based products, all of excellent quality and unique flavors!

Piera Visconti