Cheese Ravioli with fresh Black Summer Truffles

In the fall when I celebrate the arrival of fresh white truffles to America, I often reminisce about an earlier trip to Alba, Italy. Forty years ago, my late husband and I were there to attend the annual white truffle auction.  Originally the event was a rustic affair held in a non-descript communal hall in the sleepy Piedmont town. Now it’s a month-long festival replete with a donkey race, people in ancient costumes, and all sorts of other touristic activities. 

However, decades ago before the main auction took place— which was reserved for restaurateurs and exporters— small truffles could be purchased by non-professionals. As we walked into the hall Ed and I noticed a few older men milling around. Dressed in dark corduroy pants, olive green quilted vests and flat tweed hats, each was clutching in their dirt-stained hands a stash of truffles wrapped in newspaper   We were forewarned by local friends not to be influenced by the size of the truffles. Sometimes unscrupulous sellers used toothpicks to piece together smaller truffles to create bigger ones.  Even though we were total novices, we smugly ignored anyone who approached with a suspiciously large truffle.

Eventually Ed found a respectfully dressed, clean shaven gentleman who offered us a medium-sized white truffle. Luckily, he also spoke broken English which allowed for some price negotiating. We settled on what seemed to be a fair price.  Our plan was to take the truffle home to the country house we were renting and have it for dinner.

I had brought my truffle brush and stainless-steel slicer from New York.  While Ed went to work making a simple risotto, I prepped the truffle. I had read somewhere to soak white truffles in cold water first to clean them which I did. The truffle brush was then used to clean off some surface dirt.  By dinnertime our truffle had become a sponge and disintegrated when shaved. Our long-awaited truffle experience ended in a total disaster.

Since that fateful day, I now know that fresh truffles, especially imported ones, normally come already pristine clean, vacuumed sealed with ice packs. A fresh truffle—black or white—should be firm with a strong earthy smell.  If you are not using it immediately, once opened, wrap it in a moisture absorbent paper towel, then put it in a sealed container and refrigerate. While importers will tell you it should be used within a week, for best results use your truffles within two to three days from purchase, especially the white ones.

Most truffle importers pride themselves in presenting a product ready to use. However, if you still feel the necessity to clean it, use a damp paper towel or a small brush with soft bristles. Experts use toothbrushes.  If you are fastidious and insist on water, dip the brush in water—not the truffle—and lightly remove any soil from the crevices.  Immediately wrap the truffle in a paper towel to remove any excess water. Store in a sealed container and rewrap daily. To serve, remove the truffle from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature.  Then, it’s ready to use either thinly sliced using a hand-held slicer or grated with a micro plane onto your dish. 

Keep these simple rules in mind: Never cook white truffles. While their aroma is pungent, their flavor is subtle. Black summer truffles are also slightly delicate and therefore should not be cooked. Instead, fresh black summer truffles as well as the white should be added to a finished dish where the residual heat of the preparation will unlock their delicate flavor.. Black winter truffles, however, being stronger in aroma and taste, can be used both ways, raw or cooked.

The recipe here is super easy. Start with high-quality fresh pasta.  I selected small, square ravioli stuffed with cheese. As I am a broth nut, homemade vegetable broth was used for cooking the ravioli.  The instructions on the package called for 6-8 minutes of cooking.  I removed the ravioli after 5 minutes using a slotted spoon and placed them into a skillet with melted sweet butter and sage to cook for two more minutes.  (Remember to keep some of the cooking water before draining the pasta). Then I used the mantecatura method to create a creamy sauce by emulsifying the fat in the dish. This technique calls for removing the skillet from heat, adding either butter or oil depending on the recipe, then vigorously shaking the skillet back and forth. Practice this cooking hack.  It comes in handy for dishes needing an easy, creamy sauce.  

Ingredients:

3 quarts homemade broth (vegetable or chicken) or water

2 teaspoons salt

1 container of fresh small square cheese ravioli (24 units)

2 tablespoons sweet butter, divided into two uses

4 sage leaves

 1 small fresh black summer truffle, 2/3 oz or more

Grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Cooking instructions:

1.      Bring broth to a rapid boil in a large pot. Add salt.

2.      Lower heat to medium then gently drop in ravioli and cook for 5 minutes. Retain one cup of the cooking liquid and set aside.

3.      Using a slotted spoon, drain ravioli directly into a large skillet where you have melted 1 tablespoon butter and fried the sage leaves for 5 minutes beforehand. Remove the sage leaves.

4.      Using the mantecatura method, add the final tablespoon of butter then shake the skillet back and forth, off the heat, to create a smooth, creamy sauce.  If it’s too thick, add some pasta water a little at a time.  Continue shaking the skillet until the desired thickness is achieved.

5.      Divide the ravioli with some sauce into four heated soup bowls.

6.      Grate a small black summer truffle on top of each dish using a micro plane. Serve immediately. Pass the grated cheese for those people who can’t live without it.

Serves: 4 people as an appetizer course

Recommended wines: Since both black and white truffles come from Piedmont a local Nebbiolo-based wine would be my first choice for red. Look for a medium-weight Barbaresco or Barbera. Other red alternatives for this ravioli dish would be a Pinot Noir or a Syrah, both of which have an earthy, spicy and nutty undertone which complements the complexity of truffled dishes. For white wine, try a Gavi which is a local wine made from the Cortese grape.  And remember you can never go wrong either with a dry sparkling wine from Franciacorta also from Northern Italy.