Who can resist truffles? Not me! Risotto with truffle is a classic first course, easy and quick to prepare, a dish that will certainly impress your guest. The simplicity of the ingredients is enhanced by the flavor of truffle.

This is something you can prepare for a special meal with friends and family. Like most authentic Italian recipes it’s deceivingly simple to prepare, but the result is extraordinarily tasty and beautiful.

Truffle is a hypogeal (underground) fungus and is one of the priciest foods around. Italian truffles are divided into black (such as Norcia, Umbria and Montepulciano, Tuscany) and white (also called Alba or Piedmontese, Piedmont). To learn more about the history, tradition and nutritional value check another recipe: Tagliatelle with truffle. 

RISOTTO WITH BLACK TRUFFLE – RISOTTO AL TARTUFO NERO

Total preparation time:  30 minutes   Cooking time: 18-20 minutes         Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS
1 liter (about 1 quart) vegetable stock
85 g (6 Tbsp) unsalted butter
300 g (1 ½ cups) Italian Carnaroli or Arborio rice
240 ml (1 cup) dry white wine, at room temperature
100 g (3.5 oz) black truffle
60 g (about ½ cup) grated Parmesan cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. In a saucepan over medium heat, warm up the stock.
2. In a large saucepan heat 60 g (2 oz) of butter. Add the rice and stir thoroughly for about 3-5 minutes, in order to coat the rice well with the butter. This helps regulate absorption of liquid and ensure a nice risotto al dente. Add the wine and stir until completely absorbed over medium-high heat.
4. Add a soup ladle or two of the stock until the rice is just covered, and stir continuously with a wooden spoon. When the stock is almost completely absorbed (the rice should not be dry on top) repeat this process

5. Remove the risotto from the heat (after about 16-18 minutes), when the rice is nearly tender to the bite, but with just a hint of resistance (al dente), and the liquid you have added up to this point has been mostly absorbed - risotto should still seem a bit soupy. Add the cheese and the remaining butter. Keep stirring the risotto to blend it in. You can also add some salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Let it stand for 1 or 2 minutes.
   6. Serve immediately with some thin truffle shavings on top (plan your timing well. It is very easy to overcook risotto!).