Last years flyer from the Fair

It was a dream come true and also a necessity, we had to make sure that the quality that we were paying for ( Extras ) was really what we were getting and that the price was a fair market price and not one that was given to “North Americans that don’t know better”. I would like to quickly add that, that really wasn’t the case and that the prices are protected even within Alba and that the locals enjoy their product seasonally and it is usually traded amongst the locals with other produce rather than payment in money, but it does indeed get consumed and is just as appreciated there as in the rest of the world.

On our way to Piazza della Maddalena, Alba, Italy

As we walked the street shown on the picture above, I was thinking as I was pushing my then 2-year old in the stroller, on a 1.5′ wide sidewalk, am I ever going to be able to plow myself through these masses of people!

The excitement was unbearable and it had even rubbed off on our kids, my then 4-year old and his little brother kept on going “Are we there yet! Where is the Truffle?” thinking it was going to be a mountain of, most probably, candy for them, but it wasn’t for them, this time it was for us and as we walked in, there it was, no room for disappointment, large and fragrant winter white alba truffles.

Winter White Alba Truffles

Within 5 minutes of being there, the four of us, had a plate of buttered tagliatelle each, covered with a generos ammount of shaved winter white alba truffle, accompanied with a fantastic glass of  Barbaresco wine.

• Testun del Fen – a mix of 70% goat and 30% cow milk.

Testun del Fen - Cheese

After we somewhat silenced our truffle craving we were exposed to all the lovely local cheeses, they didn’t only taste good but they were also beautiful!

Blu di Capra | Cheese

• Blu di Capra – Goat cheese with mold growth from within pennicillum roqueforti, pronounced flavor, aged in a cave for more than 70 days. Cylindrical shape and weight, around 600-700 g. Best before two months from the sale.

Blu di Capra | Cheese

Because of all of the excitement surrounding the fair in Alba, I didn’t manage to get us decent lodging in the actual town so I had to find us a hotel in a neighboring city of Alba called Neive.

Villa Lauri | Neive, Italy

With a population of 3000 people this city is just the prettiest of sights and it also had the best restaurant I had eaten at during my 4 past trips to Italy!

La Bottega dei Vini | Neive, Italy

Just look at the wonderful simplicity of the plates…

I would like to end this post by saying that the french language is proclaimed to be the language of love but Italy is the country where you fall in love, with the history, the fashion, the beautiful landscape, the pride of each region and province and last but not least with the food, over and over again…

Truffle Oil Recipes

It was pretty hard for me to find exciting recipes on the web using truffle oil. I am not sure why. Is it the fact that my google search skills are not that great? Or maybe the food websites and bloggers that I usually follow are not very interested in using truffle oil?
I tend to blame it more on my search skills
I did find these three recipes though, that sounded interesting. I am not sure I will give any of them a try in the week to come, as it is back to school for my kids, and I don’t know if any of my readers have kids, but this time of the year is pretty busy. Let me put it this way, cooking just doesn’t happen that naturally. But I bookmarked them, and I will try them at the first occasion. I will share my experience with you.

So, voilà:

1. Seared Scallops on Vitelotte Purée by  THE PASSIONATE COOK
2. Jerusalem Artichoke Soup by LA TARTINE GOURMANDE
3. Pumpkin Soup with Parmesan by DELICIOUS MAGAZINE
   

Enjoy!

Cafe Via Dante's Truffled Gnocchi Recipe

Italian cooking has for many apparent reasons always been very mainstream because of its simplicity, meaning that the ingredient are very common ones and known by most of us.

It has been argued and still is by many, that when traditionally prepared in a restaurant kitchen it can not reach the highest ranking of four stars. And then when it is made non-traditional it is by some not considered as Italian cooking. I would have to disagree!

Personally I would leave it up to the creator of the dish to choose what to introduce its creations. I believe that doing so, it will continue the story, that was begun by the actual “author” or “artist”, to the happy ending that we all are looking forward to, which is how we perceive the dish in the end.

That’s why it is so important to listen to the waitor/waitress that is introducing the dish, most of the time they are passing the message of what the Chef’s intentions are with its creation.

Now as we all know, not every book is for every one, nor every painting and that also goes for food.

There for I guess it all boils down to asking the right questions prior to ordering and to have staff that are not only there to make some extra pocket money, but are aware that when going out to dine, is not just to still ones hunger but more about a good and pleasant dining experience.

Since we here at Macchi Inc. put a lot of emphasis on the quality and authenticity of the products we supply, we realize that we are also obligated to do so since our clients put just as much weight in that.

We know how hard they all work to make sure that every plate that gets presented is at its best. Just like any other artists creation, it is made with emotions and precision and lets not forget that they are humans and not machines so when the final product is made it can differ from how it was made the time before, having that said, that doesn’t mean that it should not be criticized constructively, by all means, we all know that to reach perfection we only do so by always being kept on our toes.

The above mentioned thought does not entirely relate to todays dish it was more of a thought that I felt I would like to share with all of you =).

And now that i have, let me present todays dish, that was prepared by the kitchen staff at Cafe via Dante, located in the heart of little Italy.

GNOCCHI RIPENI CON SALSA TARTUFATA

Cafe Via Dante's Truffled Gnocchi Recipe

Ingredients:

• Stuffed gnocchi with porcini mushrooms
• Leeks
• French shallots
• Truffle paste,
• White wine
• Chicken stock
• Butter
• Parmesan
• and of course, the Truffle Oil

If you like gnocchi, you will love this, if you don’t like gnocchi you might reconsider after trying this and if you never had gnocchi I would definitely suggest that you have it this way for your first time.

Summer is by far my favorite time of the year!

I love the heat and when I say that I really mean it, it can never get to hot and if it does you will never hear me complaining.

Even though I am born and raised in Sweden, Stockholm to be more precise, and have lived in Montreal for the past 13 years, I am not a person that has enjoyed the cold weather. The winter activities are fun though but as we all know with work and our daily working and household schedules we don’t get to enjoy them as often as we all would wish we could.

Having that said; I do enjoy the cooking more in summer, we are able to use more of our local products and produce and I also love shopping at the Jean Talon market.

All the beautiful colors and fragrances from the different fruits and vegetables and now as we are in the beginning of the harvest and thanks giving being just around the corner it has become a must to visit the market every saturday and sometime sunday morning.

Since we are in the topic of of seasonal fruits and vegetables I have a very easy and nice recipe for you this week that can be prepared with this weeks product; the Truffle oil.

ARTICHOKE WITH TRUFFLED VINAIGRETTE

Another quick and easy summer recipe.

1. Trim the tips of the leaves of your artichokes and put in boiling salted water. I like to add a half lemon so the artichokes stay as green as possible.
2. While artichokes are boiling, whisk together evoo, lemon juice, salt ,pepper and some truffle oil . Add a half teaspoon of Dijon mustard to the mix so that the oil and lemon juice are able to bind together.
3. Drain your artichokes, peel the leaves and dip into the vinaigrette.

Total cook time is about 15 min depending on the size of the artichoke. You can tell when there ready because the leaves can be pulled off with only a little bit of resistance.

Hope you will enjoy this as much as I do!

Black Truffle Oil, imported to Montreal by Macchi Inc. - Photos by Montreal Photographer Vadim Daniel

The product I picked to present to you this week has caused a lot of controversy over the years. Mainly because it has been portrayed as something different than it is, but it has always been very appreciated when consumed in all of its different ways of preparation.

I will, this week, make sure that there is no more confusion with regards to this very useful product and also let you know why I love to use it in my cooking and savor it in cooking prepared by professionals.

Introducing the Black Truffle Oil: ‘A bath of gold’!

I stumbled over many articles, as I did a search on the web for Truffle Oil, just to see how others had used it and also to see what their opinion was, as I do with every week’s product.

To my surprise, there was a lot of upset because people had been wrongfully informed.

The Truffle Oil that we sell here at Macchi Inc., is Olive oil infused with truffle essence, meaning that it is artificially flavored and in our case also flavored with real truffles and It is made on the highest quality of EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive oil).

Just as there is different kind of truffles, there is also different kind of truffle oils, we supply you with white winter truffle oil and the black summer truffle oil.

Can truffle oil be used to replace truffles? Never!

But it can most definately be considered as a truffle- or truffled product.

Considering it is based on olive oil, we all know what an aromatic and strong flavored oil olive oil is. Also I shouldn’t forget to mention when not fried in, how healthy it is for you! So no matter what flavors or essences that are infused in the oil, it will mix and make it’s own flavor and in my opinion a really good one!

Our truffle oil comes in 250 ml bottles and retails for around 30$ per bottle. The bottle is labeled as “il tartufo d’oro”.

This truffle oil adds a slightly sweet and earthy flavor to your dish and a heavenly aroma.

As always I am very interested to know what your thoughts are and if you’ve had the opportunity to taste or use truffle oil, don’t hesitate to share it with me.

Truffle oil, imported by Macchi Inc. - Photos by Montreal Photographer Vadim Daniel

I have to say that the reason why I like using truffle oil so much is because it complements my type of cooking very well.
I use it very often in my bechamel when I make lasagna. I also use it in my Alfredo & Bolognese sauce. I like using it when making risotto and I love using it as “topping” on vegetables or a nice piece of BBQed steak.

Depending on my mood I switch between the black truffle oil, that has more of an earthy taste, and the white truffle oil that has a stronger aroma and is sweeter in its flavor.

After opening the twist cap on the bottle it is recommended to keep it in the fridge make sure that cap is tight to keep the fragrance longer. I would suggest not to expect it to last longer than 6 months which for me has never been a problem =).

The truffle oil we sell at Macchi Inc. is labeled with ‘Il tartufo d’oro”, the bottle contains 250 ml and you need aprox. 5-10 ml/serving depending on what it is that you are preparing.

This is again a product that is not offered yet by retail stores, therefore, if you are interested to purchase Truffle Oil from us you can, just contact our office for further questions.

Truffles and truffled product have a distinct flavor and essence that is very different from anything else. It is very “potent” and if used in exaggerated amounts it can end up being difficult to digest, but it is something that does grow on you and when you’ve become custom to the flavor and essence the satisfaction is an unexperienced one and very fulfilling.

And now it’s your turn to treat yourself with giving your meals or vegetables a spa treatment in “a bath of gold”.

Truffled Pizza! Sounds delicious doesn’t it, well it is absolutely marvelous.

Pizzeria Arlequino and Restaurant Bottega, both very dear clients of ours, generously shared pictures and recipe of the same creation but off course both with their own twist.

Pizzeria Arlequino Pizza

Ingredients:

• Mozzarella fior di latte
• Egg
• Truffle Carpaccio

BOTTEGA’S RECIPE:

Restaurant Bottega's Pizza

Ingredients:

• Mozarella fior di latte
• Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Egg
• Truffle Carpaccio
• Fresh basil.

Both recipes are amazing in different ways.

If you get the chance to try either one of them, let me know I would love to hear your thoughts.

Hope this week was a good one for all of you.

TRUFFLE & EGG CROSTINI

We have a family country house on lake Massawippi, in the Eastern Townships and it is now the second generation of Macchi boys ( our children, Paolo’s and Mine) making noise in the area.

Growing up, Paolo spent every weekend and holiday in the country with his family, therefor it’s very important for him to do the same with our children since he has such great memories from there.

This past weekend, was the Annual Village Fair , we all went there just like we’ve done every year and Paolo has done at least for the past 25 years!

Every year is the same thing; you have the rides, the games, the petting zoo, the barns with cows and horses, competition of who has grown the largest vegetable and not to forget the horse race, my favorite part!

After we got home we gave the kids a bath, fed them and put them to bed.

And then it was our turn to eat =), we had some close friends of ours coming over, opened a bottle of wine and then Paolo was in charge!

Eggs and truffles have always been a match made in heaven!

Here is how Paolo spoiled us with this absolutely delicious snack.

EGG & TRUFFLE CROSTINI

• Simply slice some bread,
• Spread some truffle paste
• Add sliced hard boiled eggs
• Garnish with some truffle carpaccio
• Sprinkle some chives for color and taste.

Buon Appetitio!

Macchi' Inc.'s Truffle Carpaccio - Photos by Montreal Photographer Vadim Daniel

So now you’ve picked up your own jar of Truffle Carpaccio from us at Macchi Inc., and you are on your way to the grocery store to find what will be successfully paired with the truffle carpaccio for this week-end’s dinner or cocktail party.

So much to choose from and so exciting! Don’t let it overwhelm you, my suggestion to you is start with thinking of what you would like to prepare and what your strengths are.

You can prepare one of your favorite pasta dishes and top it with a couple of slices or you can make your favorite sandwich and top it with a slice or two of the carpaccio. I would say that anything really pairs well with the truffle carpaccio, vegetables, fish, poultry, meat, potato, egg etc.

What can be good to keep in mind is that since the truffles has a very strong aroma it can be very hard to digest if the amounts are exagerated. Remember that truffles and truffled products are to be used more as a spice rather than a condiment, but it’s not a spice. I would say that one slice is plenty as a serving portion for one person but by all means don’t let that hold you back if you can handle or enjoy more!

When jar is opened it can be kept in the refrigerator for a couple of months without any problems. It will never be “bad” for you to eat it afterwards it’s just that it will slowly loose some of its aroma, flavor and maybe even it’s texture buy getting slightly firmer.

I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s post just to show you how we love to have it!

• Keep in mind that this is thin slices of truffles, that have been preserved in oil for a while so they have become very soft, therefor when you will take the slices out of the jar use a pair of small plyers or even better, very gently, turn the jar upside down in a plate and then start distributing the carpaccio.

Let me know if you have any questions – I’m here to answer them!

Macchi Inc.'s Truffle Carpaccio - Photos by Montreal Photographer Vadim Daniel

I am, and have been on vacation, in the Quebec Eastern Townships ( Canton L’Est ) since wednesday.

Spending quality time with close friends and family, over many good meals, makes you realize that to accomplish a successfull dinner; everything matters!

We put together some recipes that we had made before and to our surprise they tasted different and we also enjoyed them in a much different way, and the fact that there was a very appreciative audience to feed our egos made the experience even better =).

Which brings us to this week’s product: Truffle Carppacio; my little sheets of silk.

It is made from summer truffles, covered with sunflower oil in a jar. A traditional Umbrian recipe; pasteurized in it’s natural juices, no preservatives or artificial colorings, chilled and then sliced paper thin.

I LOVE THIS PRODUCT!

It makes it so convenient to spoil yourself or your guests any time.

As I gently pluck them out, one by one from the jar, so that they wont rip or tear, the scent and aromas simply hypnotizes me but in difference from the fresh product, it is very subtle.

The texture due to being soaked in oil, is very silky and gentle on the palate and no matter what dish or product you end up topping with the truffled carpaccio, you do end up spoiling it very generously.

In case you didn’t know, carpaccio in Italian means when something is served raw and is thinly sliced or pounded.

We started carrying the truffle carpaccio about two years ago, as an addition to our truffled products that we offer at Macchi Inc. It is for us and our clients a fairly new product and we have not had the time to market this product properly yet.

Therefor, this is one of the few products we carry, that you can buy directly from us as a private person, since we do not have any retail stores purchasing it from us yet.

What is the difference between our brand and other brands?

Jarred truffle carpaccio, can be purchase in stores, but it’s not “ours”.

If it’s on the shelves and sold in the stores it can’t be bad!

But just like everything else; quality has it’s price!

Stay tuned for some Tips & Tricks tomorrow and pictures of how we spoiled our guests with truffle carpaccio on Wednesday.

Wishing you a great week!