FOOD FOR THOUGHT | There's black gold in them hills for gourmands with a craving

Perhaps we picture the lamb, cattle, poultry, pigs or deer that abound in our surrounding meadows and valleys.

What many don't realise is that in the depths of winter a growing number of farmers extract one of the world's finest delicacies out of local soil.

Black Perigord truffles, aka black gold, have long been at the top of the list for gourmands who crave the finest of cuisine.

For the uninitiated, a black truffle (Tuber melanosporum) is a tuber that grows inches below the surface, in connection to fine roots growing from certain inoculated trees.

Jet black, knobbly and coarsely textured, they can vary between the size of a marble to a tennis ball or larger.

But their humble appearance belies a mysterious world of aroma and flavour that has intoxicated gastronomists since the 15th century.

Specially trained dogs (traditionally pigs) pick up the scent and direct their trainers to the spot between the trees where they should gently dig.

As the truffle is loosened from the soil the fragrance announces itself; a heady perfume of savoury earthiness, with an essence of toasted nuts and garlic mushrooms.

The long lingering taste is just as rich and can vary from hints of cocoa and menthol to earthier forest mushroom flavours.

Lisa Cortes of Pinnacle Truffle Dogs is one of a couple of truffle hunters who service the region.

With her trusty sniffer dog Nova, and apprentice pup Theo, she covers ten or more truffieres from the slopes of Mount Canobolas, Forest Reefs, south of Blayney, Lucknow and all the way to Oberon.

This young industry is rapidly growing as the science becomes gradually clearer and inoculation of trees is more effective.

"I get calls every week from truffieres I didn't know existed," she tells me.

Patrick Fitzgerald of the family owned and operated Gleneva Truffiere planted 3000 hazelnut and oak trees over five hectares on Pinnacle Road in 2001 and has been supplying an export market as well as restaurants across the nation.

He's a classic example of the tenacity and perseverance of our region's farmers.

Having weathered costly drought conditions, the untimely passing of his beloved truffle sniffing dog, and now the COVID-19 driven closure of his markets, Mr Fitzgerald's truffles are available to the Orange public at the Orange Farmers Market every month or through the Gleneva Truffiere facebook page.

At $1.50 per gram for first class quality truffles, it's a wonderful opportunity for local food-lovers.

Restaurants often pay $2 or more from wholesalers and I've known some dodgy outfits to charge up to $3 per gram for lower grade truffles.

Buyers should look for truffles which are firm with a very prominent pleasing aroma.

When cut they should be consistently black with distinct white veins.

An unripe truffle will be rock hard, pale or brown in colour, and lacking that punchy perfume.

Truffles that are overripe will be soft and squishy, with fading veins, and the beginnings of rot will be apparent in a yeasty smell like old socks.

The flavour of black truffle lends itself to many things, both sweet and savoury.

Truffle is fantastic shaved or grated over seafood, grilled meats and buttery vegetables.

Avoid strong spices and sharp acids that will dominate.

The richness of cream, butter or eggs are a great vehicle for truffle and sometimes the best way to showcase them is a simple pasta or risotto.

Risotto Bianco with Black Truffle

With a star ingredient like this I like to keep things simple and let the truffle drive the bus.

The key to getting the best flavour in this risotto is to store the truffle with the cheese overnight.