Our
visit to San Miniato was on an unseasonably cold
and wet day in the very early autumn, shortly before
the colors of the fall took hold of the countryside.
Later in this issue of Tuscan Life we will visit
the restaurant Il Canapone where a delicious
lunch warmed and prepared us for further exploration
of the town, and also discuss the truffles for which
the town in famous. But for now, let
us begin with a recipe featuring the white Tuscan
truffle of San Miniato.
Stracciatella
with shaved Tuscan Truffles
A simple presentation
is always needed to highlight the rare and heady
truffle. So many recipes that incorporate
truffles call for eggs, such as an omelet
with truffles, or pasta with egg and truffle.
But our memories of a cold and wet afternoon in
San Miniato, the home of the largest truffle
ever found in Italy, remind of this delightful
soup, the perfect use of the prized truffle.
The idea for
this recipe comes to us from Salvatore Cucchiara,
president of the Truffle Hunters of the San Miniato
Hills Association, via the Regione Toscana's guide
to the agricultural products of Tuscany. The
recipe is so simple, and yet so elegant, that it
would be the perfect first course at a special dinner.
But you need not save it for a special occasion;
treat yourself to this some afternoon or evening
when comfort and luxury are needed to brighten a
winter meal.
One quart high
quality (preferably homemade) Chicken Broth
1 extra-large
or 2 small eggs
1/2 cup or more
Parmigiano, finely grated
1 white Tuscan
truffle to shave
Beat the eggs
and cheese thoroughly together while bringing the
broth to a gentle boil. Keeping the broth
at a gentle boil, gradually beat the egg and cheese
mixture in, using a fork. This creates the
shreds of egg for which the soup is named.
After placing
the soup in individual bowls, and using a
truffle slicer, which cuts very fine, thin slices
of the truffle, add a generous amount of shaved
truffle to each bowl. If a truffle slicer
is not available, a mandoline, set on the thinnest
slicing option, can be used. It is also possible
to carefully use the slicing blade of a grater or
a peeler to create the thin slices of truffle.
You and your
guests will never forget this delightful soup with
the addition of the rare and fragrant white Tuscan
truffle.
Tartufo
Bianco, the White Truffle of Tuscany
In 1954 a truffle
hunter from San Miniato found the world' largest
truffle. Hearing of this, a truffle broker
from Piemonte secretly bought the prized truffle
and gave it as a gift to President Harry Truman
of the United States. For some years it was
believed that this enormous truffle came from Piemonte,
until just a few years ago. After a half-century
had passed, the truffle hunter from San Miniato
no longer felt compelled to keep the secret,
and confessed that it was here on the hills surrounding
San Miniato that he had found the prized truffle.
In San Miniato,
the truffle provides at least a part of the history
of the people of the town. Late in the 19th,
and early in the 20th century, impoverished woodsmen
from Romagna came to cut wood in the hills near
San Miniato. Many of them were accomplished
truffle hunters, and they recognized the conditions
in the woods that create the best climate for truffles.
Upon returning the following year, many of them
brought their truffle sniffing dogs along with them,
and the truffle business of San Miniato was born.
Several of these men stayed to marry women of the
Val D'Elsa, or left their dogs behind as they
migrated to other wood cutting jobs. Dogs
and men gave birth to new families of human and
canine truffle hunters which propagate and prosper
today.
According to
the Regione Toscana's guide to the products of Tuscany,
the white truffle,
or "Tartufo Bianco has a smooth yellow outer
layer and a pulp ranging in color from faint nut-brown
to dark brown. The dimensions vary.
It matures from October to the end of December.
It has an extremely pleasant fragrance and an excellent
taste. This is the 'noble' truffle.
Typical of the Val D'Elsa and San Miniato and the
Crete Senesi, it can also be found in Casentino,
Mugello and the Val Tiberina. It lives in
symbiosis with many vegetable species: the
walnut, oak, poplar, willow, hornbeam, pine, and
linden trees." San Miniato holds a major
truffle festival each November: it is the time of
the San Miniato Truffle Show, which goes on throughout
the month, attracting all of the area's truffle
merchants, and buyers from around the world.
San
Miniato
San Miniato is
an ancient town, sitting high atop a hill above
the Val D'Elsa. Its strategic position made
it the home of the Holy Roman Emperors in Tuscany,
and in the 12th century it became an important Imperial
fortress, protecting the crossroads of the main
road from Florence to Pisa where it intersected
with the Via Francigena, which was the major pilgrimage
route from France to Rome.
Two of the towers
of the ancient citadel remain today; one forms
the present campanile of the Duomo, and the
other is the Torrione or Rocca, which sits
in the middle of the Prato del Duomo, an
expanse of greenery that crowns San Miniato.
We visited the Torrione on a blustery day and were
nearly blown past the unique chimney-like structures
at its top. It is easy to understand why San
Miniato is the home to Italy's National Kite
Flying Championships, which take place on the
Sunday after Easter.
We also fondly
remember the lovely young woman who sold us tickets
to the tower. Her beauty and her presence
on the lonely hilltop led us to romantically, if
facetiously, christen her "La Bella Donna delle
Torre." Like so many of the people we
met in San Miniato, this young woman was a
gracious host who took the time to explain the town
and its attractions to us. She pointed out
the nearby Palazzo dei Vicari dell'Imperatore
and the red brick Duomo with its justly famous
Baroque interior. In the center of the town,
below these august structures, the churches
of San Domenic and San Francesco are
also well worth a visit. The city offers a
ticket that makes several churches and museums easy
and economical to visit. While there, do not
miss the lively facade of the Town Hall, with its
brilliant exterior frescos.
San Miniato holds
concerts and other events to attract visitors throughout
the year. During the summer months,
a theater festival is a popular draw for Italians
and foreign tourists alike.
Centuries ago
the people of San Miniato chose St. Genesio, an
actor, as their patron saint. He was martyred
because he portrayed the Passion of Christ on stage.
Inspired by this, and in an effort to resurrect
the theater of San Miniato that was destroyed in
World War II, the people of the town have turned
its scenic squares into a popular venue for plays
and dramatic workshops.
Open-air plays
with a traditionally religious theme have been staged
here each summer since 1947. The unique event is
a collaboration of the Accademia di Arte Drammatica
(Academy of Dramatic Art) in Rome, and important
international playwrights, directors and famous
Italian actors.
Information on
the Truffle Show, the Kite Flying Championships,
and the Theater Festival can all be had through
San Miniato's tourist office.
Tourist Office
Piazza del
Popolo
0571 42745
As we mentioned
above, we had a wonderful lunch at Il Canapone
in San Miniato, where the lively atmosphere was
as restorative as the delicious food. San
Miniato sits so high above the confluence of the
Elsa and Arno rivers that it seems to be atop the
highest hill for miles around. This, of course,
creates those windy conditions so necessary for
kite flying, and also led us to seek the sanctuary
of the warm and convivial Il Canapone. The
simple restaurant was busy during a weekday lunch,
serving typical Tuscan appetizers and heartier lunch
dishes of pastas and soups. The local truffles
are available here on a variety of dishes, including
pastas, risotto, and veal. We had a lovely
appetizer of mixed local salamis followed by the
house specialty pasta, which was delicious.
On our departure, we spent a few delightful minutes
with the children of the family that owns the restaurant.
They found my attempts at Italian to be quite humorous!
Il Canapone
Piazza Bonaparte
5
0571 418121
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