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* Featured in the ”Il Fornio Pasta Book” (Chronicle Books 2002) |
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Chardonnay,
MandraRossa, 2003 Don Pietro Bianco, Spadafora, 2003 Scurati Nero d’Avola, Ceuso, 2003 Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Valle dell’Acate, 2002 |
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“Now that I live in the U.S, I go back to Italy every few years to visit friends who have restaurants there. It is always much more fun to spend time with them working in their restaurants. I love to see what is going on in different parts of Italy. This travel and collection of various dishes, passed down through generations are the inspiration for my Sicily menu. And after my last trip to Sicily, I have even used Sicilian dialect to name the dishes. “I
love the action of the restaurant. And if you really love what you do,
it makes the dishes that come out of your kitchen even more special.
My kitchen at Il Fornaio in Beverly Hills is especially fun and lively.
I have great sous chefs and when we combine our ideas and experience
we can always come up with something new, something different. This kind
of collaboration keeps things interesting. I am lucky enough to be able
to spend time in the dining room with our guests, and when they com-pliment
our work, I go home very happy! So, I hope you enjoy your adventure with
the bread, food, and wine from my menu
of Sicily.” |
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The largest island in the Mediterranean, Sicily is a cultural melting pot. Its heritage—both historical and culinary—is as much Greek, Arab and Norman as it is Italian. When you cross over from the Italian mainland to Messina, you are only 90 miles away from Tunisia, and North African influences permeate Sicilian cuisine. The Ancient Greeks also made their mark, but it is a strange mixture of Norman and Arabian influences, coupled with a sunny climate and fertile soil that gives Sicily its abundance of unique foods and culinary traditions. Many ingredients were introduced to Italy via Sicilian ports. |
The vast migration of tuna and swordfish past the island were recorded as far back as Aristotle in the 4th century BC. This of fish harvested from surrounding waters has inspired many dishes on tonight'’s menu, including Pisci Spada ‘Mpanatu (swordfish steak)and the Tunnu co Sammurigghiu a Catanisi (grilled ahi tuna). |
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There is not much grazing land on the island, so whatever sheep are raised are used mostly for milk for the variety of cheeses. Piacintinu Ennese cheese used in the tomato salad was imported from Sicily just for this menu. Because of the climate, much of any year’s first vegetables in Europe are grown in Sicily. Springtime on the Continent is announced by the arrival of the first of many boatloads of Sicilian egg-plant, peppers, and peas. Eggplant is used liberally in many regions of Italy, but much of what is bought in the north comes from the south. Sicily also has long cultivated a sur-plus of wheat. Pasta, while believed to have been invented in China, was introduced to Italy by merchants arriving in Sicily. |
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Ottavio
Palmeri was
born in Gela on the southern
coast of Sicily. Because he
was the youngest of eight
children, he was named
Ottavio (“eight” in Italian
is “otto”). Growing up, he
would help his mother
prepare meals for this
large family, so it seemed
natural that he should
attend culinary school at
age 14. His first job out of
school was as a sous chef
in a trattoria in Catania
(Sicily). He was lured by a
phone call from his brother, Gaetano, in California to come
work in his restaurant. This was an opportunity he could not
ignore, and he arrived in southern California in 1984. “Having
come through culinary school in Italy where they teach dishes
from all regions, I was able to offer many styles of cooking.
