Il Fornaio's Festa Regionale--Trentino-Alto Adige

Trentino-Alto Adige

Part of the Austrian Empire for centuries, the region is
officially bilingual, both in language and cuisine

PANE DI SEGALA rye flatbread with fennel and caraway seeds, compliments of the Bakers of Il Fornaio (also for sale at our bakery).

ZUPPA D' ORZO E CANNELLINI vegetable soup with barley, cannellini beans and crispy speck $5.50 Teroldego

ASPARAGI CON FAGIOLI ROSSE asparagus and white bean salad with red onions, tomatoes, arugula; red wine vinaigrette $7.25 Pinot Grigio

SALSICCIA ALLA GRIGLIA CON VERZE grilled Italian sausage and braised cabbage and onions $7.50 Marzemino

POLENTA CON RAGU DI POLLO grilled polenta topped with chicken ragu, porcini mushrooms and speck $7.95 Teroldego

CASONZEI ALLA TRENTINA ravioli filled with red beets, ricotta and potato, fontina cream sauce with parmesan, crispy sage, lemon zest and chives $13.50 Pinot Grigio

CANNELLONI DI BIETOLE E PROSCIUTTO pasta filled with Swiss chard, spinach, prosciutto, smoked mozzarella, ricotta, tomato-bechamel; from the wood-fired oven $13.75 Teroldego

RISOTTO CON PORCINI E ASPARAGI risotto with porcini mushrooms, asparagus, shallots and parmesan $14.95 Pinot Grigio or Marzemino

MEDAGLIONI DI POLLO CON FUNGHI chicken medallions with fontina, portobello mushrooms and white wine, served with potatoes and vegetables $16.95 Teroldego

BRACIOLA DI MAIALE CON MELE grilled double pork chop filled with smoked mozzarella and emmenthal cheeses, apple and pancetta sauce; served with sauteed spinach and mashed potatoes $18.95 Marzemino

SALMONE VAL ULTIMO grilled coho salmon filet with marjoram-dill hollandaise, soft polenta, sauteed leeks and cherry tomatoes $19.50 Pinot Grigio

SACHER TORTE chocolate-hazelnut-rum sponge cake layered with apricot preserves, covered with dark chocolate ganache and served with frangelico-creme anglaise and chocolate sauce $6.95

Pinot Grigio
Maso Canali, 1999
Produced from 100% pinot grigio grown in Trentino, an area recognized for producing the highest quality pinot grigio in all of Italy. This single vineyard pinot grigio is crisp and fresh with lively citrus and almond flavors, medium body and a long round finish. A great match for seafood, chicken and lighter pasta.
1/2 glass $4.75 glass $9.50 bottle $37.00

Marzemino
Battistoti, 1999
This medium-bodied red wine is produced from 100% marzemino grapes grown in the rocky soils of Trentino. Full of bright, lively fruit with intense aromas and flavors of almonds, violets, cherries and raspberries, this delicious wine is an excellent match with pork, sausage and cheeses.
1/2 glass $4.25 glass $8.50 bottle $33.00

Teroldego Rotaliano
Foradori, 1998
Produced from 100% teroldego grapes grown north of Trentino in the gravelly, sandy soils of the Noce River, this medium-bodied red wine is full of blackberry, plum and spice aromas and flavors. Pair with full-flavored pastas and meat dishes.
1/2 glass $4.75 glass $9.50 bottle $37.00

GERMANO MININ

GERMANO MININ
Chef-Partner, Il Fornaio

ermano Minin believes that cooking is in his blood. “My grandparents and my parents owned restaurants in Italy. I was practically brought up in the laps of guests, my parents were always so busy.”Germano started working in the family business at age seven, peeling potatoes. When he was eventually promoted to working the grill, he was just twelve. At age thirteen he started culinary school, a natural extension of the education provided by his family.

“I attended culinary school in Piano d’Arta, just twenty minutes from the Austrian border. It is the food from Austria and Hungary that so greatly influences the cuisine in Trentino-Alto Adige, and this is the food we ate and prepared. My first job out of school was in Carnia, across the Austrian border, and we offered traditional Trentino dishes. The food from Trentino is so different from what many people think of Italian food - lots of pork, speck, sausage, full-flavored and smoked cheeses. Trentino is really the bridge that connects Italy to the rest of Europe; the food is unique and you won't find it anywhere else.”

On a vacation to the United States in 1991, Germano visited friends working in the restaurant business. Convinced to stay and work with them, he eventually found his way to Scottsdale, Arizona and Il Fornaio, where he is now the Chef-Partner in charge of the kitchen. “I need to cook to be happy. The food we prepare here is authentic, as close as you can come to Italy without travelling there.

“I hope you enjoy your experience in this region of Trentino-Alto Adige. Buon Appetito!”

Two distinctly different provinces make up this northernmost region. Approximately two- thirds of the population is German-speaking, with the remaining one-third Italian. The Austrian influence is seen throughout the cuisine: from grilled sausage and braised cabbage (Salsiccia alla Griglia con Verze) to smoked cheeses and seasonings of juniper berries.

T R E N T I N O Trentino has a definite Italian flair and is almost entirely Italian speaking. But the Austrian influence is still strong in the cuisine, where dishes are a combination of the Italian and Austrian kitchens. Countless lakes and mountain streams make Trentino the best place in Italy for freshwater fishing; agriculture (mushrooms, cabbage, potatoes) and the production of wines are the main sources of income in the area. Merlot and pinot grigio are the best known wines, now sold all over Italy. The capital, Trento, was a Roman town of some importance, and is now a quiet, industrious urban center.

Map of Northern Italy showing the adjacent provinces, Trentino and Alto Adige

A L T O A D I G E Alto Adige (also known as the South Tyrol) was part of the Austrian empire for six centuries. It came into the Italian domain in 1919 when the Austro-Hungarian empire was carved up and European borders redrawn. A dominant element in Alto Adige cooking is pork, so you will find many dishes with ham and speck (smoked ham). North of Bolzano (the capital), rye, maize and wheat are cultivated; to the south are cattle and dairy farms. The food can be heavy and coarse, or delicate (like trout from the Alpine streams); there seems to be no middle ground.

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