Focaccia Umbra
Focaccia bread topped with sweet onions and sage,
compliments of the Bakers of Il Fornaio.

Minestre di Borlotti con Farro   $5.95 bowl;  $3.50 cup Orvieto
Italian spelt soup with borlotti beans and vegetables

Prosciutto d'Anatra e Crostini al Tartufo   $8.95  Sangiovese
Smoked duck breast prosciutto, arugula, lemon dressing,
black truffle crostini

Pasta con Rancetto   $10.95  Sangiovese
Fresh fettuccini, smoked pork cheek pancetta, tomatoes, pecorino

Ravioli di Faraona   $13.95  Orvieto
Fresh pasta filled with guinea hen, chicken and vegetables;
Orvieto wine and chanterelle mushroom sauce

Gnocchi di Bietole e Spinaci   $12.95  Sangiovese
Spinach and beet dumplings; porcini mushroom cream sauce

Risotto con Quaglia e Funghi   $15.95  Orvieto
Risotto with quail, champignon mushrooms and pork cheek pancetta

Filetti di Maiale ai Capperi   $18.95  Sangiovese
Sauteed pork tenderloin with brandy-caper sauce;
served with mashed potatoes and sauteed Swiss chard

Salmone Tartufato   $19.95  Orvieto
Norwegian salmon sauteed with artichokes, white wine;
served with black truffle sauce and potato cake

Costoletto d'Agnello Fichi e Polenta   $20.95  Sangiovese
Rack of lamb with port wine and figs;
served with soft polenta and pea shoots

Tortina di Mele    $6.50
Apple-almond custard, vanilla bean ice cream and caramel sauce

MAKE FRESH PASTA AT HOME!

The recipes of Il Fornaio's Executive chef Maurizio Mazzon are featured in The Il Fornaio Pasta Book: Authentic Recipes Celebrating Italy's Regional Pasta Dishes, available at Il Fornaio and most bookstores. Ask your server.

Orvieto Campogrande,
Antinori, 2001

btl $21 gl $5.50 1/2 gl $2.75

A refreshing white wine produced from Procanico, Grechetto and Verdello grapes grown in the hilltop village of Orvieto. Bright citrus aromas and flavors are balanced by a crisp clean finish. A nice match with the Ravioli di Faraona, Risotto con Quaglia and Salmone Tartufato.

Satiro Sangiovese,
Rocca di Fabbri, 2000

btl $25 gl $6.50 1/2 gl $3.25

This medium-bodied red is produced from 85% Sangiovese and 15% Merlot grapes grown in the Montefalco area of Umbria. Full of blackberry, plum and cherry aromas and flavors, this wonderfully balanced wine has excellent structure, perfect with Prosciutto d’Anatra and Filetto di Maiale.

Ezio Gamba was born in Bergamo, in the Italian region of Lombardia. As a young boy he loved spending time in the kitchen, watching as the family meals were prepared. So, as soon as he was of age, he began to study at the San Pellegrino Hotel School, where cooking became a lifelong occupation and passion.

This passion has taken him to jobs in his home town, cooking for top brass in the military, and finally, to Il Fornaio in Roseville, where he is in charge of the kitchen.

About Umbria, Ezio explains, “The food of Umbria is very simple and full of distinct flavors because of the great quality of ingredients you find there. The black truffles, of course, give the food an earthy and unique flavor. The olives grown here produce some of the best olive oil found in Italy. The pork takes its special taste from the acorns the pigs feed on in the woods. Umbria is also one of the best regions to find game, such as the guinea hen you’ll find on tonight’s menu.”

To Ezio, his passion for cooking comes out of his great satisfaction in pleasing his guests. It is this satisfaction that keeps him coming back to the kitchen each day. It is the wide range of Italian regional cuisine that keeps him creative.

“As you look at my menu of Umbria,” Ezio says,“the preparations are not complicated. The individual ingredients speak for each dish; the wonderful ingredients you find in Umbria naturally set the cuisine apart from the other regions of Italy.

“It is my hope that you discover the simple pleasures in the food of Umbria - Buon Appetito!”

Ezio Gamba
CHEF-PARTNER
IL FORNAIO

The food of Umbria is hearty and simple, relying on the fresh ingredients found in the mountainous countryside for flavor. Central to any menu from the region is the black truffle, or tartufo nero, and those from Norcia and Spoleto are especially prized. Prosciutto d'Anatra, Rucola e Crostini (smoked duck breast prosciutto) features crostini topped with black truffle.

Olives are another ingredient that are featured in every trattoria in Umbria. In particular, the Trevi area is home to some of the greatest olive oils in the world. In Trevi, up a steep hillside, is the oldest olive-producing tree in the world, a tree over one thousand years old. Many years ago, the olive growers in Trevi forged a collective, where they bring the fruit of their trees to a central bottling plant. In the middle of this plant sit two gigantic stone wheels, between which tons of olives are squeezed each season. It is this extremely low-tech process that we call ‘cold-pressed.’

In Umbria, sheep’s milk is favored for cheese. Pecorino is the most popular and adds a unique tanginess to Pasta con Rancetto (fresh fettuccine, smoked pork cheek pancetta and tomatoes). Pecorino is used often in Umbrian dishes as it proves to be the perfect foil for the flavorful and earthy black truffle.

As you sample this menu highlighting the food and wine of Umbria, let it inspire you to discover the richness and magic of all of the regions of Italy.