Festa Regionale - Il Fornaio presents the food and wine of Umbria


	Pane Olive Italian filone bread studded with cured green olives and served with cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil from Umbria Minestra di Borlotti con Farro $3.50 cup / $5.95 bowl Grechetto Borlotti bean soup with farro (organic Italian barley) and diced vegetables, topped with a sfilatino crouton Bietole alla Perugina $7.50 Chardonnay Red beets and barley tossed with grape tomatoes, champignon mushrooms, celery, lemon and garlic; served over butter lettuce with red wine vinaigrette Polenta e Salsiccia Tartufata $7.95 Montefalco Soft polenta with sautéed mushrooms, truffled cheese, topped with Italian sausage Spaghetti con Rancetto $11.95 Grechetto Imported pasta, smoked pork cheek pancetta, tomatoes, pecorino cheese Ravioli di Faraona alla Crema $14.50 Chardonnay Housemade ravioli filled with guinea hen, chicken, vegetables and herbs; parmesan cream sauce with chopped black truffles Cannelloni alla Ternana $15.95 Grechetto or Chardonnay Fresh pasta stuffed with fresh ricotta, pecorino, and gruyere cheese, swiss chard, potatoes and pinenuts, onions; béchamel sauce with sliced black truffles Risotto Umbro $14.95 Montefalco Arborio rice, porcini mushrooms, Italian sausage, parmesan, marinara, thyme and basil Galletto in Porchetta $18.50 Chardonnay Partially-deboned grilled game hen marinated in lemon and herbs with pancetta, served with roasted potatoes and sautéed vegetables Filetto di Maiale ai Capperi $18.95 Montefalco Sautéed pork medallion with brandy-caper sauce; mashed potatoes and sautéed swiss chard Salmone Tartufato $21.95 Grechetto Wild pacific salmon sautéed with artichokes and topped with black truffles, served with sliced potato cake Dolce di Castagne $6.50 Chestnut sponge cake layered with chocolate cream; sprinkled with frangelico and crème di cacao

Chef Alessio Giannuzzi

Alessio Giannuzzi
Chef-Partner, Il Fornaio

was born and raised in Pistoia, Italy, where he grew up on his family's farm less than 80 kilometers from Umbria. The oldest of four children, Alessio helped tend the family's 400 olive trees, sangiovese vineyards and countless farm animals. Young Alessio spent many of his summers in Terni, helping his aunt with her farm in southern Umbria. Often they would hunt for black truffles together and later that day his aunt would make Cannelloni alla Ternana, a classic Umbrian dish.

At 13, Alessio's first real food service job was in the Italian mountain town of Abitone. Though still a small boy, he worked the rotisserie and learned the gamut of poultry, meat and game preparations. He loved the excitement of the kitchen and was eager to increase his knowledge of Italian cuisine.

Alessio graduated from the prestigious Instituto Alberghiero di Montecantini Terme at age 17. After the required military service, he felt ready to be a chef - and his parents were first in line to hire him. The Giannuzzis opened a pizzeria on the seaside in Forte dei Marmi where Alessio and his brother manned the ovens. During the off-season, Alessio honed his skills at the world-famous Grand Hotel La Pace in Montecatini. Vacationing Italian chefs who had worked in the United States quickly noticed this young talent. Alessio was recruited to Rafaello's, a tiny yet renowned Italian restaurant in Carmel, California that was named to Nations' Restaurant News Hall of Fame in 1998.

Seeking a larger challenge, Alessio moved on to The Covey at Quail Lodge, one of California's few Mobil Guide five-star resorts. While there, he met the Managing Partner of Il Fornaio in Carmel. The more he learned about the Italian restaurant and bakery, the more he wanted to work there. After a series of meetings and
cooking sessions with Executive Chef Maurizio Mazzon, Alessio was offered the position of Chef-Partner.

"I am very excited about being here in Carmel," Alessio says. "It reminds me in so many ways of Italy - the beautiful land, the best fresh produce, the nearby ocean and its treasures. And with our wood-fired rotisserie and pizza ovens, I have the perfect place to create authentic Italian food!"

February brings us Valentine's Day, so this month we celebrate Umbria, the birthplace of Saint Valentine.

Saint Valentine, Terni's first bishop, served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied the Emperor and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, the Emperor ordered that he be put to death. His life and martyrdom prompted the citizens of Terni to proclaim him the patron saint of the city and patron saint of lovers in 1644.

Another legendary story for which Saint Valentine is known throughout the world is that he would give flowers from his own garden to young visitors. Two of these young people fell in love after receiving his flowers. Their love resulted in a union so happy that many other couples, after hearing their story, gave flowers to one another as a sign of love. The exchange became so popular that the Saint was forced to dedicate one day of the year to a general benediction of the state of matrimony, that day being February 14th.

UMBRIA'S FOOD
The food of Umbria depends 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. Black truffles are featured tonight in the Ravioli di Faraona, Cannelloni and Salmone.

Olives are another key ingredient featured in every trattoria in Umbria. In particular, the Trevi area is home to some of the greatest olive oil producers in the world. Many years ago, the olive growers in Trevi forged collectives, 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.' Il Fornaio's cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil that we pour at every table is produced in the little town of Campello Sul Olitunno, just outside of the city of Perugia, in Umbria.

Sheep's milk is favored for cheese in Umbria. Pecorino is the most popular and adds a unique tanginess to Spaghetti con Ranchetto (imported pasta, 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.

detail map of the region of Umbria Umbria, Italy


	Assisi Grechetto Sportoletti 2002 This medium bodied, dry white wine is produced from 100% Grechetto, grown in red, calcium rich soils outside of the hilltop town of Assisi. This up-and-coming white wine is delightfully rich with subtle pear and peach aromas and flavors. It has great acidity and a long nutty finish which makes it a good match with the Salmone Tartufato or Spaghetti con Rancetto. $4 half glass $8 glass $30 bottle Chardonnay Antinori Castello della Sala 2002 An elegant white wine produced from 100% Chardonnay cultivated in a cool microclimate ideal for producing well-balanced chardonnay. Aged and bottled in a 14th century castle just outside the hilltop town of Orvieto, this wine is full-bodied and rich with toasty vanilla and citrus aromas and flavors. Its great balance, excellent structure and long-lasting finish make it a wonderful match with our Galletto or Cannelloni alla Ternana. $4.50 half glass $9 glass $34 bottle Scacciadiavoli Montefalco Rosso 2001 Rich red in color, this intense full-bodied wine is produced from primarily Sangiovese rounded out with small amounts of Merlot and the indigenous Sagrantino grown in the Montefalco zone of Umbria. It has concentrated aromas and flavors of ripe red fruit with a hint of vanilla and spice, a velvety palate and a rich full finish. It pairs well with the Risotto or Filetto di Maiale. $4.75 half glass $9.50 glass $36 bottle