Il Fornaio, Festa Regionale

Piemonte

Join Chef-Parnter Carlo Allesina
on a culinary tour of his native region

Pane di Fichi e Noci Fig and walnut bread with anise. Also available for sale at our Bakery counter.

Zuppa di Patate e Porri al Tartufo Potato and leek soup with porcini, white truffle oil and fontina-topped sfilatino crouton $6.50 Gavi
Portobello alla Griglia con Fonduta Marinated and grilled portobello mushrooms with fondue and truffle oil; served with a baked tomato $8.50 Dolcetto or Gattinara
Cuori di Lattuga alla Monferrina Hearts of romaine with parmesan and anchovies; lemon, garlic and hard-boiled egg dressing $7.95 Gavi

Cannelloni alla Montanara Crepes filled with prosciutto, mortadella, veal, spinach, parmesan and sage, with bechamel and baked in the wood-fired oven $13.95 Dolcetto
Agnolotti di Fonduta ai Porcini Housemade ravioli filled with fontina cheese; porcini mushrooms, garlic-butter, white wine and white truffle oil $14.50 Gavi or Dolcetto
Gnocchi con Raschiera Piemontese Potato pillows with tomato, cream and raschiera cheese; white truffle oil $13.50 Barbaresco
Risotto Porcini e Gamberetti Shrimp and porcini mushroom risotto $15.95 Gavi

Suprema di Pollo Ripiena Chicken breast stuffed with imported ham and fontina cheese, dijon mustard-brandy sauce; served with mashed potatoes, broccolini and carrots $18.95 Dolcetto or Gattinara
Carre di Maiale all’Astigiana Braised pork loin wrapped in pancetta and filled with mushrooms, vegetables, bread crumbs and fontina; with gorgonzola sauce, mashed potatoes and vegetables $19.50 Barolo
Filetto di Branzino all’Uva Striped seabass sauteed with white wine, thyme and green grapes; mashed potatoes and vegetables $21.95 Gavi

Bonet Classico Amaretto and coffee custard with caramel sauce and coffee creme anglaise $6.50 Moscato

V I N I D E L P I E M O N T E
Gavi di Gavi “La Meirana”, Broglia 1999 bottle $29 glass $7.75 1/2 glass $4.00 Produced from cortese grapes, this is one of Italy’s most refined and elegant white wines. Fruit and floral aromas and crisp, dry flavors make a good pairing with seafood and light pasta. Dolcetto d’Alba, Pio Cesare, 1998 bottle $36 glass $9.50 1/2 glass $4.75 A juicy, supple red wine with explosive raspberry and boysenberry flavors and gentle tannins, produced from dolcetto grapes grown in the area of Alba. Its light body and excellent balance are a good match with grilled meats, fish and pasta. Barbaresco, Prunotto, 1996 bottle $57 glass $14.50 1/2 glass $7.25 Produced from nebbiolo grapes, this robust and full-bodied wine is luscious and velvety. Berry and violet aromas and flavors are a great match with roasted or braised meats and game.		Gattinara, Villa Claudia, 1998 bottle $36 glass $9.50 1/2 glass $4.75 Also produced from nebbiolo grapes, this is an elegant, full-bodied dry wine with intense violet aromas and flavors. It is particularly well suited to grilled meats and cheese. Barolo, Michele Chiarlo, 1996 bottle $69 glass $17.75 1/2 glass $9 Barolo, known as the “King of Italian Wines” is big and rich, full of cherry, leather and earthy aromas and flavors nicely balanced with velvety tannins. This full-bodied wine is a good match for grilled beef and lamb and strong cheeses. Moscato d’Asti, Vietti, 1999 glass $5.75 Moscato d’Asti is one of the most elegant and delicate dessert wines, meant to be consumed fresh and young. Intense apricot aromas and flavors are balanced with a clean, light and slightly effervescent finish.

CARLO ALLESINA

Chef-Parnter, Il Fornaio
I was raised in Sovazza, a tiny town of 100 in Piemonte, by my parents, Sergio and Maria Pia Allesina. My childhood is filled with great memories of family, food, hard work, and most of all, of a huge yearning to travel. We were far from rich, yet our dining table was always filled with an abundance of food and people. As our friends gathered, meals became a bounty of polenta and agnolotti, gnocchi and risotto, and a variety of meats from which to choose. Many of the dishes on this menu are the foods of my youth. By cooking these foods, I always stay connected to the special land that fed us all so well.

I knew that cooking could be my ticket to see the world, so I began as a dishwasher at Trattoria Stornello at Lake Maggiore. Soon I was working alongside the cooks in this popular restaurant where I continued to refine my knowledge of indigenous Piemonte specialties. At Il Fornaio, and really everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve been able to follow my dreams yet stay rooted to my homeland. The foods you sample tonight are the culmination of my years of hard work, of travelling the world, and of a passion for sharing the foods of my youth, the foods of Piemonte. “Buon Appetito!”

Piemonte (pee-ay-MOHNT-ay), in the north of Italy, is mountain country, a feature which has created two styles of cooking. One is found in many of the larger cities and areas of lower altitude, and depends on the outside influences of Lombardia to the east and France to the west. As you climb into mountain territory, however, you find something quite different, often considered to be the “native” cuisine. It is here you will find ingredients particular to the region and the hearty food that provides fuel at energy-burning altitudes.

Perhaps the most exclusive and recognized ingredient of Piemontese cooking is the white truffle. It is often included in fonduta, the region’s best known specialty. On this evening’s menu, you will find Agnolotti di Fonduta ai Porcini, housemade ravioli filled with fontina cheese and white truffle oil. Fontina, a mild semi-soft cheese originally from the neighboring region of Valle d’Aosta, is a wonderful melting cheese that forms the base of this dish. It is an ideal pasta for the cold winter weather.

Other dishes whose ingredients are dictated by the geography of the region are risotto and polenta. The Po valley is “rice country” and Piemonte produces more rice than any other Italian region. The rice produced in Piemonte is often considered to be the best in the world. It is the star ingredient of Risotto Porcini e Gamberetti, risotto with porcini mushrooms, white wine and shrimp.
One Piemontese specialty that you may know from the Il Fornaio bread basket, is grissini, the Italian breadstick. Named for the city of Torino, Grissini Torinese are among the best selling items in our bakeries.

While Piemonte is known throughout the world for many of its classic dishes, it is also considered to be one of the best wine-growing regions in the world. Barolo, perhaps the most famous, is known as the “King of Italian Wines”. It is rich and full-bodied, the perfect companion for many of the region’s heartiest dishes. Barbaresco, Dolcetto, and Gattinara are also notable, and will certainly enhance your experience sampling the foods of Piemonte. We suggest you end your visit to Piemonte with a glass of Moscato d’Asti, an elegant and delicate dessert wine.

Coming April 2-15

THE FOOD AND WINE OF LIGURIA

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