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DINNER MENU September 1-14, 2003 |
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Vegetable soup with fava, garbanzo and pinto beans, lentils,
peas and spelt $2.95 cup; $4.95 bowl
Mixed baby lettuces, grilled eggplant and bell peppers, topped
with black pepper-rimmed goat cheese $7.95 House-cured swordfish carpaccio; wild fennel and
orange salad $8.95
Tagliatelle pasta, tiny veal meatballs, peas, pecorino and parmesan
cheeses; tomato sauce with pancetta and red wine $11.95 Spaghetti, smoked mozzarella, tomato sauce, almond-basil
pesto; wrapped around sliced eggplant and provolone, baked in the wood-burning
oven $12.50
Pasta tubes, sopressata, peperoncino, meat ragout, eggs and provolone
cheese baked between eggplant slices $12.95 Risotto of shrimp, calamari and scallops
in squid ink $15.95
Swordfish steak, breaded and mesquite-grilled; served with arugula and
red onion salad and fresh diced tomatoes $19.95 Grilled ahi tuna, tomato, cucumber, tarragon-mint
sauce; served with couscous, grilled zucchini and organic lemon olive
oil $20.95 Lamb rack crusted with almond-mint pesto; mustard
sauce, baby artichoke skewers, roasted potatoes and sauteed greens $22.95 Ricotta-filled
cannoli with pistachios, vanilla profiterole with chocolate sauce $5.95 |
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Colosi,
Bianco, 2002 This medium-bodied white wine is brimming with aromas and flavors of fresh citrus fruit and toasted almonds. Colosi Bianco is produced from the indigenous Inzolia grape grown on the sunny slopes of central Sicily. Pair this wine with lighter dishes, such as the Carpacciu and Tunnu. La Segreta Rosso,
Planeta, 2002 A medium-bodied red, produced from 60% Nera d'Avola, 20% Merlot and 20% Syrah, this wine is supple and full of ripe cherry fruit, violets and spice. Its good balance and lingering finish make it a wonderful match for ‘Nzalata and Involtini. Barbazzale, Cottanera,
2001 This full-bodied,
dry red is a blend of Nerello Mascale and Nero d'Avola grown in the eastern
part of Sicily. It has intense aromas and flavors of plum, wild berries
and spice, and is the perfect complement to Pasta N’Caciata
and Agneddu. Averna Amaro, Siciliano Averna Amaro is a popular Italian digestivo (herbal liqueur) derived from an ancient recipe, with hints of vanilla, apricot and chocolate. Delicious served neat or over ice with a lemon twist. Salute! |
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Craig d’Allessandro |
Craig d’Allessandro began his restaurant career at age sixteen, when his father delivered the ultimatum: participate in after school activities or get a job. He came home that afternoon with the family groceries and a job bussing tables at the local Italian restaurant. From busboy, to pizza cook, to line cook, Craig eventually landed at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, where he graduated in 1984. Now Craig is the Chef-Partner at Il Fornaio in Greenwood Village at the Denver Tech Center, on the edge of Denver. For years he had cooked Sicilian food for famed Los Angeles Chef Celestino Drago, so it was perfectly natural that he should design the regional menu celebrating the food, bread and wine of Sicily. “The recipes of Sicily”, Craig says, “have been prepared for centuries, it’s not ‘new cuisine’. It is incredibly vibrant - the food tends to jump out at you. The ingredients must be very fresh and the flavors are often aggressive. Sicilian food is different form any other cuisine I have cooked. Not only is the food lively, it is often rather technical. The Pasta N’Cacciata, for example, takes quite a lot of work to prepare. It’s like a big savory pie with eggplant as the top and bottom crust, filled with pasta tubes, meat ragu, cheese, eggs and other ingredients. It is a spectacular dish - to look at and to eat. “The culture of Sicily supports a congenial yet reserved lifestyle. The people are extremely friendly, especially around the dinner table. There is something in this culture that I find in restaurants and in my kitchen at Il Fornaio. My staff and I often eat together and find our love of food and of preparing it for others create a special bond. It’s a bond I hope to extend to you as you experience this regional menu of Sicily. Buon Appetito!” |
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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. Rice, brought to Italy by Arabian merchants is featured in Risotto Nero con Calamari. Semolina is another ingredient brought to Italy through Sicily. Semolina stars in the bread we offer tonight, Pani Sicilianu, Sicilaian dialect for “the bread of Sicily.” Sicily is home to over half of all of Italy’s registered fishing boats, so much of the Sicilian diet is based on seafood. The vast migration of tuna and swordfish past the island were recorded as far back as Aristotle in the 4th century BC. This, paired with the bounty of fish harvested from surrounding waters has inspired many dishes on tonight’s menu, including Pisci Spada ‘Mpanatu (mesquite-grilled swordfish steak) and Tunnu co Sammurigghiu a Catanisi (grilled ahi tuna). There is not much grazing land on the island, so whatever sheep are raised are mostly used for milk for the variety of cheeses that Sicilians love, ricotta and pecorino. 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 eggplant, 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 surplus of wheat. Pasta, while believed to have been invented in China, was introduced to Italy by merchants arriving in Sicily. |
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When you visit Emilia-Romagna with us October 6-19,
bring your Passaporto and receive a complimentary bottle of
Il Fornaio Balsamic Vinegar
www.ilfornaio.com
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