Each month, our restaurants feature the bread, food and wine of a different region of Italy. This month, we travel to Puglia, the heel of Italy's boot

FOCACCIA PUGLIESE
Focaccia with black olives, cherry tomatoes, garlic and oregano, compliments of the bakers of Il Fornaio (Available at the bakery counter to take home)

ZUPPA DI FAVE E CARCIOFI
artichoke and fava bean soup with fennel and e mazzafra cheese $4.95
Albente

BURRATA CON BRUSCHETTA
fresh Puglia-style mozzarella, served with cherry tomato bruschetta $6.95
Albente

CICORIA CON PURE DI FAVE
chicory sauteed with garlic and crushed red pepper, topped with fava bean puree and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil $6.75
Primitivo

PIZZA POMODORINI E RUCHETTA
pizza topped with cherry tomatoes, arugula and mazzafra cheese $10.50
Primitivo

ORECHIETTE CON CIME DI RAPA
ear-shaped pasta with wild broccoli, anchovies, filone croutons, pancetta and crushed red pepper $10.50
Albente

TIELLA DI RISO ALLA BARESE
mussels, rice and onions baked in the wood-burning oven with a layer of grilled potatoes and pecorino cheese $13.25
Albente Salentino

TIMBALLO DI MEZZE
penne pasta tubes baked with meat balls, tomato sauce and three cheeses (mozzarella, provolone, pecorino) $11.95
Notapanaro

SPAGHETTINI CON POLLIPETTI
thin spaghetti with baby octopus, cherry tomatoes, capers and oregano $11.25
Albente

BRACIOLETTE DI MANZO
beef rolled with mazzafra, pecorino, pancetta and celery, braised with red wine and tomato sauce; with potato-mushroom cake $15.95
Notapanaro

PALOMBO AI FRUTTI DI MARE
sauteed angel shark with mussels, scallops, clams, rock shrimp and white wine; with sauteed spring onions $17.50
Albente

SPIEDINI DELLE MURGE CON CIME DI RAPE
skewers of spicy sausage, onions and cherry tomatoes; with sauteed wild broccoli $14.50
Primitivo

RAFFIOLI
dome-shaped sponge cake filled with pastry cream and galliano liqueur, with creme anglaise $5.25

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Albente, Feudi di San Gregorio, 1996 This dry, crisp and refreshing white wine is produced from coda di volpe and greco grapes cultivated around the town of Avellino in the neighboring region of Campania. The wine has floral and fruity aromas and flavors that are full of roses, apples and toasted almonds. A good match with fish, seafood and light pastas. $23 bottle . $6 glass . $3.00 half glass

Notapanaro Rosso del Salento, Dr. Taurino, 1990 This dry medium-bodied red wine has anise and berry aromas and flavors with a long lasting taste. Produced in the southeast part of the region ("the heel of the boot") and made from negro amaro and malvasia nera grapes, the wine is full of ripe plummy fruit aromas and flavors which make it a perfect match with full-flavored pastas and grilled meat and sausage. $18 bottle . $4.50 glass . $2.50 half glass

Primitivo, Cantele, 1995 Primitivo, a wine of Greek origin, is thought to be identical to the full-flavored Zinfandel grape of California. This medium-bodied red wine has an intense bouquet of violets with luscious berry flavors. The long-lasting flavors and spicy-peppery finish make it a great pairing with grilled meats, game and cheese. $21 bottle . $5.50 glass . $2.75 half glass

At age eleven he returned to his parents, both chefs and each working in restaurants. He started working alongside his father, peeling potatoes and cleaning fish, beginning with the most basic of tasks. But he learned about cooking and grew comfortable in the restaurant environment.

When his father came to the United States, Antonio came to check up on him. He had no intention of staying but found himself cooking in a Los Angeles restaurant. He later moved to La Bruschetta, where he was Chef for eight years. He had become friendly with Ottavio Palmeri, Chef-Partner of Il Fornaio in Beverly Hills, who convinced Antonio to join him in his kitchen. When Ottavio left last year to open Il Fornaio in Santa Monica, Antonio became Chef-Partner, in charge of the Beverly Hills kitchen, one of our busiest.

"In Puglia", Antonio explains, "we don't have that many ingredients, but everything we cook with is absolutely fresh. Even the cheese is fresh - mazzafra, a mild fresh cheese you find here in several dishes. And so many things that we must buy here grow wild in Puglia, like arugula and rapini, a vegetable similar to broccoli.

"One great challenge to me is how to combine the few ingredients of Puglia to create a balance. Take for example Cicoria con Pure di Fava - the slight bitterness of the chicory combined with the sweetness of the fava and the fruitiness of the olive oil is absolute perfection.

"With each regional menu we search to find this balance, and it keeps eating at Il Fornaio interesting and exciting. So join us as we explore the food, bread and wine of Puglia. Bon Appetito!"

Puglia is the heel of Italy's boot and has the longest coast of any Italian region. Three of the five provincial capitals are on the sea, so seafood is ample year round. Palombo ai Frutti di Mare (pan-sauteed angel shark with mussels, scallops, clams and rock shrimp) features much of this abundant supply.

Potatoes, artichokes, fava beans and cherry tomatoes are grown in the rich soil of Foggia and Taranto. You will find potatoes in Tiella di Riso alla Barese, artichokes in Zuppa di Fave e Carciofi, fava beans in Cicoria con Pure di Fava and cherry tomatoes in three dishes - the focaccia, pizza and spaghettini. Olives and wine grapes are also major crops, and a great source of income for the region.

Although few tourists visit Puglia, the province of Bari is well known for trulli, beehive shaped houses made with mortarless stones and a conical roof. They are usually whitewashed in groups of two or three to create a unique landscape. They tell a story of a regional civilization with a rich cultural and culinary heritage.