Focaccia Vernazza potato focaccia bread topped with red onion and sage, compliments of the Bakers of Il Fornaio. Also available for sale at the Bakery counter.

Mitili Ripieni alla Spezzina black mussels with mortadella, breadcrumbs, and white wine, baked in the wood-burning oven $6.95 Vermentino

Frittura di Pesce deep-fried shrimp, oysters and calamari with garlic-herb bread sauce $8.95 Vermentino

Carciofini Riviera Ligure saute of artichokes, eggplant, and pearl onions, seasoned with thyme, marjoram, basil and white wine $6.50 Barbera

primi Zuppa d’Albenga artichoke and potato soup with pesto, sprinkled with toasted pinenuts $5.50 Vermentino

Pansotti alla Crema di Noci homemade spinach pasta filled with red chard, escarole, spinach, ricotta, pecorino and thyme; walnut-cream sauce $11.95 Vermentino

Gnocchettini alla Genovese little potato dumplings and shrimp in basil pesto $12.50 Barbera

Risotto Cinque Terre arborio rice with diced fresh vegetables and parmesan cheese $11.95 Vermentino

secondi Ciuppin seafood soup of prawns, seabass, monkfish, halibut, clams, mussels, with tomatoes, white wine, parsley and basil $19.95 Barbera

Anatra alla Ligure Petaluma duck roasted on the wood-fired rotisserie, braised with vegetables, black olives and red wine; with mashed potatoes $16.95 Barbera

Le Tomaselle pork loin rolled with pecorino, parmesan, and herbs, served with mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach $14.95 Barbera

dolci Sacripantina sponge cake layered with coffee-butter cream and chocolate cream; passion fruit sauce $5.95

In 1979 Osvaldo travelled to Los Angeles to visit a friend for a few months and found he liked living in the United States. Using his experience from the family trattoria, he cooked in several Italian restaurants before joining Il Fornaio in San Jose as Chef-Partner in April of 1995. He is now the Chef-Partner of Il Fornaio in Portland, a city he finds similar to his home region in weather (wet) and native ingredients (truffles and the arneis grape).

“I love the excitement of cooking, the unpredictable nature it has and the energy it creates”, Osvaldo says as he talks about his love of cooking. “The food of this region is one of my favorites because it utilizes the best seafood and the intense flavors of fresh herbs. I always feel like I am celebrating when I eat the foods of Liguria. Salute!”

The daily tasks of Ligurians have not changed for generations. Each day, up and down the region’s coast, an abundance of shellfish is harvested. Fresh mussels of dizzying variety can be found in most every local restaurant and are prepared many different ways. Many Ligurians prefer their mussels served raw, with a splash of lemon and fresh pepper. Ligurians consume enormous amounts of seafood, ranging from prawns and shrimp to clams and calamari. Ciuppin (Ligurian dialect for cioppino) is a seafood stew that combines almost every type of seafood available on the Ligurian coast.

Much of the food of Liguria is the food of the returning seafarer. Voyages would last for months, and the food was bland and repetitive. Often, the cargo was spices; the constant, intense smell became offensive (so few spices appear in Ligurian cooking). Fresh herbs were not to be had on these journeys, and so were craved upon the return to land. Basil was preferred above all. Pesto, a combination of basil, garlic, pinenuts and olive oil has always been revered in Genoa, so much so that the saying goes “if the pesto is no good, don’t change the pesto, change the cook”. Tonight, we feature pesto in artichoke soup, and tossed with little potato dumplings.

The food of Liguria is the food of celebrating the return of loved ones. Since the return of seafaring Ligurians was anticipated for months or years, “welcome home” celebrations became an important part of Liguria’s heritage. This celebratory tendency accounts for the prevalence of stuffed dishes in the Ligurian repertoire, items that take time and great care to prepare. I hope that you enjoy these dishes - Pansotti alla Crema di Noci and Le Tomaselle - as we enjoy and celebrate both the spirit of Liguria and your return to Il Fornaio. Buon Appetito !

Next month, join us from June 7-20
when we visit Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean.

1999 Festa Regionale Calendar