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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. It is a perfect 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 alla Cavur, risotto with whole roasted quail, mascarpone and marsala wine sauce. And polenta is so much a part of the Piemontese kitchen that Monasteri Bormida and Bubbi, two cities in the Asti district each year hold the festival of the Polentone (“big polenta”). Soft polenta is an accompaniment to Coniglio all Piemontese, braised rabbit, another example of the hearty cooking of the region.

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 Italy. 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, Barbera 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 glass of Moscato d’Asti. Buon Appetito!

. Donato Scotti grew up in Villa d’Almè in Lombardia, the region just east of Piemonte. His culinary career began early; by the time he was twelve years old he was employed summers in a bakery in his hometown. By the time he came to Los Angeles he was a veteran of kitchens in Bergamo (from which he traveled often to Piemonte) and New York City. He joined Il Fornaio in 1997 as a sous chef in Sacramento. Now he runs his own kitchen at Il Fornaio in Walnut Creek.

In his role of chef-partner of Il Fornaio, Donato offers daily menu selections showcasing his background and personal cooking style. These include plenty of polenta, rabbit, venison, osso bucco, and risotto with quail, all classic dishes of Lombardia and Piemonte. In fact, the rabbit on this menu of Piemonte is reminiscent of the coniglio his mother cooked each Sunday, when the family returned home from church.

“The last time my mother visited, her suitcase was packed with tastes from home: locally milled polenta, grana cheese, sausage and bottles of barolo and grappa. We prepared a meal that felt just like home. So please, come with me to Piemonte and experience the wonderful flavors of this amazing region.”