a printable version of this menu in PDF format - Il Fornaio

Giorgio Lo VerdeIl Fornaio Chef“Of course I can cook … I’m Sicilian!”Giorgio Lo Verde was born in Palermo, the capital of Sicily, and raised with fivebrothers and one sister – all of them cook. “It’s what Sicilians do. We don’t just eat; wealso enjoy cooking food and shopping for it … preparation is just as important as themeal itself. Almost all boys and girls in Sicily grow up spending time in the kitchen.”Giorgio’s mother, Maria, and grandmother, Adele, were his first cooking teachers andinstilled in him a sense of culinary adventure. “We learned to try all kinds of foods andingredients – especially seafood and fresh vegetables; that’s mostly what we ate inPalermo. How can you say you don’t like octopus if you haven’t tried it?” In addition tocooking daily meals, Giorgio’s mom spent countless hours canning and preservingseasonal fruits and vegetables for the family to enjoy during winter, when fresh producewasn’t available. “My mother, brothers, sister and I spent a lot of time up-to-our-armsin tomatoes.”His career has taken Giorgio from culinary school in Palermo to restaurants in Toronto,California’s San Joaquin Valley and San Diego, but his roots remain firmly in Sicily.Tonight’s menu features several dishes from Giorgio’s personal recipe file and others that remind him of home. “The Arancinial Sugo we serve are exactly like those my mother made for us – the traditional version, with meat, peas and rice. Mybrothers and I ate a LOT of these as kids.”Minestra chi Cucuzzi is made with “tennerumi” squash (Sicilian dialect for “tender”), unique to Sicilian cuisine; its textureworks beautifully in soups. While meat is not commonly served in Sicily, Girelle con Filetto d’Agnello – roasted lamb ingarlic-mint sauce with caponata – captures the Mediterranean’s many influences on Sicilian cuisine. For dessert, Palermo’stradition of artfully decorated pastry has inspired Giorgio’s own version -- Cassatina della Contessa, a decadent, singleservingcake worthy of royalty. Buon Appetito!SiciliaThe Melting Pot of ItalyThe largest island in the Mediterranean, Sicilia is a culturalmelting pot. Its heritage – both historical and culinary –is as much Greek, Arab and Norman as it is Italian. Thesecultural influences, coupled with a sunny climate andfertile soil, give Sicilia its abundance of uniquefoods andculinary traditions.Sicilia is home to over halfof all of Italy’s registered fishingboats, so much of the Sicilian diet isbased on seafood. Swordfish is found in manydishes but so are lobster, mussels and shrimp,which are featured in our Spaghetti Mazara.We’ve specially imported PiacentinuEnnese cheese from Sicilia, imparting aunique flavor in tonight’s Pumaroru cuPiacentinu Ennese. Eggplant, with its varyingshapes and sizes, and fava beans find theirTrapaniPalermoCaltanissettaEnnaAgrigentoRandazzoMt. EtnaCataniaMessinaway to the table often inGelaSiracusaSicilian pasta dishes. Pasta, believed toRagusahave originated in China, was introducedto Italy by merchants that first arrivedin Sicilia.Many other ingredients, including semolina, were alsointroduced to Italy via Sicilian ports. Couscous, brought toItaly by Arabian merchants centuries ago, is featured as acomplement to the Pisci Spada cu Salmoriglio.Sicilia is known as the place where “the mountains meet thesea.” It is home to many beautiful beaches, magnificent peaksand Mount Etna. Etna is one of the most active volcanoes inthe world and is in an almost constant state of eruption. Itssurrounding fertile volcanic soils support the vast vineyardsand plentiful orchards spread across this dramaticallybeautiful island.