Last Night's Regional Dinner: The Veneto

The characteristic ingredient of the region is rice, with various risotti dishes featuring, along with the popular dish risi e bisi (rice and peas).

Other staples of the Veneto include polenta, beans and legumes, asparagus and seafood, including the ever present Baccala (cod) and San Pietro (John Dory.)

The Veneto is one of the most important wine-producing areas of the Italian mainland, with the province of Verona yielding the prolific red Valpolicella as well as the best-known Italian white, Soave.

Prosecco is produced in the eastern part of the region, and is the key ingredient in the Venetian aperatif of choice, the Bellini (made of chilled Prosecco di Conegliano and puree of white peaches.)

The Menu

Antipasti

Asparagus

Polenta & Baccala Mantecato

Seppia in Zimino e Zucchini

Sopressa & Coppa

Crostino w/ Duck Fennel & Cinnamon

[Served with a Bellini]

Primi

Risi e Bisi

[Matching Wine: Pratello Incrozio Manzoni ‘08]

Secondo

Roast San Pietro w/ Potato & Eschallot

Radicchio Rocket & Borlotti Beans

[Macthing Wine: Ca Rugate Soave ’08; or

Accordini Valpolicella Ripasso ‘07]

Dolci

Roast Peach, Cherries

Panettone & Mascarpone

[Matching Wine: Ca Rugate Recioto

della Valpolicella ‘07]

Last Night's Regional Dinner: Calabria

Calabria is a rugged, mountainous land, surrounded on either side by the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas. Its cuisine is based around simple produce coaxed from the tough land, prepared according to age-old traditions organized around a calendar of religious festivals.

Throughout a string of invasions, the Calabrians guarded their traditions whilst selectively absorbing foreign imports such as eggplants, artichokes and citrus fruits (introduced by the Arabs.)

The Calabrian passion for swordfish traces back to the Byzantine era, and the end of the fishing season is celebrated with the spectacular swordfish festival, held each year in the town of Bagnara Calabra.

The Menu

Antipasti

Pitta

Fiore di Zucchini w/ Mozzarella

Nduja

Mushroom Salad w/ Pecorino

Marinated Sardines

Primi

Ravioli of Eggplant w/ Tomato Pork & Basil

Secondo

Seared Swordfish w/ Pinenuts, Orange & Green Olive

Tomato, Cannellini Beans, Celery & Preserved Lemon

Dolci

Watermelon & Bergamino

Mostaccioli

Last Night's Regional Dinner: Campania

Campanian cuisine centres around the region’s bustling capital, Naples, a fast paced city that has endured a string of foreign rulers and yet retained its characteristic simplicity and distinctive flavour.

Neopolitan specialities include pasta and, of course, pizza, as well as mozzarella made from buffalo milk and fresh seafood from the Gulf of Naples. Dishes feature a variety of fresh vegetables sourced from the fertile volcanic plains of Vesuvius.

The Menu

Antipasti

Mozzarella

Calzone

Marinated Vegetables

Octopus Affogato

[Matching Wine: Caggiano Fiagre ’08]

Primi

Fresh Penne w/ Tomato Beef Ricotta Salata

[Matching Wine: Lacrima Rosato ‘08]

Secondi

Roast Sardines, Oregano, Breadcrumbs

Tomato Salad

[Matching Wine: Caggiano Tauri ‘05]

Dolci

Limoncello Agrumi

Croccante di Nocciole

Last Night's Regional Dinner: Val D'Aosta

Occupying the northwest corner of Italy, the Val d'Aosta is the country's smallest and least populated region. Occupying an Alpine valley, it is home to some of the tallest mountains in Europe.

The autonomous Val d’Aosta steers its own course in its cuisine as in politics, melding the influences of its Swiss and French neighbours (not to forget the Piedmontese.)

Dishes are typically based upon beef and game meats, outstanding cheeses and root vegetables.

The distinctive flavours of alla valdostana cooking are complemented by the region’s exceptional wines.

The Menu

Antipasti

Crostini w/ Caramelised Onion & Sage

Coppa & Cured Beef

Artavaggio

Pear & Walnut Salad

[Matching Wine: Petit Arvine ’08 Les Cretes]

Primi

Fontina Stuffed Gnocchi w/ Mushrooms & Chives

[Matching Wine: Torrette ‘07 Les Cretes]

Secondo

Carbonade

Cabbage Salad

[Matching Wine: Della Sabla '06 Les Cretes]

Dolci

Polenta Cake w/ blueberries & mascarpone

Last Night's Regional Dinner: Liguria

The factors that have shaped Ligurian cuisine over the centuries include its unique geographic position between the Alps and the Mediterranean, its temperate climate and, above all, the presence of the historic seaport of Genoa.

Seafood plays its natural role, whilst being balanced by a variety of vegetables and fragrant, fresh herbs, preferred over dried spices by the returning sailors who were the primary influencers of Ligurian cuisine.

Enduring specialties of the region include focaccia, basil pesto and savoury cakes such as torta pasqualina, made with spinach and swiss chard. Tuna, anchovies and whitebait are sourced from the restless waters of the Gulf of Genoa.

The Menu

Antipasti

Olives

Focaccia

Deep Fried Anchovies & Lemon

Torta Pasqualina

Rabbit Terrine

Primi

Cozetti w/ Pesto, Green Beans & Potato

Secondo

Chargrilled Tuna w/ Cherry Tomatoes, Peas & Marjoram

Fennel Rocket & Radish

Dolci

Sciumette

Last Night's Regional Dinner: Lazio

The cuisine of Lazio is influenced by its pastoral tradition, with the ubiquitous lamb being served roasted and the innards and offal put to good use. The favourite vegetable of the region is the artichoke, which is often served lightly fried.

Regional dishes make use of sheeps milk products such as pecorino, Lazio’s most important cheese. Surrounding Rome are the Castelli Romani hills that yield Frascati, the reputed white wine.

The Menu

Antipasti

Deep Fried Artichoke & Chickpeas

Crostini Chicken Liver & Sage

Boiled Egg, Anchovies, Celery & Potato

Cazzimperio

[Matching Wine: Corte Dei Papi Colletonno ‘07]

Primo

Gnocchi alla Romana w/ Guanciale

Tomato Peas & Pecorino

[Matching Wine: Frascati Castel de Paolis ‘07]

Secondo

Slow Roasted Lamb Leg

w/ Cannellini Beans, Fresh Garlic & Parsley

[Matching Wine: San Magno Cesanese del Piglio ‘05]

Dolci

Crostata & Sheeps Milk Yoghurt

Last Night's Regional Dinner: Trentino

This relatively young Italian region bears the culinary influences of neighbouring Germany, with potatoes, apples, cabbages and smoked meats as essential as tomatoes, olives and pastas are in the rest of Italy.

Polenta— the great peasant staple— is a Trentino favourite, as is speck, a wood smoked country bacon flavoured with herbs and spices.

The Menu

Antipasti

Speck & Chifel

Polenta & Mushrooms

Crostino w/ River Trout & Artichoke

[Matching Wine: Ferrari NV Brut Spamante]

Primi

Rye Tortelli Spinach Ricotta & Caraway

[Matching Wine: Alois Nageder Pinot Grigio ‘08]

Secondo

Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder

w/ Potato & Horseradish

[Matching Wine: Foradori Teroldego ‘05]

Dolci

Apple Fritelle

Goats Cheese & Fig Jam

Last Night's Regional Dinner: Sardinia

The geographic isolation of Sardinia from the Italian mainland is what gives the cuisine of the region its distinctive flavour.

Freshness and simplicity are the guiding characteristics of the region, highlighting the natural flavours of the produce yielded by the land and surrounding seas.

Whilst seafood plays a large part in the regional cuisine, there is also a strong emphasis upon lamb, a rich resource of the mountainous inland.

The Menu

Antipasti

Pane carasan

Arichoke, potato, bottarga

Stuffed calamari

Salami

[Matching Wine: Contini Vernaccia '87]

Primi

Malloreddus tomato broad beans & dried ricotta

[Matching Wine: Argiolas Vermentino '07]

Secondo

Slow roast lamb shoulder

Grilled pork neck

Fennel, watercress, chicory & rocket

[Matching Wine: Capochera Assaje Carignano '06/ Pala Cannonau '07]

Dolci

Almond fig cake with honey lemon & ricotta

[Matching Wine: Santadi Latinia '05]