6 June 2013

GIRO d’Italia means journey through Italy. It’s the name of a new monthly changing menu at Manchester’s award-winning Cicchetti charting the country’s regional cuisines. It has been created by the San Carlo Group’s consultant executive head chef Aldo Zilli, who launched it at the restaurant on King Street West.

The Abruzzo is the first region being featured – through typical authentic dishes crafted from seasonal ingredients flown in from there. It is where Zilli himself hails from. One of nine children, he was born in the small seaside town of Alba Adriatica, nicknamed Spiaggia d'argento (Silver Beach) after its superb sands.

Italy’s greenest region stretching from the Appenines to the Adriatic, Abruzzo has a rich culinary tradition; here you’ll find sea fare, lamb, kid, locally produced smoked meats, sausages, salamis and some excellent locally produced wines.

The  Giro d’Italia Abruzzo Menu cooked by Aldo Zilli at the launch:

Pallotte Cac`e`ove servite con pomodoro e scaglie di caciotta al tartufo nero

Classic abruzzo cow cheese balls served with tomato sauce and sliced black truffle caciotta 6.95

Tortino Di Melanzane gratinate con scamorza e salsiccia abruzzese

Gratin of aubergines with scamorza cheese and spicy Abruzzo sausage (£8.95)

Chitarra ai scampi e zafferano di Navelli

Abruzzo pasta, langoustines and saffron from National Park of Navelli (£13.95)

Sagne e ceci

Typical abruzzi handmade “sagne” pasta served with chick peas and slightly spicy

garlic and herb sauce (£5.95)

Arrosticini

Special skewers made from Abruzzo lamb`s meat (£9.95)

Guazzetto di baccala

Abruzzo style guazzetto of salted cod with olives (£7.95)

Finocchio arance ceci sedano

Fennel, orange, chick peas and celery (£5.95)

Cozze e Vongole piccanti

Spicy mussels and clams, Adriatic style (£5.95)

Much-travelled celebrity chef Zilli said: “I learned to cook with my mamma back home in Alba Adriatica. It’s a charming seaside town where our food is simple; it’s minimally mucked-about. For me the best cooking combines great simplicity with great taste.

“The Giro d’Italia menu is a fantastic way for us to showcase the variations in local Italian cuisine and to continue to do what Cicchetti does best, delicious, authentic food where the quality of seasonal ingredients is allowed to shine through.”

The restaurant, which re-interprets the Venetian culinary custom of cicchetti – small plates to share – is part of the San Carlo Group which now boasts 11 UK restaurants, including San Carlo Manchester across the street, as well as several more across the globe.

Managing director Marcello Distefano said: “Cicchetti Manchester is almost three years old; we put our heart and soul into delivering a fresh and exciting dining experience. Success here has inspired us to push forward with the Cicchetti concept. We’ve since opened Cicchetti London at 215 Piccadilly and San Carlo Fumo in Birmingham. With those both thriving, we’re now actively seeking our next opportunities, which we hope will include a third site in Manchester.”

July’s Giro d’Italia will feature Sicily, homeland of the Distefanos.

www.sancarlocicchetti.co.uk;  Tel: 0161 839 2233.