Il Palio Celebrates A Bountiful Harvest: Chef Margherita Aloi prepares seasonal dishes using herbs and produce from Jones Family Farms

Il Palio Ristorante's Chef Margherita Aloi recently spent a few hours in between lunch and dinner hand-picking the last of the summer harvest at Jones Family Farm. Though it was raining lightly, Ms. Aloi was determined to secure every last head of green, leafy arugula lettuce planted this season.

“This arugula tastes different than anything you can buy in local grocery stores,” Ms. Aloi explained. “It has a very peppery taste, much like original Italian arugula.”

A tasty, nutritious arugula salad is part of Il Palio's festive-- and reasonably priced-- “10.09” luncheon special. Cliff Pereira, Il Palio's Director of Operations, and Ms. Aloi's husband, implemented the midday menu a few months ago to commemorate his wife's October 9^th birthday.

In a partnership forged with Jones Family Farms of Shelton last season, Ms. Aloi and Jamie Jones, a sixth-generation farmer, selected artisan arugula seeds last spring to be planted in the fields. Along with this unique-tasting lettuce, Il Palio Restaurant also recently harvested black Tuscan kale, beets, garlic, pumpkin and squash—all of which are used in Fall-flavored recipes offered on its menu through December.

“My cooking reflects the ambiance of the season—the temperature, colors and overall feel of New England at this time of year,” explained Ms. Aloi. “By using as much fresh herbs and produce from Jones Farm that I can, I not only can offer the most flavorful dishes, but I am also respecting what our bodies demand as the weather gets colder.”

One of Il Palio's signature dishes for autumn is Ms. Aloi's interpretation of “Cappellacci di Zucca con Prosciutto di Parma, Burro e Salvia,” or house-made “Hunter Hat” shaped ravioli filled with Butternut squash. Served over thinly sliced Prosciutto di Parma with butter and sage sauce, Ms. Aloi adds her own culinary creativity to this popular Italian dish by sprinkling bitter chocolate on the ravioli's dough and adding amaretto cookies into its filling.

Another tasty choice this season is “Paccheri con Pesto di Broccoli di Rape e Salsicia di Vitello alla Griglia”, made with imported pasta and 100 percent pure-veal sausage. Instead of using basil, Ms. Aloi chops florets of broccoli rabe to prepare a unique pesto sauce.

Hearty fare featured through the winter season also includes “earthy soups” cooked in Il Palio's new terra cotta cook wear. All of the ingredients are cooked slowly and evenly so that all of the flavors from the aromatic herbs are integrated gradually and thoroughly into the recipe.

“The end result is a great-tasting meal,” said Mr. Pereira.

The couple decided to implement terra cotta cooking at Il Palio after they personally experienced delicious meals prepared using this methodology in Tuscany this summer.

Ms. Aloi and Mr. Pereira met while working at Le Madri in New York City more than twenty years ago. At the age of 18, Ms. Aloi was recruited by noted restauranteur Pino Luongo, owner of Le Madri Restaurant, to bring authentic, regional Italian cuisine to Manhattan. A native of Tucci, a small town in the Piedmont region of Italy, Ms. Aloi had graduated from the prestigious Culinary Institute of Barolo while still in her teens.

By her mid-twenties, Ms. Aloi was the Executive Chef, and eventual owner, of Arezzo Ristaurante in New York. She was recognized by Crain's New York Business for its prestigious “40 Under 40” list of top metropolitan professionals. Last month, Ms. Aloi was once again named by Crain's in a special 25^th Anniversary edition of “40 Under 40.”

Before taking the helm of businessman Robert D. Scinto's Il Palio in 2010, Ms. Aloi and Mr. Pereira owned and operated Aloi Restaurant in New Canaan, where they reside.

Along with its new fall menu, Il Palio is happy to announce the arrival of extra virgin olive oil and flavored olive oils produced by the Bolgheri family. Although the flavored oils only recently were approved in the United States, Ms. Aloi said she has been using the extra virgin olive oil in her cooking for several years. Il Palio's clientele may sample some of the high-quality oils with a Tuscan loaf of bread at their table. However, bottles of Bolgheri oils will also be available for purchase beginning this month.

Il Palio Restaurant, located at Five Corporate Drive in Shelton, is open for lunch Monday to Friday, 11:45 pm to 2:15 pm, and dinner on Monday to Saturday, from 5:30 pm to 9:15 pm. For more information, go to ilpalioct.com or call 203-944-0770.