Tag: Green

Eating green during the holidays is possible. Here’s how to do it – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay


Eating green at Christmas? You can, or rather you must. This holiday represents the ideal time to shelter at home with family and friends, sharing special moments and, of course, delicious meals. But what exactly does “good food” mean today? In addition to organoleptic qualities, food must respect criteria that go beyond simple taste. As Carlo Petrini, founder of Slow Food, claims, food must be «good, clean and fair. Clean, i.e. produced according to environmentally friendly methods; fair, capable of guaranteeing respect for those who work there. Here are some rules to follow during Christmas holidays to adopt a greener approach to food.

10’000 Hours

Eating green: what food choices to make during the holidays

During the holidays it is time to favor high quality foods, possibly organic or from integrated agriculture with low environmental impact. Reduce your meat consumption and, when you choose it, opt for meat from controlled farms and organic. Prefer local, regional or national products to reduce the environmental impact of transport and, if possible, purchase them in bulk, to avoid unnecessary packaging. The choice of wine can also be oriented towards organic options. For those who want alternatives to meat, legumes are a valid option, providing high-quality proteins and ingredients for tasty recipes.

Avoid foods at excessively low prices, as they often hide hidden costs for the environment and workers. Avoid buying products from distant places and choose sustainable alternatives to endangered fish such as salmon. Opt for lesser-known, but equally tasty fish, a low environmental and seasonal impact, such as horse mackerel, zerro, tuna, tombarello, dolphin fish and red mullet. Also molluscs such as clams, mussels and oysters; and shellfish such as white shrimp (if coming from specific regions) and corn on the cob are conscious choices.

A sustainable celebration: don’t waste!

Reduce wasteespecially at the table, carefully preserving food and avoiding throwing away what remains. Avoid plastic films and prefer reusable containers with caps. When you go shopping, calculate the precise number of people and prefer bulk products to reduce packaging. When setting the table, avoid disposable plastic tableware and, if necessary, opt for compostable alternatives.

Too Good to Go together with Yougov have reported the data regarding the waste of Italians at the table during the holidays: the 40% of Italians waste over a quarter of Christmas food, with panettone leading the way, despite its high cost. However, they also emerge positive behaviors:

Trentino-Altoadige is green: here are the sustainable restaurants to keep an eye on – Italian Cuisine

195050


The greenest and most sustainable region of Italy, according to Michelin, is Trentino-Altoadige, which this year received the highest number of green stars. Green? Yes, because since last year the Rossa, as the Michelin guide is defined, has assigned a new star color that establishes the restaurants that take charge ofconsequences ethical and environmental of their business and who they work with "sustainable" producers and suppliers to avoid waste and reduce, or better still reset, the plastic and other non-recyclable materials from their supply chain.

What are the characteristics that make the green star conquer?
According to the Michelin guide, here are the prerogatives that a "green" restaurant must have:
1) theuse of local and seasonal ingredients;
2) the selection and the
quality of the products used, including biological, biodynamic and ethical origin;
3) the
low energy impact in the use of resources;
4) the
composition of the menus, which must be respectful of seasonality and the territory;
5) the enhancement of
initiatives for waste reduction, including zero waste policies, that is the age-old theme of disposal, namely the reuse and recycling of waste;
6) the initiatives of
communication and passion shown by the chef and staff on the topic of "sustainability";
7) the
creative initiatives in the environmental field implemented;
8) the
collaboration with the local community, in particular small and micro producers.
So many chefs work directly with growers, farmers and fishermen, who are respectful of nature, they grow plants and raise animals, use regenerative methods such as no-dig gardens and catch crop rotation. They care about their impact on the planet and show passion and awareness of an issue that has grown to be a movement towards positive change. In addition to environmental considerations, they are concerned with the quality of life of their staff and support social projects at local, national and global levels.

195050Why is Trentino-Altoadige so "green"?
The concentration of green stars is mainly in the north but in particular in Trentino-Altoadige, where most of them are found. Of course, being on a plateau, next to the Dolomites and being able to go and get milk and butter directly from the mountain huts helps more than being in a metropolitan city like Milan and Rome. But in reality this region stands out for the attention it has always had towards this issue. First of all, the chef could only see it assigned in 2020 Norbert Niederkofler of St. Hubertus of San Cassiano (Bz) with its "Cook the mountain" philosophy, the first to have cleared through customs, thanks also to the power of its three Michelin stars, the world of cuisine local, seasonal and sustainable and to have involved international chefs in his ambitious project.

What are the "green" restaurants to visit in Trentino-Altoadige?

EARTH. In Sarentino, Gisela and Heinrich Schneider, respectively in the dining room and in the kitchen, have created an evocative, eco-friendly and plastic free environment from a mountain hut: Land, "the magic place", as they like to call it, also boasts a Michelin star. "The careful use of resources, respect for food and for those who produce it, recycle as much as possible, use the abundantly laid table of nature. All these are points that go hand in hand with nature, in our daily lives, accustomed to a mountain life "tell the Schneiders." The wild herbs and mushrooms come exclusively from the woods directly in front of our house. All the other ingredients such as meat, flour, milk, cheese, bacon, butter and much more come from the surrounding farms of our valley ".
ANCIENT INN AT THE DEER. In San Genesio theAntica Locanda al Cervo it bases all its vegetable supply on its own vegetable garden and the pantry is contributed by organic farmers and small local producers. The menu is based on all local specialties, in 2008 the restaurant joined the Pact for Climate Neutrality and keeps the ecological footprint under control.
LERCHNER'S IN RUGGEN. In San Lorenzo di Sebato we find a restaurant that has been committed to sustainability on many fronts for years. 100% South Tyrolean products and the property runs a cattle farm, whose meat is produced exclusively for the restaurant. Also, you won't find any exotic or ethically questionable products on the menu here.
1908. In Soprabolzano, on the Renon Plateau, chef Stephan Zippl this year received a double award: star and green star. The dishes are eco-sustainable and boast a strong creativity, there is a continuous and direct dialogue with the small local producers, who often condition the menus and dictate the law, like nature, on what to find on the menu.
AGRITUR EL MAS. Finally, we would like to point out a farmhouse, where most of the products come from the stable and from the private garden. Here cows, goats, donkeys, pigs are raised and the cheeses are made in the own dairy. We are in Moena in Trentino and Agritur El Mas is also an educational farm where children can be taught the importance of environmental sustainability.

January 2022
Camilla Rocca

Recipe Green gnocchi, fondue and mushrooms – Italian Cuisine


  • 550 g taleggio cheese
  • 500 g potatoes
  • 400 g porcini mushrooms
  • 180 g flour
  • 50 g parsley
  • 50 g milk
  • 2 small eggs
  • Parmigiano Reggiano DOP
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • butter
  • thyme
  • salt
  • pepper

FOR GNOCCHI
Boil the potatoes and mash them, hot, on the flour; begin to knead with 30 g of butter into small pieces; then add the eggs, a handful of grated Parmesan, salt, pepper and parsley, blanched and blended.

FOR THE STUFFING
Blend vigorously 350 g diced taleggio cheese with hot milk, poured slowly. Transfer to a pastry bag.
Roll out the potato mixture in strips; in the center arrange a loaf of filling. Close by getting some rolls; cut them into spools, sealing the ends well.

FOR FONDUE AND PORCINI
Merge 200 g of taleggio cheese with a knob of butter, diluting, if needed, with a drop of water.
Clean the porcini mushrooms, cut them into wedges and brown them in a pan in a veil of oil with thyme sprigs. Salt at the end.
Boil the gnocchi in salted water, drain as soon as they come to the surface.
Serve them on the fondue, completing with the porcini mushrooms.

Recipe: Valeria Nozari, Texts: Sara Tieni; Styling: Beatrice Pilotto

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