Municipality of Milan, Banco Alimentare and the Elior Group committed themselves to food sustainability with a symbolic contest in which they proposed the best dishes inspired by thecircular economy based on the recovery of what is commonly discarded. To compete in a show cooking at Food Academy Elior, two teams formed by chefs Elior and Marco Lucchini and Antonio Oliva, respectively Secretary General and Vice President of the Banco Alimentare Foundation. To decide the fate of the challenge a jury of exception formed by the Councilor for Labor Policies, Productive Activities, Commerce and Human Resources of the municipality of Milan, Cristina Tajani, the starred chef Claudio Sadler and the food and wine journalist and creator and curator of Identità Golose, international congress of kitchen and pastry shop of author, Paolo Marchi. On the occasion of the event, one was given free supply of Amato pasta by Pastificio Di Martino, to support the canteen of the Sant’Antonio da Padova friars on Via Farini in Milan.

"Initiatives such as these, as well as all the appointments offered by the rich calendar of Milan Food City, aim to achieve a double objective: to make the capital the national reference point for the" food "world, as well as to promote, disseminate and encourage a correct food culture. The Administration's task is precisely to create a synergic network between companies, third sector operators and citizens to make them more aware of the adoption of more sustainable lifestyles, thanks also to consumption choices capable of reducing food waste and having the right attention to the most fragile subjects since food is always culture and respect towards man . commented Cristina Tajani, Councilor for Labor Policies, Productive Activities and Commerce of the Municipality of Milan.

"This day – says Marco Lucchini – makes the Food Academy an ideal place where institutions, civil society organizations, citizens and a large company can realize a collaboration that affects and contributes to the transformation of the city, creating a replicable best practice. Each with its characteristics and skills: Elior bringing its knowledge gained within a daily and qualified engineering in the production of millions of meals, the Mensa dei Frati di Sant'Antonio da Padova welcoming those who are destitute, sharing much more with them of a meal. Food Bank as a bridge that unites these realities through its action to recover food surpluses and their donation to charitable structures. Last but not least, the municipal administration in its ability to enhance and support in a subsidiary way the positive attempts that are born in Milan .

"For our group the theme of sustainability is absolutely fundamental – says Rosario Ambrosino, CEO of Elior – With the Positive Foodprint Plan project, we aim to create a virtuous circle in the world of catering, from the field to the table, so that everyone consciously makes the choice more sustainable. We focus our efforts on the entire supply chain to create value in every step, from the search for ingredients to the choice of suppliers, from cooking methods and techniques to the equipment to be used, from awareness of good and healthy food to training, to the recovery of surpluses where they are created. Equally important are our collaborations, as in the case of the Banco Alimentare Foundation, with which we have been running a surplus recovery project for over 10 years. In 2018 alone we managed to distribute together about 36,000 meals recovered from our restaurants09 .

The winning circular plate: Ramen alla lombarda

Ingredients:

For the broth
Chicken wings, neck and skin, Carrots, onion, celery, fennel outer leaves, pea pods, powdered ginger, soy sauce, coarse salt

For the chicken cut:
Chicken breast , Panure of stale rye bread, anchovies, capers

For the buckwheat crepes
Buckwheat flour, water, turmeric powder, salt and pepper

For the gasket
Boiled egg , Carrot tufts

Preparation:

Arrange all the ingredients for the broth in cold water and bring to the boil. Prepare the chicken breast by breading it with stale bread, capers and anchovies and cook it in a mixed oven for 10 12 minutes. Cook one egg for 8 minutes, up cut as cut placed on the side of the plate together with the egg in the stock and ricotta ball with almond on the crepes.

Recipe by Emanuele Oldani and Antonio Oliva

Cover photo: from left Emanuele Oldani – elior chef Marco Lucchini – Rosario Ambrosino – AD Elior, Marco Serina – chef Elior, Ilaria D'Aquila – hr elior director, Marco Lucchini – Banco Alimentare General Secretary, Antonio Oliva – Vice President of the Foundation Food Bank.