Recipes against waste recommended by famous Roman chefs

From the kitchens of some of the most renowned Roman chefs come out recipes that promote the “zero waste” philosophy against food waste and the crisis of raw materials.

The tips for sustainable and budget-friendly dishes come from some of the most renowned Roman chefs who have embraced the ‘zero waste’ philosophy in their kitchens. A sustainable and economical style that seeks to stem the crisis of raw materials and fight against food waste.

(From left to right) Chef: Andrea Pasqualucci, Giuseppe D’Alessio, Matteo Militello @ Bortolan & Carnevali

Andrea Pasqualucci from Moma restaurant, Giuseppe D’Alessio from Settimo, Daniele Roppo from Il Marchese, Simone Maddaleni from Madeleine and Matteo Militello from Aventina give some advice based on practices adopted in their own kitchens.

Advice from Andrea Pasqualucci

Creative, empty-fridge and tasty recipes to fight against food waste and survive the raw materials crisis. From reusing cheese skins to vegetable stalks, from meat to leftover charcuterie, but still good to eat. Andrea Pasqualucci in his restaurant uses a philosophy based on a short, ethical and safe supply chain. The supply comes from small producers and is particularly sustainable. As the chef explains: “Thinking about ethical, sustainable and zero-waste cuisine in a restaurant means above all making a very careful choice of suppliers who can guarantee a short supply chain as much as possible, as well as rigorous management. subjects. . first “. Obviously, as Pasqualucci points out, a different argument can be made for the pantry at home. Thus the chef’s advice refers to dishes from our tradition with adequate nutritional values.

“A combination of pasta and legumes like beans, chickpeas or lentils, to create steaming soups that warm up cold winter evenings. To these can be added all the remains of vegetables found in the fridge as well as the remains of charcuterie”. For carbohydrate intake you can think of grains such as barley or spelled. The chef of the Moma restaurant always offers polenta, to be seasoned with leftover meat and flavored with vegetables and a mixture of cheeses. Even bread pizza is an anti-waste idea. It can be made with stale bread as a base for a dough to garnish at will with everything from the fridge and the pantry.

Against waste in the kitchens of Daniele Roppo and Giuseppe D’Alessio

Daniele Roppo, chef of Il Marchese Roma (which recently inaugurated Il Marchese Milano) chooses seasonal products for his cuisine. And from his advice emerge a few “tricks” for working with vegetables while avoiding waste. For example, a small pickle and pickle pantry can be a great way to store leftovers. “Learning to work with vegetables, especially large-leaved ones, is becoming a fundamental skill in the zero waste philosophy”. In this sense, the chef of the Capitoline restaurant suggests also using the stems of the vegetables and not just the leaves. These, in fact, can be used to make a broth which, once mixed and filtered, can also become an excellent condiment for a dry paste: “Which – suggests Roppo – with the addition of anchovies and a pinch of pecorino cheese, becomes a delicious first course “. In addition, if the broth freezes in individual portions, it can also be reused later. Stale bread, on the other hand, the chef of Il Marchese offers Pappa al Pomodoro.

Daniele Roppo @ Bortolan & Carnevali

From Settimo’s kitchen, located on the roof of the Sofitel Rome Villa Borghese, chef Giuseppe D’Alessio offers dishes linked to tradition and territory. Also in this case, seasonal and local raw materials. “Going into people’s homes to imagine their pantries is not easy – confesses D’Alessio – but certainly a trick for a dish that takes me back in time when I was a child is bread soup”. Bread still the protagonists of the anti-waste recipes of Roman chefs. “According to my experience also acquired in many starred kitchens, bread soup was a dish that I often found. It is a base that can be enriched according to the most diverse tastes. There are gourmet versions enriched with truffles or foie gras. But a certainly tasty and satisfying family version can be the soup enriched with a cheese fondue that we have in the fridge or slices of sautéed ham. Let your imagination be free “.

Seasonal products from Madeleine and Aventine and use of waste

Madeleine’s chef, Simone Maddaleni, has also embraced the “zero waste” philosophy in her restaurant. In its choice of raw materials coming mainly from local businesses and suppliers. In addition, it is important for the chef to know that seasonal products, in addition to providing health benefits, help to avoid waste and save money. “For me, it is unacceptable to throw away old bread, because it is a symbol of work and effort; it is not by chance that they say “to win a loaf”. So rather than throwing it away, I prefer to give it a new life”. And in this context the chef offers you the classic panzanella or to season to your taste and the Pappa al Pomodoro.

Chef Simone Maddaleni and the kitchen brigade @Andrea Di Lorenzo

And again from Roman localities, in Aventina meat is one of the great protagonists, prepared with precision by the chef Matteo Militello. A transformation that generates waste but can still be used as products of excellence in the kitchen. “To trim the meat is not only to have a product that is pleasing to the eye but to achieve perfection from a cooking point of view, which is what interests me the most”. But from what is defined as “waste”, Chef Aventina always creates a new dish. Matteo Militello, in fact, decided to make a sausage with parts of fat and parts of meat balanced with the leftover meat, perfect for using the surplus created when processing the meat for the Aventina grill. All Aventina butcher’s products follow the same philosophy; Thus, any type of meat can be part of the famous chef’s court stew. Not generating waste and always maintaining quality food: this is the philosophy that all chefs want to spread.