An autumn that felt like winter, the rain falling steadily like every year, and there we were, under umbrellas, with cold hands and burning hearts. Because Taste of Milano, despite everything, remains an event not to be missed. And this year, more than ever, there was a new atmosphere: lighter, more conscious, decidedly greener.
Sustainable cuisine according to Pietro Leemann
It was in a caravan transformed into a dream kitchen—a culinary spaceship, one might say—that I had one of the most intense experiences of this edition. With me was chef Pietro Leemann of Joia, a pioneer of vegetarian cuisine in Italy and a longtime advocate of ethical, conscious eating, respectful of the body and the environment.
Together we prepared a vegetarian sushi, combining rice, cauliflower, fresh herbs, and a sweet and sour raspberry sauce. It was all sweetened with Truvia®, a natural stevia-based alternative to sugar, which fits perfectly into this new way of thinking about food: less sugar, more balance.
But it wasn’t just about watching: Leemann involved us in every step, literally putting us in the kitchen. And so, from spectators we became part of the creative process.
Thinking of food as a spiritual act
What makes Pietro Leemann’s vision unique is the idea that cooking is a spiritual and philosophical act, even before it is a technical one. His cuisine is vegetarian not only out of ethical choice, but also because it stems from a profound respect for life and the environment. Each ingredient is chosen based on its quality, seasonality, and impact on the planet.
For Leemann, food is a language that can convey harmony, balance, and awareness: eating sustainably also means nourishing the mind and spirit. His cuisine draws on the East for its rigor and purity, yet draws on Western creativity to enhance flavor and sensory complexity.
In an era where the concept of sustainability risks becoming a buzzword, Leemann practices it as a lifestyle. His dishes reflect a reflection on individual and collective responsibility: choosing what to eat means choosing the kind of world we want to inhabit.
The chef’s vegetarian sushi recipe:
For the rice:
- 200 g of rice
- 200 g of cauliflower
- 10 g dill
- 10 g of thyme
- 20 g of white wine vinegar
- 10 g of Truvia®
- 8 green asparagus
- 2 sheets of nori seaweed
- salt
For the raspberry sauce:
- 50 g raspberry juice
- 10 g of lemon juice
- 20 g of extra virgin olive oil
- 5 g of Truvia®
Preparation
- Rinse the rice four times and cook it Japanese-style, placing it in a large pot, covering it with water to a depth of two centimeters. Cover tightly and cook for 30 minutes at a very low temperature.
- Cut the cauliflower into small pieces and cook it in boiling salted water for 7 minutes, drain, blend it lightly, and add it to the rice. Cook the peeled green asparagus for 5 minutes, dice the tails, and add them to the rice. Season with vinegar, sugar, salt, chopped fennel seeds, dill, and thyme, and mix well.
- Using the cling film, form compact 4-centimetre-thick rolls, roll them in the nori seaweed, leave to rest in the refrigerator for ten minutes, and cut into 5-centimetre-thick slices.
- To make the raspberry sauce, blend the raspberries with a little water, pass them through a sieve, add the oil, salt, and lemon juice, and mix well.
- Make spots on the bottom of the plate with the two sauces, place the sushi on them and garnish with herbs and flowers.
And here is a delicious and surprising vegetarian sushi with sweet and sour raspberry sauce: a fantastic balance of contrasts on the palate: sweet, salty and sour that create a rounded and persistent movement in the mouth.
Conclusion:
Participating in this cooking show with Pietro Leemann wasn’t just a gastronomic experience, but an opportunity for personal growth: working alongside someone who embodies a philosophy of cooking as an ethical, conscious, and environmentally responsible act was inspiring, a true honor, and a profoundly educational experience.
