No meat, no fish, but a symphony of plant-based ingredients and consistencies: Marzia Riva's stuffed cabbage spheres are the cross-cutting dish that cannot be missed on the table.

STUFFED CABBAGE SPHERE

METHOD

For the blanched cabbage

580 g cleaned cabbage

Method

Sbianchire le foglie esterne di verza per 1 minuto in acqua bollente salata, poi trasferire in acqua ghiacciata.

For the edamame hummus

200g of frozen edamame
10g of horseradish/wasabi powder
25g of extra virgin olive oil
Water

Method

Blanch the edamame beans for 1 minute in salted boiling water and then plunge into ice water; drain and transfer to a graduated cylinder; season with extra virgin olive oil, horseradish powder, and a pinch of salt; blend with an immersion blender until smooth and homogeneous; add water as needed.

For the marinated cabbage

200g of edamame hummus
110g of mustard
10g of salt
1.5g of Sichuan pepper
Pressed garlic to taste
Lemon juice to taste

Method

Chiffonade the cabbage and massage with salt. Let it rest for 30 minutes; add mustard, pressed garlic, lemon juice, Sichuan pepper, and edamame hummus.

For the beer vinegar beet sauce

500g of steamed and cleaned beetroot
25g of gao oil
30g of San Giacomo beer vinegar
Salt to taste

Method

Cut the steamed beetroot into chunks and transfer to a graduated cylinder; blend with an immersion blender until smooth; strain through a fine mesh chinois, season with salt and oil.

For the marinated stuffed cabbage sphere

Outer cabbage leaves (25)
500g of beetroot sauce with beer vinegar

Method

Remove the central stem from the cabbage leaf and make small incisions along the outer edges; stuff each leaf with a portion of the mixture and close with the outer cabbage leaf; trim any excess parts; roll tightly in plastic wrap; transfer the spheres to a negative chiller at -18°C for 30 minutes.

Plating

Place a spoonful of beetroot sauce at the base of the plate; unwrap the cabbage sphere from the plastic wrap, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil; serve at room temperature.