November Cook-Along: a festive Italian menu to share with friends before the holidays begin
An Italian-inspired celebration with a touch of Thanksgiving warmth and three seasonal recipes: stuffed turkey breast roulade, fennel cacio e pepe, ricotta crumb cake with squash and chocolate
We’re getting ready for the festive season here at Letters from Tuscany, for those darker months when spending time pottering in the kitchen and gathering with friends becomes an absolute joy.
And this year, we need it more than ever: in hard times, we start again with our little community of friends and loved ones. We linger at the table, we stay cozy, and eat good, homemade food that tastes like family.
Listening to your feedback from our cook-alongs and noting what you appreciated the most, I thought we could cook two little festive menus during our final cook-alongs of the year.
That way, you’ll have plenty of ideas, tips, tricks, and inspiration for the upcoming celebrations, whether it’s Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, Christmas, or simply a special Sunday.
The first thing that came to mind was what we call cena degli auguri—a kind of greetings dinner, something that begins here in Italy around November and keeps going until the New Year. It’s when we try to catch up with friends—those we see almost every week, and those we rarely see throughout the year but who are still an important part of our lives—as well as with colleagues, relatives, and neighbours. It’s a way to exchange Christmas greetings, all while gathered around a laid-out table.
In Italy, the festive season is made up of many small moments of togetherness, it doesn’t just revolve around the big holidays like Christmas or New Year’s Eve. A cena degli auguri is exactly that: an informal but heartfelt dinner to toast the season, share good food, and simply spend time together before everyone disappears into family commitments. These two menus are exactly what I would cook for a cena degli auguri with friends: thoughtful, inviting, and manageable even on a busy weeknight.
You’ll feel empowered to cook, and more importantly, you’ll actually enjoy it. No stress, no chaos, just a thoughtful plan and a warm kitchen. I’m here—actually, our whole cook-along community is here—to help you build confidence in the kitchen.
Think of the cook-alongs as an invitation to have fun in the kitchen in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, while also learning a couple of recipes to add to your repertoire.
Together, we’ll learn how to organise the different steps of each recipe so they’ll be ready to serve your friends in just over an hour.
November Cook-Along: the first cena degli auguri
An Italian-inspired celebration with a touch of Thanksgiving warmth.
We’ll cook together a stuffed turkey breast roulade: a humble cut elevated into a festive centrepiece, filled with spinach, omelette and prosciutto cotto, then slowly braised with wine, sage and aromatic vegetables. As a side, fennel cacio e pepe, a dish that proves just how luxurious fennel can be: pan-fried until golden and finished with Pecorino Romano and black pepper, like a rustic, Roman-inspired cacio e pepe. And for dessert, a crumbly ricotta cake layered with roasted squash and dark chocolate, sweetened with a hint of orange and finished with toasted hazelnuts. It’s a cake that smells like autumn and cozy gatherings.
This session is exclusively for paid subscribers. Can’t make it live? Don’t worry, a recording of the class will be available to all paid subscribers afterwards.
You’ll find the video right here on Substack, in our growing archive of Cook-Alongs, perfect for revisiting your technique for making potato gnocchi, orecchiette, tortelli, tagliatelle, ricotta gnocchi, risotto, pork loin, and more.
✨Whether it’s your first time or you’ve been with us since the beginning, I’m so glad you’re here.✨
💬 Let me know in the comments, and if you haven’t yet, subscribe to unlock the full experience: the three detailed recipes, the live Cook-Along link, a printable prep sheet, and the class recording.
Everything’s waiting for you just behind the paywall, including the recipes for stuffed turkey breast roulade, fennels cacio e pepe, and a ricotta crumb cake with squash purée and chocolate chips.