Ciao everyone,
Here I am with the recorded session from our Sunday Cook Along. It’s absolutely freezing in Tuscany – there’s a bean, mushrooms, and squash soup gently simmering on the stove as I write – and I’m stepping into the quieter months of the year when it comes to cooking classes. I’ve got a long list of newsletters and books to catch up on, new recipes to try out, and furniture to rearrange to make our home even cosier (I’m looking at you, living room: we need space for a longer table to gather around with friends).
So, I’ll keep this short and sweet. Expect a longer email at the end of the week with some thoughts on what November has been like in our cooking school. And – hear, hear! – keep your eyes peeled for the first December newsletter, where we’ll finally reveal the cover of our upcoming book. Exciting days ahead!
But for now, back to our cook-along. On Sunday, we made a festive Italian menu to share with friends before the holiday season truly begins.
Here you’ll find the three recipes:
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.
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.
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.
And you can watch the replay, where we go through every single step, cooking everything from start to finish in under an hour and a half. Quite impressive, don’t you think?
Mark your calendar for the final cook-along of the year
Sunday, December 14th
🕘 9:00 pm CET | 8:00 pm GMT | 3:00 pm EST | 12:00 pm PST
A festive Christmas menu in one hour and a half—three recipes to cook when you gather with friends for a cena degli auguri, including a lovely chocolate and clementine cake with a Christmas attire.
🎄 A festive preview: live panforte baking session
I’ll also be hosting a special live session here on Substack, where I’ll be making – and baking – panforte, the traditional Sienese Christmas fruit cake, entirely from scratch. It’s a little preview of what a cook-along is like. But don’t worry, I’ll be sharing all the details very soon! In the meantime, you can download the Substack app, where you’ll be able to watch the live session when the time comes.
🎁 A special offer to join us
Starting today, and until Monday night, you can subscribe to Letters from Tuscany at a reduced price. We rarely do discounts, and this will be the biggest one of the year.
It’s the cost of a good bottle of extra virgin olive oil, a beloved cookbook by your favourite author, or a long, chatty lunch in a Tuscan trattoria. In other words, a small treat that brings joy and inspiration.
With your subscription, you’ll gain full access to all paywalled content of the previous five years (!!): exclusive recipes, live cook-alongs, and our archive of recorded sessions.
🎁 Do you have a friend or relative who loves cooking, and reading about it?
Why not treat them to a year’s subscription to Letters from Tuscany? It’s a thoughtful and deliciously inspiring gift and yes, the 35% discount applies to gift subscriptions too. You can even choose the exact day they’ll receive their surprise email or print a gift certificate (download the pdf below).
A little Tuscan treat, delivered straight to their inbox.
✨ Thank you for five delicious years ✨
Thank you to everyone who’s been a paid subscriber over the past five years. You’ve made this possible. You’ve kept the lights on and supported us in growing, experimenting, and continuing to share the stories, recipes, and seasonal inspiration that mean the most to us.
A heartfelt thank you also to all our subscribers – those who’ve chosen to welcome us into their inbox and take the time to read our newsletters.
🍝 Two years of recorded cook-alongs
We’re nearing the end of our second year of recorded cook-alongs. As a paid subscriber (thank you!), you have access to the full archive of recorded sessions, which constitutes a cosy and fun journey through Italian cooking that you can enjoy at your own pace. It’s like having your own course in Italian cuisine, with around 20 hours of recipes, tips and tricks, ingredient insights, and behind-the-scenes stories, all waiting for you.
I’ve listed all the past cook-alongs below, so if you’d like to explore some of the earlier sessions, you can add even more delicious recipes to your Italian cooking repertoire.
Appetizers
Fresh pasta and first courses
Pici pasta + aglione tomato sauce (eggless fresh pasta from Tuscany + punchy vegan tomato sauce)
How to make tortelli, two ways: spinach and ricotta + potatoes
Potato gnocchi + sugo finto (vegan tomato sauce with plenty of vegetables and aromatics)
Main courses and menus
All about beans: pasta e fagioli + bean purée + fagioli all’uccelletto (stewed beans and sausages)
Stuffed turkey breast + fennel cacio e pepe
