A little break and an elderflower cookie recipe

Why I’m stepping away for a moment (but not for long)

My mum’s roses and my peony in a chipped Deruta pottery jug that belonged to my nonna

Everything, all at once. That’s how life feels right now. May is usually the month when the kitchen and garden burst into life, full of seasonal promise. But this year, I’ll need to take a little break.

The first reason? The second round of edits for our upcoming cookbook. 

We handed in the manuscript in January, wrapped up the photography in February, and completed a careful, thorough first round of edits. Now, after seeing an early version of the layout—so beautiful it left us tingling with anticipation—it’s time for another deep dive into revisions. This round will take a couple of weeks of focused, meticulous work.

Before working with Artisan on our previous cookbook Cucina Povera and having an international publisher, I underestimated this part of the process. Back then, once the manuscript was delivered, your job was more or less done. Not anymore. Now, once the manuscript is in, you’re only halfway there. This editing phase is what transforms a book from a bundle of ideas into something consistent, trustworthy, and polished. 

After a year of creative freedom and joyful chaos, this is when you roll up your sleeves: weigh your words, fine-tune your ideas, sharpen each sentence, and shape the recipes so that they sing and gently lead you into the kitchen. Then comes the stage I now love the most: shaping the layout, where words and images finally meet and begin to dance. Now the book starts to look and feel like a real, tangible thing. It’s the moment when a solitary journey becomes a team effort.

The second reason? The call has finally arrived. As I hinted before, I’ve been waiting to have my gallbladder removed. That moment has arrived.

It’s a minor procedure, nothing alarming, but it does require proper rest and, for once, that means no cooking, and a rather strict diet for a while.

For the first time in years, I’ll be taking a full week of real rest. No baking sprees, no spontaneous pasta nights. I’d love your suggestions: what are your favorite light but flavor-packed dishes? 

Unfortunately, we also have to cancel the May cook-along. We will meet again to cook-along next month.  

And, since there will be plenty of time for reading, send me your book recommendations, too! I adore food memoirs and detective novels—I’m actually tempted to binge-read all of Michael Connelly’s books after thoroughly enjoying The Lincoln Lawyer and Bosch on screen.

Leave a comment! I’ll be reading from the sofa, with a cup of tea in hand.

A note from today

While I was writing this email, life threw another unexpected curveball. We had to rush Noa—our gentle giant white dog, an old lady and my very first baby—to the vet for emergency surgery due to a twisted stomach. If you’ve ever attended a cooking class here, you know Noa: calm, sweet, always ready for a cuddle and an ear-scratch at the gate.

So, after the upcoming three-day fresh pasta masterclass, it will be the two of us recovering—me and Noa—side by side, resting and healing with plenty of love (and soft pillows).

As promised, I’m leaving you with a recipe scented with elderflowers. To make up for this brief time away, this week's recipe is open to all subscribers. Thank you for your support! Don't forget that you have a 4-year archive full of recipes to try, and you can review all the recordings of past cook-alongs.

I’ll miss writing here (and cooking!), but I can’t wait to return rested, recharged, and ready to greet June with new stories from the kitchen.

RECIPE. Biscotti di Farina Gialla con Fiori di Sambuco. Polenta Cookies with Dried Elderflowers

Unlike robinia flowers, elderflowers can be dried. Lay them upside down on a clean tea towel and let them dry completely. Then, gently shake the parasol-shaped clusters to collect the tiny flowers. Kept in a sealed jar, they retain their floral scent for months. Use them for herbal teas, or add them to bread—as they do in Calabria and Sicily—or into cakes, cookies, and meringues.

As for the cookies, I have a soft spot for Pellegrino Artusi’s paste di farina gialla, polenta cookies. In his recipe, they are made entirely with polenta and have a bright yellow hue and buttery flavour that pairs perfectly with a cup of tea. I usually add a touch of all-purpose flour to give them a melt-in-the-mouth texture.

Variations. If you cannot find dried elderflowers, use dried rose petals, lavender, or skip the flowers and just use the grated lemon zest.

Makes 32 cookies

• 2 large egg yolks

• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons/80 grams powdered sugar

• 7 tablespoons/100 grams unsalted butter, at very soft room temperature

• ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon/100 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling the cookies

• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons/100 grams fine polenta

• 2 tablespoons dried elderflowers (optional; see variations)

• Zest of ½ lemon

• 1 pinch fine sea salt

Whisk the egg yolks with the powdered sugar, then switch to a rubber spatula and mix in the butter, flour, polenta, elderflowers (if using), lemon zest, and salt until a dough forms. Press the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and let chill in the fridge for a few hours. 

Alternatively, the dough can be rolled into a log, tightly wrapped with plastic wrap and frozen for up to 1 month. When you’re ready to bake the cookies, let the dough stand at room temperature for 5 minutes, then use a sharp knife to cut into coins about ⅓-inch/8 mm thick and bake as directed below.

Remove the dough from the fridge and preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll out the dough on a floured work surface into a ⅓-inch/8 mm thick disk, then cut it into round cookies with a 2 inch/5cm round scalloped cookie cutter. Rework the scraps and cut out more cookies,

Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, transfer them to the oven, and bake for about 15 minutes, or until slightly golden on the edges.

Remove the cookies from the oven, transfer with a spatula to a wire rack and let cool.

The cookies will keep in an airtight tin for several days, and the elderflower aroma will deepen with time.