Index
An easy way to browse through all the contents we published since January 2021, sorted by course and category. If you cook one of these recipes, share the results with us on social media by using the hashtag #myseasonaltable and tagging @julskitchen on Instagram.
About Cucina Povera, our new cookbook
Cucina Povera: It's out now! - Online, at your local bookshop, and everywhere books are sold.
Meet Cucina Povera, our new cookbook - Preorder Announcement | How the idea of Cucina Povera was born.
How to get six additional, unique recipes that complement Cucina Povera - Preorder Cucina Povera and receive an instant download of the Cucina Povera Bonus Recipe Booklet, featuring olive oil focaccia, limoncello, and many more
Meet the Food Photographer and Food Stylist behind Cucina Povera - Or, how Tommaso and I work together day after day without killing each other
Selecting the recipes for Cucina Povera - How to research a cookbook during the pandemic and the bibliography of Cucina Povera
Essays & Open Thread
Welcome to the Letters from Tuscany community. Please introduce yourself here and share your story! - Open thread to everyone
Our brand new food writing course is live on Domestika - Learn how to Share Home Recipes with The World
My biggest failures in the kitchen - Failing big, failing often, to improve as a home cook.
My love for food and an ordinary life - When I was told I would have never succeeded if I didn’t move abroad, my biggest fear started manifesting itself: was I too provincial?
I have no intention to set intentions - The new year and the absence of resolutions | A new cookbook crush: Via Carota | A new recipe: ricotta cheesecake with dark chocolate hazelnut spread
The evolution of (my) food writing - A 14 year old blog and why on Substack I am the food writer I want to be
Don't underestimate a recipe - A recipe is a blend of poetry, science, and political activism.
On testing and writing new recipes - When I stopped writing a simple account of what was happening in my kitchen, and started focusing on what might be happening in your kitchen
We are (dreaming of) renovating our home kitchen - Plus the story of a marble table that has been in my family since the 1940s
Every Day is Pasta Day? - A collection of links, cookbooks, and newsletters for all the pasta lovers out there
An ode to Ada Boni - Ada Boni, a pioneering Italian food writer
Our Southern roots - A collection of links inspired by our Southern roots: you’ll find something to cook, something to listen to, and something to read.
Ask me anything - A post for you to ask me anything: cookbooks, cooking classes, cooking tips, food writing, anything!
Ask me anything, summer edition - A quick post for you to ask me anything: where to go/eat in Tuscany, cookbooks, cooking classes, cooking tips, food writing, anything!
Do you have a favourite recipe for Spring? - A collection of Spring recipes
Christmas Menu Thread - What are you going to cook for Christmas?
What are we reading for the holidays? - An unusual festive post. I’m not telling you what you could read or gift, but what I am planning to read for the holidays.
Anatomy of a bread salad - Different bread salads of the Italian cucina povera through their ingredients, traditions, and recipes.
Vegetables, the Italian way - Vegetables in restaurants and vegetables at home | Italian vegetables: overcooked or long cooked? | What it takes to develop a recipe | Zucchini sauce for pasta
Tomato varieties in a Tuscan market - Ciliegini, datterini, Costoluti Fiorentini, cuore di bue, Canestrini, San Marzano: all the tomato varieties, and the most delicious recipes you can make with them
Parmigiano Reggiano, one of the first examples of the Made in Italy brand - A visit to a Parmigiano Reggiano dairy to discover the three ingredients (plus two) that make Parmigiano Reggiano unique
Q&A for a new beginning - Don't be shy. Let us know in the comments what makes you love Letters from Tuscany, what conviced you to subscribe, and what you would like to change or add instead.
Your must-have ingredient in your pantry - Open thread to everyone
Which is your favourite fresh pasta? - Open thread to everyone
Talking about comfort food - Open thread for paid subscribers only
Let's talk cookbooks - Open thread for paid subscribers only
Your best holidays - Open thread to everyone
Autumn cooking and baking - Open thread for paid subscribers only
Foodie Guides & Travel Tips
Why I’m asking you to skip Florence on your next trip to Tuscany - You have other options. You could slow down and enjoy the provincial life of a small town.
Foodie Guide: Colle di Val D'Elsa and its surroundings - An (always evolving) list of the best places in Colle di Val d'Elsa to eat, shop from local artisans, producers and farmers, and other activities.
An unexpected delicious lunch + gelato in Florence - A winter Sunday morning in Florence and three addresses you might want to write down for your next trip to Florence
Out of office: we’re in Salento - Where we are and what we’ve been doing with summer cooking and summer recipes
Let's go to Valle d'Itria, Apulia - An exclusive gift for you, an Apulian itinerary for curious families written by Giorgia Matrone, a talented Travel Curator
A walk in Siena - Are you ready to have a walk around Siena with us? A coffee break at Morbidi, lunch at Taverna di San Giuseppe and some photos to make you travel.
Salento and Matera, our foodie guide - A brief collection of addresses and links for you to save for a possible future visit to Salento and Matera. (Paid subscribers only)
Being a tourist at home - A lovely restaurant in Colle Val d'Elsa and a day trip to Pienza.
Postcards from Tuscany
Postcards from Tuscany, is a section of the main newsletter Letters from Tuscany. Postcards is weekly, free and everyone can leave a comment.
Magnets on a fridge
Magnets on a fridge #1 - A random collection of links, books, and recipes
Magnets on a Fridge #2 - Easter edition - A random collection of links, books, and recipes
Magnets on a Fridge #3 - A random collection of links, books, and recipes
Magnets on a Fridge #4 - Summer - A random collection of links, books, and recipes
Other people's pantries
Q&A with Francesca Giovannini. Other people's pantries - Francesca Giovannini and her essential van pantry | Cooking ciambotta, a Summer vegetable stew, in her van kitchen.
A week dedicated to Abruzzo and a pantry Q&A with Domenica Marchetti - Plus two recipes for you, including Domenica's Wine Cookies for Dipping
Q&A with Laura Ottaviantonio. Other people's pantries - Laura Ottaviantonio, her recipes and stories between Abruzzo, Rome and the countryside | A gluten-free, inclusive pantry | Abruzzo amaretti cookies
Other people's pantries. Q&A with Manuela Conti - A baker, and a mother who is half cook and half farmer with a sustainable pantry in Brianza
Other people's pantries. Q&A with Rossella Venezia - A food photographer who bakes bread and loves almonds, honey, flour and cookies | A pantry between Marche, Rome and Basilicata, and a strong French influence
Other people's pantries. Q&A with Myriam Sabolla - The life and pantry of a cook and professional organiser in Milan, plus a recipe for the Ligurian farinata and Myriam's preserved lemons
Other people's pantries. Q&A with Enrica Monzani - Talking about her cooking classes in Genoa, Liguria, an all-around pantry and her love for fresh herbs.
Other people's pantries. Q&A with Vea Carpi - Vea is a mountain farmer and a cook, she lives in a mountain farm in the Italian Alps where she has an agritourism with her family
Pantry
Pulses, the pantry protagonists - Recipes with beans, chickpeas, and lentils
Vegetable ragù - Weekend Cooking Project
Appetizers
Panzanella - The queen recipe of the Tuscan summer, the most refreshing bread salad you’ll ever taste
Cheese and Egg Balls Stewed in Tomato Sauce - A recipe from Cucina Povera and an interview with Giulia Scappaticcio, a cooking class teacher and a B&B owner in Abruzzo
Crostoni with Tuscan kale and cannellini beans - A Tuscan winter treat, these crostoni topped with boiled Tuscan kale and cannellini beans are the best way to enjoy the new olive oil. (LFT+)
Fettunta, the Tuscan bruschetta with olive oil - Fettunta is the simple bruschetta, where the toasted bread is rubbed with a peeled clove of garlic and doused with olio nuovo, the new olive oil. (LFT+)
Sausage and stracchino crostoni - Crostone is an open-faced toast with a generous topping. (LFT+)
Prosciutto and Melon Panzanella - When two classics of the Italian summer collide into one delicious dish.
Baked stuffed squash blossoms - These stuffed squash blossoms have a moist, intensely aromatic filling, and a golden brown, crisp crust. You won't miss the fried ones!
Pittule Salentine, fried dough balls from Salento - That of pittule is a very soft dough, actually more similar to a leavened batter, enriched with the most Mediterranean ingredients you can imagine. (LFT+)
How to turn your Swiss roll into a festive Yule Log - Celebrating Christmas and the deep connection to Nature and to ancient rituals
Focaccine with white button mushrooms and taleggio cheese - Make them for an aperitivo with friends, add them to the bread basket for a festive meal, or stuff one with prosciutto for a quick lunch on the go. (LFT+)
Caprese Salad - Weekend Cooking Project
Mozzarella in carrozza - It is a smart way to upcycle stale bread and old mozzarella. (LFT+)
Smoked carrot hummus - Serve it as a dip for raw vegetables, as an appetiser spread on toasted bread, or turn it into a meal with some crumbled goat cheese. (LFT+)
Two recipes for an Italian aperitivo - Make a slow-roasted tomato and stracciatella crostone and a beetroot and walnut carpaccio. (LFT+)
Pasta and fresh pasta dishes
Saffron Tagliatelle with Artichokes - I fell in love with the recipe and the flavour combination: saffron and artichokes are a marriage of love.
Sagne 'ncannulate al sugo - Celebrating 100 years of a grandmother. In loving memory of Bianca (1923-2021). Curled tagliatelle from Salento from her cooking repertoire
Tuscan bean soup with pasta mista - A perfect winter meal
Spiced red lentil soup with ditalini - A wholesome and hearty meal full of childhood memories | A guest post by Meryl Feinstein, aka Pasta Social Club
Spinach and ricotta gnudi - Known as gnudi in Florence and malfatti in Siena, these spinach and ricotta dumplings are a light, festive dish. (LFT+)
Tortelli Mugellani - Tortelli Mugellani are fresh pasta parcels stuffed with potatoes and garlic, served in different ways according to town, family, and tradition. (LFT+)
Gabriella’s Ricotta Ravioli - A guest post from Domenica Marchetti: she share the recipe for her mum's ricotta ravioli from Abruzzo.
Tagliatelle with dried porcini and a seasonal roasted squash, walnut, and sage pesto - Two recipes for an early autumn Sunday.
Zucchini cacio e pepe sauce for pasta - Yes, basically this is like zucchini meet basil pesto meet cacio e pepe.
Asparagus and ricotta tortelli - Fresh and zesty, this is a spring pasta dish that I prepared often during the asparagus season. (LFT+)
Butterflies for Spring - Bow tie fresh green and yellow pasta with peas, prosciutto cotto, and cream, to celebrate the arrival of Spring. (LFT+)
The same old tortelli, but with something unusual - Spinach and strained yoghurt tortelli, tossed in brown butter, sage, and lemon zest.
On beets and purple fresh pasta - Purple beetroot ravioli with ricotta, walnuts, and thyme.
Pici, Tuscan fresh pasta - The Tuscan hand pulled fresh pasta you can make with flour and water.
Pasta alla puttanesca - is a hymn to pantry staples, a punchy pasta dish that you can whip up in less than 20 minutes, while you’re cooking your spaghetti. (LFT+)
Pasta with lentils - Weekend Cooking Project
Chestnut flour tagliatelle with porcini and sausages - I cannot think of a dish that best represents an Autumn day in the Tuscan countryside than these chestnut flour tagliatelle dressed with porcini and sausages. (LFT+)
Bean, pasta, and mussel soup - The Neapolitan recipe to make pasta, fagioli e cozze. (LFT+)
Tomato and mozzarella lasagne - Weekend Cooking Project
Butternut Squash and Ricotta Crêpes - Weekend Cooking Project
Pasta aglio, olio, e peperoncino with squid and crispy artichokes -
Panzanella, the Tuscan bread salad - In my family, we make the classic panzanella, without exception. But then friends arrive, each wanting a different version.
Pasta alla Norma - A seasonal Sicilian dish made with fried eggplants, a rich tomato sauce, fresh basil leaves and a dusting of ricotta salata. (LFT+)
Shrimp and wild fennel pesto tagliolini - The beginning of summer is the perfect moment to make wild fennel pesto. (LFT+)
Soups
Pappa al pomodoro - Stale bread, tomatoes, olive oil, basil, salt, garlic: combine them and let the magic happen.
Bean and farro soup from Garfagnana - Farro has a lovely chewy texture, it’s nutty and hearty, and makes a comforting, easy soup when paired with beans and some basic aromatics. (LFT+)
Garmugia, the greenest Tuscan soup for spring - Make it even more verdant with a stock made with pea and fava bean pods, asparagus stalks, and the green part of a spring onion.
Leek and Potato Purée with Pancetta - Comfort food in a bowl. (LFT+)
Bavarian bread soup for the Oktoberfest - Soup is home cooking, comfort food, street food. It is the perfect example of the ingenuity of cucina povera.
Rice and risotto dishes
Dried porcini mushroom risotto - A backup recipe for when I feel like having a rich, comforting risotto with mushrooms, but no fresh porcini at hand. (LFT+)
Squash blossom risotto - A risotto with the smell of summer mornings in the vegetable garden
Roasted tomato risotto with stracciatella - a childhood memory
Chestnut Risotto - This recipe is an hymn to Autumn, sweet, creamy, and smoky, a chestnut risotto with taleggio and crisp guanciale. (LFT+)
White rice with butter, Parmigiano Reggiano, and mozzarella - This white rice with butter, Parmigiano Reggiano, and mozzarella sits right in between comfort food and a cure-all dish. (LFT+)
An Italian rice salad - Weekend Cooking Project
Baked goods
Artichoke and pecorino tart - A recipe where the flavours and textures mingle into an early Spring tart: lemony, herbal, deliciously bitter, crisp and cheesy. (LFT+)
Onion strudel - A recipe from a Mediterranean pantry
Ciaccino, ham and mozzarella stuffed thin focaccia from Siena - My recipe for a ham and mozzarella stuffed thin focaccia from Siena. (LFT+)
Green olive and fennel pollen semolina bread - Bake this bread if you're planning to share it during an aperitivo. Consider baking two loaves as it will disappear quickly. (LFT+)
Meat
For the love of roast - My tips and tricks to make a killer roasted pork loin with apples and onions. (LFT+)
My mum's polpettone, a rustic, unassuming Tuscan meatloaf - You can find out much about a family and their habits just by tasting their meatloaf. (LFT+)
L'arista alla fiorentina, Florentine style pork loin - In Tuscany the word arista refers both to the meat cut and to the recipe, usually served during Sunday meals, both in winter and in the summer. (LFT+)
Tuscan fried chicken - A recipe from a cooking class with detailed info about chicken, marinade, and batter.
Pork cutlets - Probably one of my favourite pork cuts.
Chicken and potato meatballs - Weekend Cooking Project
Saltimbocca alla Romana - When a large pan comes in handy. (LFT+)
Roasted pork loin with apples - Weekend Cooking Project
Stewed Guinea fowl - Weekend Cooking Project
Braised cabbage with sausages - Weekend Cooking Project
Chicken cacciatore - A traditional recipe from the Italian countryside
Stuffed eggplants - Stuffed vegetables are a reassuring presence: they can be prepared in advance and baked in the oven while you are taking care of something else
Beef tenderloin with cherry sauce - If you want to cook beef tenderloin, follow my mum's advice and serve it with cherry sauce for a summer dinner in the garden. (LFT+)
Fish
Learn how to cook Stanley Tucci's cod recipe that moved Robert Downey Jr. to tears - Being it from Florence or from Livorno, in my take on this recipe baccalà is first fried with thick slices of potatoes, then stewed in a rich tomato sauce.
Caldaro dell’Argentario, a Tuscan fish soup - Weekend Cooking Project
A Sicilian recipe for swordfish - (LFT+)
Vegetables | Side dishes
Eggs cooked in tomatoes - Many traditional dishes preserve the freshness and flavour of the vegetables, celebrating their simplicity
Arugula, a totally underrated vegetable - Used well, it deserves a comeback | Arugula, Apple, and Walnut Salad
On frittata - Frittata is the Italian version of an omelette, without the mystique
Artichoke frittata - It is fast and rustic, layered with flavours and textures, thanks to the crisp artichoke wedges that remain crunchy into the custardy frittata. (LFT+)
Cauliflower flan - Velvety and smooth, this flan is usually a crowd-pleaser. Even those who usually do not like cauliflower will gladly ask for a second serving. (LFT+)
Squash frittata - A seasonal squash frittata and the Halloween traditions
Sautéed chard with cherry tomatoes and lemon zest - A great as a side dish, but also as a main course with plenty of crusty bread and a poached egg on top.
Baked Savoy cabbage - Would you give it a try?
Fried green tomatoes with grapes - Weekend Cooking Project
the Italian potato frittata - Try the Italian potato frittata for a simple, fuss-free meal. (LFT+)
Roasted baby potatoes with parsley yoghurt sauce - Crisp, golden-brown roasted baby potatoes are quick to make and a great side dish
Green tomato galette - Weekend Cooking Project
Butternut squash pizzette - Weekend Cooking Project
Panzanella, the Tuscan bread salad - In my family, we make the classic panzanella, without exception. But then friends arrive, each wanting a different version.
Desserts
The Italian Birthday Cake - This has been my birthday cake for decades, and probably also a fixture of birthday parties for all the Italian kids my age.
All about pasta frolla, the Italian buttery shortcrust dough - Plus a recipe to make occhi di bue, Italian sandwich cookies with jam
A Tuscan breakfast: budini di riso - Rice pudding tartlets, and an easy recipe to reproduce them at home
Is coffee and extra virgin olive oil a good combination? - Try this coffee olive oil cake and you'll tell me.
A vintage torta al caffè, coffee cake - A recipe from one my grandma's cookbooks, my dad's favourite for his birthday. (LFT+)
Tuscan Cenci | The only thing I like about Carnival - Hint: it's fried and covered in powdered sugar
Zuppa inglese, the Tuscan Trifle - I’ll tell you why I love zuppa inglese and why this is a fixture of our cooking classes.
Cavallucci Senesi, Sienese Christmas Walnut Cookies - Meet the cavallucci, the most unusual Christmas cookies, round and rustic, lightly flattened on the ends, floury and a bit lumpy.
Persimmon cake - My persimmon cake looks like an apple cake, but it is the quintessence of the season: it has the colour of rustling leaves with vibrant accents of sliced persimmons. (LFT+)
Pinolata Senese - a Sienese cake with a soft pastry cream filling dotted with plump, booze-infused raisins, a buttery crumb, and a golden surface studded with pine nuts. | Guest post for Domenica Marchetti’s newsletter, Buona Domenica
Chestnut flour and chocolate biscotti - Turn the traditional Tuscan almond biscotti into a Fall treat with chestnut flour, chocolate chips and orange zest. (LFT+)
Poached pears with mascarpone pastry cream - A recipe developed during the recent cooking classes: tiny pears poached in white wine and spices served with a smooth and lemony mascarpone pastry cream.
The last summer recipe: gelo di cantalupo - A Sicilian melon pudding.
Sfogliatine alla confettura, the Italian jam puffs - Enjoying breakfast at the local café as a way to reclaim freedom and reproducing that breakfast at home
Strawberry almond biancomangiare - A Sicilian pudding, its short ingredient list gives away its uncomplicated nature. (LFT+)
Vanilla bean seeds and a good panna cotta - The yoghurt makes it lighter, refreshingly tart, the best ever made.
Torta di riso carrarina - A rice pudding cake from Massa and Carrara. (LFT+)
Florentine rice fritters - A Tuscan pantry sweet treat to celebrate Fat Thursday (LFT+)
Amaretti tart with pastry cream - The comfort of baking. Well, most of the times! (LFT+)
Olive oil apple cake - The timeless comfort of an apple cake
A seasonal cake with pastry cream and seasonal fruit - How you can turn pasta frolla into a fresh, colourful birthday cake with pastry cream and seasonal fruit. (LFT+)
Butternut Squash Cake - Weekend Cooking Project
Torta caprese - An accidentally gluten free almond chocolate cake. (LFT+)
Pan co’ Santi, a Tuscan walnut and raisin bread - The spiced, dense bread loaf that ushers in the Tuscan festive season.
Sienese panforte from scratch - (LFT+)
Traditional Tuscan sweet treats - Weekend Cooking Project
Chestnut and ricotta Yule log - Weekend Cooking Project
Grape focaccia - Weekend Cooking Project
Buckwheat cake from Alto Adige - A rustic cake from an Alpine border region. (LFT+)
a [sweet] Swiss Chard Tart - A surprising sweet Swiss chard tart from Lucca, a delicately sweet, spiced cake. (LFT+)
The Italian Birthday Cake - Weekend Cooking Project
Chilled peaches in wine - Weekend Cooking Project
Pear Almond Cake - Weekend Cooking Project
Biancomangiare, a Sicilian almond milk pudding - (LFT+)
Mead and peach cake - A cake to celebrate Midsummer, the days of light, abundance and harvest.
Italian croissants - We could call these buttery crescents Italian croissants, but you’ll realize how different they are from the first bite.
Preserves
Baby artichokes preserved in olive oil - The good season in a jar. Prepared with Livia and nonna
Peach jam - Weekend Cooking Project (free content)
Pear and rosemary jam - (free content)
Strawberry jam - (LFT+)
Menues
A (mostly) Tuscan Christmas menu - Tuscan and less Tuscan recipes to celebrate Christmas
An Early Spring menu - All the recipes, pro tips, and ideas I couldn’t wait to share with you while cooking an early spring meal for friends.
Theme: Pantry
Pulses, the pantry protagonists - Recipes with beans, chickpeas, and lentils
Vegetable ragù - Weekend Cooking Project
Onion strudel - A recipe from a Mediterranean pantry
Pici, Tuscan fresh pasta - The Tuscan hand pulled fresh pasta you can make with flour and water.
Pasta alla puttanesca - is a hymn to pantry staples, a punchy pasta dish that you can whip up in less than 20 minutes, while you’re cooking your spaghetti. (LFT+)
Florentine rice fritters - A Tuscan pantry sweet treat to celebrate Fat Thursday (LFT+)
Theme: Comfort Food
Talking about comfort food - Open thread for paid subscribers only
Pasta with lentils - Weekend Cooking Project
Butternut Squash and Ricotta Crêpes - or the comfort of having someone cooking for you
Leek and Potato Purée with Pancetta - (LFT+)
Chicken and potato meatballs - Weekend Cooking Project (free content)
Ciaccino, ham and mozzarella stuffed thin focaccia from Siena - (LFT+)
Olive oil apple cake - The timeless comfort of an apple cake
Amaretti tart with pastry cream - (LFT+)
Theme: Querceto di Castellina
Beef tenderloin with cherry sauce - If you want to cook beef tenderloin, follow my mum's advice and serve it with cherry sauce for a summer dinner in the garden. (LFT+)
Pasta alla Norma - A seasonal Sicilian dish made with fried eggplants, a rich tomato sauce, fresh basil leaves and a dusting of ricotta salata. (LFT+)
Shrimp and wild fennel pesto tagliolini - The beginning of summer is the perfect moment to make wild fennel pesto. (LFT+)
Two recipes for an Italian aperitivo - Make a slow-roasted tomato and stracciatella crostone and a beetroot and walnut carpaccio. (LFT+)