While I was licking a spoon veiled with bean soup, a sudden thought crossed my mind: so my mum is actually good at cooking…
Two out of the three recipes we cooked during yesterday’s cook-along were my mum’s pièces de résistance, dishes she used to make so often when I was growing up. I’d never quite realised how much she influenced the way I cook. I always thought it was just nonna who passed on the love for cooking, but Mum did something different: she cooked, week after week, simple, nourishing meals, the kind I now find myself turning to again and again, as I live through the same season of life she once did. A busy life, not enough time, a young daughter to feed.
Everyone loved those two simple, weeknight-friendly recipes with their unmistakable Italian accent.
The humble beans really did give us all a deep sense of comfort and nourishment yesterday.
If you couldn’t join the live cook-along, don’t worry—you can now watch the replay.
Together, we cooked a simple bean passato (a thin, creamy soup with a pinkish hue), a hearty pasta e fagioli (a thick bean and pasta soup), and fagioli all’uccelletto, a Tuscan classic where beans are first stewed with sage, garlic, and tomato paste, then enriched with pork sausages. You can find all the recipes here.
While our bean casserole was simmering on the stove, we also had time to delve into how to cook dried beans (and chickpeas) from scratch, which herbs to use (sage or rosemary? Bay leaf when in doubt), when to add salt, and how to store them. Pulses are such a genius, affordable, sustainable and delicious ingredient— you should always have some on hand, either in your fridge or your pantry. Yes, I love soaking beans overnight and gently simmering them until they’re buttery soft, but sometimes having a good jar of beans in the cupboard is a lifesaver.
Speaking of beans and how fascinating and rewarding they are as an ingredient, I really enjoyed Gilly Smith and Amelia Christie-Miller’s conversation in one of the recent podcast episodes of Cooking the books: Amelia Christie-Miller: Full of Beans. Go have a listen.
What’s next? Two Italian cene degli auguri
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. We actually need it now 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, dreaming big together, 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 doesn’t just revolve around the big holidays like Christmas or New Year’s Eve. It is actually made up of many small moments of togetherness. 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.
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.
So, will you be joining us?
Mark your calendar for the final cook-alongs of the year
Sunday, November 23rd
🕘 9:00 pm CET | 8:00 pm GMT | 3:00 pm EST | 12:00 pm PST
A festive Fall menu in one hour and a half—three recipes to cook when you gather with friends, including one of my signature dishes, stuffed turkey breast roulade.
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.
By the way, if you speak Italian or want to improve it…
I’ve recently launched a book club on our Italian newsletter, Lettere dalla Toscana, where we read a food-themed book each month, in Italian, and meet online on Zoom to chat about it. It’s a lovely way to practise the language while diving deeper into food writing in all its forms. If you’d like to join us (it’s free!), keep an eye out for the newsletter I’ll be sending tomorrow with the next two books.
In the meantime, you can read more about it here:
