Cooking with an Italian accent

Giulia Scarpaleggia
  • 4.9 (122)
  • Food
  • Updated Monthly

Ciao, I am Giulia Scarpaleggia, a Tuscan born and bred country girl, a home cook, a food writer and a photographer. I teach Tuscan cooking classes in my house in the countryside in between Siena and Florence. I’ve been sharing honest, reliable Italian recipes for 14 years now, through my cookbooks and our blog Juls' Kitchen. If you love everything about Italian food, big crowded tables and seasonal ingredients, join us and follow our podcast “Cooking with an Italian accent“. julskitchen.substack.com

  1. Aug 11

    Learning a language through food

    Can food help you learn a language? In this episode, I sit down with Italian teacher Margherita Berti to talk about learning Italian through food, curiosity, and everyday life. We discuss why passion is often a better teacher than grammar, how to build confidence when speaking, and the small habits that can help you make Italian part of your daily routine—whether you're planning a trip to Italy or simply dreaming of bringing a little more Italy into your life. Where to find Margherita: Italian Matters, her book Speak the World Italian: History & Culture Through Language and her Instagram profile: italianmatters This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julskitchen.substack.com/subscribe

  2. Jun 15

    Inside other people’s pantries

    In this episode of Cooking with an Italian Accent, I talk with Melina Hammer, a longtime friend of Letters from Tuscany—food stylist, photographer, recipe developer, award-winning author of A Year at Catbird Cottage, and host at Catbird Cottage in the Hudson Valley—for the first conversation in a new series dedicated to other people’s pantries. We explore the pantry as a place of security, abundance, memory, and possibility, from beans, jams, canned tomatoes, tinned fish, and honey to fermented garlic, tomato confit, and the freezer as a second pantry. A warm conversation about how the ingredients we keep close shape the way we cook, eat, and live. The podcast now lives inside our newsletter on Substack, Letters from Tuscany, where you’ll find all the links mentioned in this episode, and where you can join the conversation by leaving a comment. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julskitchen.substack.com/subscribe

  3. Apr 14

    Vegetables the Italian Way is out. Let's celebrate!

    Today we’re celebrating the release of Vegetables the Italian Way: Turning Simple and Fresh into Extraordinary. In this episode, I take you behind the scenes of the book: how it was born from years of cooking classes, conversations, and questions from students and readers. This is not a vegetarian cookbook. It’s a book about how we truly cook and eat in Italy, where vegetables are at the centre of the table, shaped by seasonality, simplicity, and everyday habits. I’ll also share the 5 ideas that define the book and might change the way you cook vegetables at home. ✨ In this episode, you’ll hear about: - Why vegetables are often missing from Italian restaurant menus - What “vegetable-forward” really means in Italian cooking - How Italian home cooking differs from what you see when travelling - Why overcooking vegetables is sometimes the key to flavour - How to balance bitterness and make it delicious - What it means to think of Italian cooking as a “grammar” - How this book was tested and shaped in real cooking classes Read more about Vegetables the Italian Way here: * Vegetables the Italian Way: cover reveal & the story behind the book * 5 things to know about Vegetables, the Italian way Find it wherever books are sold, or purchase your copy here: https://en.julskitchen.com/cookbooks/vegetables-the-italian-way This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julskitchen.substack.com/subscribe

  4. Feb 18

    The tradition I stand for

    After being asked to define my cooking style, I realised that none of the usual labels — creative, healthy-conscious, rule-breaking — truly fit. The word I was looking for was simpler: traditional. In this episode, a natural continuation of the one dedicated to my nonna Marcella, I reflect on the kind of tradition I stand for: one rooted in seasonality, rural knowledge, emotional rituals, and collective memory. From Carnival sweets to grape focaccia in September, from foraging wild herbs to kneading bread that marks the passing of time, this is the tradition I stand for. The podcast now lives inside the newsletter on Substack, where you’ll find all the links to the recipes mentioned in this episode and can join the conversation by leaving a comment. Recipes and dishes mentioned: - Cenci and frittelle for Carnival - Pici from Val d’Orcia - Sicilian biancomangiare - Castagnaccio - Tuscan Chickpea flour cake Nocino This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julskitchen.substack.com/subscribe

  5. Jan 30

    Goodbye, nonna Marcella

    After a long break, Cooking with an Italian Accent is back. In this episode, I share a personal letter and a goodbye to my nonna Marcella, who passed away last year at almost 97. Through old family videos, memories of Easter lunches, homemade tagliatelle, and everyday gestures, I reflect on how she shaped my way of cooking, eating, and understanding tradition. This is an episode about food memories, grief and gratitude, and about tradition as something alive — not frozen in time, but carried forward through cooking. The podcast now lives inside the newsletter on Substack, where you’ll find all the links to the recipes mentioned in this episode and can join the conversation by leaving a comment. Recipes and dishes mentioned: - her flawless lasagne - her rice pudding cake - her bignè alla crema - her tagliatelle with tomato paste, oregano, prosciutto cotto and cream - the very best stuffed round zucchini - extra creamy pasta e patate - the birthday cake she baked me for decades - candied orange peels dipped in chocolate This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julskitchen.substack.com/subscribe

  6. 02/06/2025

    Italy in the low season

    Italy is often imagined in the golden glow of summer. But what about winter? In this episode, we explore ten vignettes of Italy in the low season—from misty medieval towns to empty beaches, from seasonal markets to winter festivals. Let’s paint a different picture of Italy, one filled with mystery, comfort food, and quiet beauty. This episode is hosted on Substack, so join the conversation here: https://julskitchen.substack.com/p/italy-in-the-low-season This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julskitchen.substack.com/subscribe

  7. 08/02/2023

    Why I’m asking you to skip Florence on your next trip to Tuscany

    In this episode of Cooking with an Italian Accent, I’m asking you to skip Florence on your next trip to Tuscany. I’m sharing my two cents on tourism and overcrowded destinations, but I would love to know your thoughts on this, as well. We talk about travelling during the low season and your option to slow down and enjoy the provincial life of a small town.  We introduce our immersive three-day seasonal cooking masterclass: https://en.julskitchen.com/tuscan-cooking-classes#threeday Our Colle Val d’Elsa foodie guide: https://en.julskitchen.com/other/travel/where-to-eat-in-colle-val-d-elsa So now listen to the episode and join the conversation online on our newsletter Letters from Tuscany on Substack: https://julskitchen.substack.com/p/why-im-asking-you-to-skip-florence Find me online >> Newsletter: www.lettersfromtuscany.com | Blog: www.julskitchen.com | Instagram: https://instagram.com/julskitchen/  Podcast realized by https://instagram.com/tommyonweb   This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julskitchen.substack.com/subscribe

  8. 02/15/2023 ·  Bonus

    Last but not least [Special]

    In this episode of Cooking with an Italian Accent, after a year of absence, I tell you a little bit more about the things that have happened: - This podcast is not dead, it is just on a break. - Our newsletter on Substack, Letters from Tuscany, is where most of our writing and recipes will live from now on. - For the past two years, we’ve been working on a new cookbook, Cucina Povera, The Italian Way of Transforming Humble Ingredients into Unforgettable Meals. It will be released in April 2023. So now listen to the episode and join the conversation online on our newsletter www.lettersfromtuscany.com on Substack. Preorder our cookbook Cucina Povera here.  Find me online at www.julskitchen.com or on Instagram https://instagram.com/julskitchen/   Podcast realized by https://instagram.com/tommyonweb This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julskitchen.substack.com/subscribe

See All (60)

4.9
out of 5
122 Ratings

About

Ciao, I am Giulia Scarpaleggia, a Tuscan born and bred country girl, a home cook, a food writer and a photographer. I teach Tuscan cooking classes in my house in the countryside in between Siena and Florence. I’ve been sharing honest, reliable Italian recipes for 14 years now, through my cookbooks and our blog Juls' Kitchen. If you love everything about Italian food, big crowded tables and seasonal ingredients, join us and follow our podcast “Cooking with an Italian accent“. julskitchen.substack.com

Information

You Might Also Like