In today’s episode we’re travelling southward, towards the heel of the boot of the Italian peninsula, Salento. Today’s guest is Nina Gigante, a wellness, food, and travel journalist, and a qualified holistic nutritionist. 
While we were in Salento to visit Tommaso’s family, I was continuously texting Nina to have advice on where to go, shop, and, guess what, eat. Thanks to her tips we discovered my favourite brioche in Salento.
In the following conversation, you’ll hear us talking about what is home for Nina, what she likes about Mediterranean cuisine, and what to see, where to eat, and what to buy in Lecce. Nina will also give us a tip to visit a less known turquoise lake surrounded by a Martian landscape right there, in Salento. 

So now listen to the episode, join the conversation online, and enjoy this little preview of what a holiday in Salento feels like.

Learn more about Nina Gigante here:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nina_giga 

Find me online at www.julskitchen.com or on Instagram https://instagram.com/julskitchen/ 

Join our Facebook Group Cooking with Juls’ Kitchen: https://www.facebook.com/groups/775325049335625/

Podcast realized by https://instagram.com/tommyonweb 

Get full access to Letters from Tuscany at julskitchen.substack.com/subscribe

2x04 - Life in Salento: in conversation with Nina Gigante

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

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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

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

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

Last but not least [Special]

The best way to understand the Tuscan pastry art is to have a walk in Siena with an open mind, following the trail of spices, paying attention to the colours and to the ingredients of the baked goods arranged in the shop windows of bakeries, cafés, and pastry shops.
The Tuscan pastry art isn’t show stopping, elegant, refined or elaborate, as you would say of the French patisserie or oven of the Southern Italian pastry art of Sicily and Naples.
In this episode, we will delve into the Tuscan pastry art, discovering how seasonal it is, how strongly related to Cucina Povera, and how it shows a lasting influence of Medieval and Renaissance ingredients, spices, and traditions.

So now listen to the episode, join the conversation online, and enjoy this little taste of Tuscna sweet treats.

Recipes mentioned in this episode:
- Schiacciata con l’uva: https://en.julskitchen.com/dessert/grape-focaccia 
- Pan co’ Santi: https://en.julskitchen.com/bread/pan-co-santi 
- Cenci: https://en.julskitchen.com/dessert/carnival-fried-dough-the-tuscan-cenci 
- Rice fritters: https://en.julskitchen.com/tuscany/italian-carnival-rice-fritters 
- Schiacciata alla Fiorentina: https://en.julskitchen.com/dessert/schiacciata-alla-fiorentina-a-sweet-flatbread-for-carnival 
- Quaresimali: https://en.julskitchen.com/dessert/cookies/quaresimali-florentine-cookies-for-lent 
- Pan di Ramerino: https://en.julskitchen.com/tuscany/pan-di-ramerino 
- Schiacciata di Pasqua: https://en.julskitchen.com/tuscany/tuscan-schiacciata-sweet-easter-bread 
- Necci: https://en.julskitchen.com/dessert/necci-tuscan-chestnut-pancakes 
- Castagnaccio: https://en.julskitchen.com/dessert/castagnaccio-chestnut-cake 
- Scarpaccia: https://en.julskitchen.com/dessert/a-tuscan-sweet-zucchini-cake 
- Alchermes: https://en.julskitchen.com/drink/home-made-alchermes 
- Zuccotto: https://en.julskitchen.com/dessert/tuscan-zuccotto 
- Zuppa Inglese: https://en.julskitchen.com/dessert/zuppa-inglese-as-afternoon-break 
- Cantucci: https://en.julskitchen.com/dessert/cookies/tuscan-biscotti 
- Cavallucci: https://en.julskitchen.com/dessert/cookies/cavallucci-tuscan-cookies 
- Ricciarelli: https://en.julskitchen.com/dessert/ricciarelli-siena-almond-cookies 
- Panforte: https://en.julskitchen.com/dessert/tuscan-panforte-a-spicy-cake-from-siena 

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

2x05 - All about the traditional Tuscan sweet treats [Christmas Special]

In this episode of Cooking with an Italian Accent, we travel to the mountains to visit my friend Vea Carpi. She is a cook, a farmer, a sourdough baker, and passionate about wool. She has a maso up in the Trentino mountains and an agritourism with her family. We are both from Tuscany, but we met there, in her farmstead, where we were greeted as part of her family. We attended one of her sourdough baking courses and learnt about her life in the mountains.
In the following conversation, you’ll hear us talking about bread and wool, and what they have in common, about Alpine cuisine and local ingredients, about sustainable tourism in the Alps, and day trips to Valle dei Mocheni.

So now listen to the episode, join the conversation online, and enjoy this little preview of what a holiday in Trentino looks and tastes like.

Learn more about Vea Carpi here:
Web site: https://www.masdelsaro.it/en/homepage/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mas_del_saro/
Vea’s book, Pasta Madre: https://masdelsaroshop.bigcartel.com/product/la-mia-pasta-madre-il-pane-i-dolci-la-vita-in-montagna-ed-raetia-2020 

Find me online at www.julskitchen.com or on Instagram https://instagram.com/julskitchen/ 

Join our Facebook Group Cooking with Juls’ Kitchen: https://www.facebook.com/groups/775325049335625/

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

2x04 - Life in Salento: in conversation with Nina Gigante

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