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