The cold breeze sweeps through the Tuscan landscape and though the hills aren’t blanketed in snow, there’s a unique charm to the winter season here. The beach is empty, just for us and our dogs. The Mediterranean shimmers like a mirror, brightening up the shorter sunny days. The calmness of nature surrounds us, the silence is almost overwhelming in its serene embrace. Can you hear the silence in wintertime?
Fa freddo, it’s cold in Italian. The fire is on and the kitchen is my cozy place against the crisp air outside. I’m ready. I’m ready to dive into seasonal ingredients…each veggie tells a story of resilience and flavor.
From the hardy greens to the robust root vegetables, the flavors of Tuscany’s seasonal produce inspires me with endless opportunities to create easy winter dishes.
Try my comfort winter soup
Winter, to me, means the arrival of soup season. I could have a steaming bowl of soup every day. It warms my hands, body and soul. Everything is in one bowl. If you want to try one of my favorite recipes, click here to enjoy my leek and potato soup. They are a perfect combination for many recipes and this simple soup is easy to prepare and very satisfying to eat. The sage gives a great aroma to this dish. With a drizzle of yogurt and some chunks of roasted country bread, this soup is ready to be served.
Join Chicca's Cooking Club, A New Joyful Season Of Cooking
On Saturdays, we cook together (virtually) six times per season with Chicca’s Cooking Club members from all over the world. It’s a virtual table where every dish tells a story, the ones from my family and Italian heritage.
I’ll teach you live from Tuscany my knowledge about healthy home cooking, help you to improve your skills, and recipes that you’ll enjoy for years to come. And most of the recipes are plant based using the best seasonal ingredients!
Here's what you need to know:
Chicca’s Cooking Club seasonal membership registration is only open for a limited time. The upcoming season is December through March.
The cost of the membership is $149 and includes access to:
- 4-month membership– join a global community of happy cooks from around the world.
- 6 interactive Italian cooking classes – Have fun cooking alongside Chicca on six Saturdays via Zoom. Anyone in a member’s household can join, too, so you can make a party of it!
- Replay videos – Don’t worry if you miss a Saturday class, you’ll get the video recording in your inbox with 24 hours after class to cook on your own time later.
- Video library– 70+ past classes to watch on-demand in our exclusive members-only growing video recipe library, including quick cooking tips to improve your skills.
- Community – A place to share life updates, photos, casual discussions, and cooking advice in a private Facebook group with Chicca, her team, and your fellow cooks around the world (optional).
- Wine pairing recommendations for each recipe are graciously shared by our friend and member Linda from MySommFriend
- Discounts to special classes and events, merchandise, and a new friend in Tuscany to visit!
These are the new recipes we'll be cooking together:
Love from Tuscany,
Chicca
PS: Cooking Club membership gift certificates are also available, a meaningful experience to give somebody you love and to support our small business. It would help us so much to connect us with other like-minded people. Grazie!
