This month, the Silver Travel Cook Club invites you to discover the rich culinary heritage of The Tucci Cookbook: Family, Friends, and Food. Written by the beloved Stanley Tucci, this cookbook is a heartfelt tribute to the Italian way of life, filled with recipes that bring people together.
From comforting bowls of pasta to flavourful mains like chicken cacciatore and hearty soups, The Tucci Cookbook is a celebration of home-cooked Italian meals. Packed with family stories and timeless recipes, it offers a glimpse into the traditions that make Italian cuisine so special.
And for those who love a touch of sweetness, don’t miss the opportunity to try Stanley Tucci’s signature Tiramisu recipe. This classic dessert, with its creamy mascarpone, coffee-soaked biscuits, and indulgent cocoa topping, is the perfect way to round off any meal. It’s elegant, simple, and utterly irresistible—scroll down for the full recipe!
Let The Tucci Cookbook inspire you to recreate the warmth and flavour of Italian kitchens in your own home.




Recipe: Tiramisu
Ingredients:
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 1/2 cup sugar, divided
- 1 pound mascarpone
- 1 cup crushed amaretti cookies (optional)
- 2 cups brewed espresso
- 1 tablespoon dark rum (such as Myer’s) or orange-flavoured liqueur (such as Grand Marnier or Cointreau)
- One 7-ounce package ladyfingers
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Method:
- In a medium-sized bowl, beat the egg yolks with 6 tablespoons of sugar until foamy and pale. Beat in the mascarpone until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whip the egg whites with an electric mixer. When they are frothy, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Continue beating until they hold stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the mascarpone mixture, then fold in the crushed amaretti cookies, if using. Set aside.
- Mix the espresso with the rum in a shallow bowl. Soak each ladyfinger, one at a time, in this mixture until it has softened slightly and absorbed some of the liquid (The cookies should not be mushy, but your fingers should be able to make a light indentation in them.) Arrange the cookies in an 11x7x2-inch baking dish to form a tightly packed single layer. Use pieces of broken cookies to fill in any gaps. (If the cookies seem dry, a small amount of the coffee mixture may be spooned on top.)
- Spread the mascarpone cream mixture evenly over the cookies. Shake the cocoa through a fine-mesh sieve to evenly coat the top. Refrigerate to set for at least 2 hours before serving.
How to win a copy of The Tucci Cookbook
Comment below and tell us what’s your favourite Italian dish, and is it one you’ve tried making at home or would love to learn?
A winner will be chosen at random in early March 2025.
The competition closes on 28 February 2025.
54 Responses
Penne Arrabiata, simple but hot! (A bit like me!!!!)
A simple bruschetta,often made but never tastes the same as eaten in Italy due to the quality of their fresh tomatoes.
It just has to be crab linguine. Not only my favourite but my 9 years old grandson all time favourite as well.
I love to make a spag bol but I would genuinely love to learn how to make a proper cannelloni. It’s so delicious and to be able to make a proper full on Italian version of that would be yummy (although I’d probably end up weighing about 50 stone if I could lol)
Gelato of course!
Spinach & mushroom lasagne.
Chicken cacciatore – and yes I make it frequently, just eyeballing the ingredients as I go for a slightly different taste every time.
I make a Spag Bol that hits the spot for me and my entourage so I would be interested to see Stanley’s take on something similar. I have to say that we really enjoyed his recent televised gastronomic tour of Italy so the book should be a good one.
Spaghetti and meatballs
Definitely Tiramisu – unfortunately it just doesn’t taste the smae when I try and make it…
A lovely fresh, homemade basil pesto. Yum!
Love to try new recipes
Not a recipe as such but a lovely bit of Italy we like to recreate with a measure of Vin Santo and some lovely cantuccini to dunk in.
vegetable lasagne, so tasty.
Definatly Lasagne x families favourite 😍
It has to be Lasagna with a cheese sauce
Mushroom risotto. So tasty.
Spaghetti Carbonara is our family favourite Italian dish and it is a recipe that we regularly make.
Oh the Tiramisu
Has to be lasagne. With an extra rich sauce.
Lasagne and salad
Our favourite was (don’t have it now as I am diabetic and it is carb central) pasta, beans and potato which we found in a Carluccio cookbook. The ultimate comfort food!
I love spaghetti carbonara and quite often make it myself, but it’s never as rich or tasty as in a good Italian restaurant
Yum Yum!!
I had Italian grandparents who came to the UK in 1914, and although my mother had Italian food growing up, my father only ever wanted British food. I have been reconnecting with my roots since the 1970s and Italian cookery has been a big part of that journey.
I invested in a pasta machine years ago but, for simplicity, I love a Caprese Salad as that was my intro into the food of my ancestors.
A four cheese risotto! On arriving at a small hotel in Pordenone, Italy at 1 a.m. in the morning the hotel staff went across the road to wake up the man who owned a small restaurant there. He looked out of his upstairs window, shouted a lot of abuse for being woken up but on hearing I had not eaten for 8 hrs he rushed downstairs and within half an hour served me this FANTASTIC meal with a big smile. I did offer to wash up but was shooed back across the road to sleep. Nothing has ever tasted so good!
A simple spaghetti with lots of splendid olive oil, olives, lean ham, green beans, tender corn and garlic!
Zabaglione very hard to find
As cliched as it might sound, I’d like to make a proper pasta sauce, I had a home made one once in New York and nothing has ever come close
Love all Italian food but would love to know the secret to a really good rissoto. I never get it quite right.
I can make a lovely lasagne but using courgette or marrow puree instead of the beef ( but lots of cheese also) . The topping includes plain yoghurt and is an old recipe I’ve had for 40 years
A nice creamy Risotto.
Tiramisu all the way, which I would have for both a main course and a dessert.
I will have a go at the recipe included in this newsletter.
A prompt Italian lasagne
Proper!
Spaghetti carbonara or fritto misto would be my favourites.
If you can call this a dish, my favourite Italian food is Panettone. I eat it at Christmas when it’s in the supermarkets but I’ve never made it. Perhaps it’s just as well that’s it’s a Winter treat.
Everybody loves my homemade lasagne!
Chicken tetrazzini- if only it tasted as good as it does in Italy
I make a great Lasagna but all Italian food is great. Fresh produce allowed to shine
Has to be an authentic pizza and being serenaded by the waiter!
A fantastic collection of recipes….give me anything with pasta and a sauce.
Chicken cacciatore that’s a must to try, sounds delicious.
Fresh Ravioli, have never tried to make, seems too difficult
Mushroom orzo in a cream and white wine sauce is divine and true Italy
Has to be Lasagne.the taste and smell is sooooo different to the one I make 😀
cognilio alla nonna
risotto in a creamy white mushroom sauce
I love all Italian food but I will choose a Spaghetti Carbonara as my favourite dish, particularly the time when I ordered it at a restaurant in the Trastevere district in Rome. I have often made this dish at home and it’s nice but will never be as amazing as that one was!
Any fresh pasta and a classic tomato sauce – but probably with ingredients from Italy!!!
Spaghetti Bolognese with lots of fresh Basil leaves on top!
Anything Italian
Calzone, far better than its pizza equivalent.
Lasagne, lasagne and lasagne – I cook it regularly and choose it frequently when eating out. In fact it would be my death row meal, served with chips, salad and garlic bread!