In the Kitchen with Mary & Isabella the cousins behind Cugini Cucina (@cuginicucina)

Meet cousins Mary & Isabella, the talented duo behind Cugini Cucina (@cuginicucina), where family, food, and flavour come together in the most delicious way. Known for their wholesome, restaurant-quality recipes made simple, these two are all about celebrating the joy of cooking and sharing meals that bring people together.

We sat down with the pair to chat all things inspiration, food philosophy, and the heart behind their much-loved dishes; including their mouthwatering Veal Saltimbocca with Steamed Broccolini.

Hi Mary and Isabella, thank you so much for joining us! Let’s start with the story behind Cugini Cucina. You’re cousins who share a love for Italian and European cooking, how did this passion for food start between the two of you, and when did you decide to bring it online?

We started Cugini Cucina in 2021 and it was when Isabella asked Mary if she was interested in starting a food page on Instagram. As first cousins in a big Italian family, we grew up surrounded by incredible food and saw how cooking brings the family together.

For us, we know how easy it is to create delicious meals from simple ingredients, the way the generations before us did. Therefore, we wanted to share these recipes and methods to our followers and when we did, the feedback was great, both from those who were learning something new as well as those who had their own similar memories of a recipe or loved one who would cook the same meal. 

That love for family and tradition really comes through in your content. Growing up in a big Italian household, what role did food play, and do you have a favourite memory from those family meals?

What role did food play in your upbringing, and do you have a favourite memory of being in the kitchen together (or with your families)?

Food is such a big part of Italian culture! Our Nonni taught us from an early age how valuable food is. For them growing up and as for many following the war, food was scarce and meals would be created from what was available on the land. They brought these principles to Australia; our Nonni had a big garden where they would grow all sorts of fruits and vegetables and a lot of what we ate would be sourced from there. We would normally have Sunday night dinner at our grandparents house, our nonno would sit at the head of the table so he could look at what he achieved; a big loving family, grandchildren and a table full of food! Our Nonna Maria Caterina would make the best tomato salad; home grown tomatoes, fresh basil and olive oil - simple but one of the most flavourful meals!

It sounds like your Nonni really shaped your approach to food. Adelaide has such a strong food culture too, do you think that’s helped shape what you create as well?

What do you love most about being food creators there? Does the local food scene or produce influence the dishes you share?

Adelaide is an amazing foodie city! We love to visit the Adelaide Central Market which we find is so full of inspiration. You can see the vendors that have been passed down through their own family generations. To walk through the stalls of fresh and local produce definitely allows us to find creativity. 

There are also plenty of incredible restaurants here such as Mensa, That’s Enrico, Golden Boy, Tunki and Kiin. We are also surrounded by the beautiful wine regions including the Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills and Mclaren Vale. As food creators, there is definitely no shortage of places to visit and restaurants to try, and we love it!

Speaking of cooking, today you’re making Veal Saltimbocca with steamed broccolini. What made you choose this dish?

Why did you choose this recipe, and what makes it special to you both?

We recently made this recipe for friends and we all loved it! It’s incredibly easy to make and uses only a few but delicious ingredients. It is also something that Isabella’s mum Rosa makes often and we are excited to share this with everyone!

That sounds delicious! And you’re using the Crumble 28cm Ceramic Frypan and 24cm Casserole with Steamer Basket, how have you found cooking with them?

How do you find using these pieces for this dish, and do you have any tips for home cooks who might be trying to master it themselves?

We love using our Crumble cookware, especially for this dish. The 28cm frypan works perfectly to get that butter and white wine sauce for the Saltimbocca. Likewise the Steamer Basket is a kitchen essential! Steaming is a great way to enjoy vegetables, particularly broccolini. We love the flavour and that it can steam whilst cooking the Saltimbocca.

You make it sound effortless, which feels very true to Italian cooking. How do you keep your recipes traditional but still achievable for home cooks?

What’s your approach to creating recipes that stay true to tradition while also being achievable for home cooks?

When writing our recipes, we like to keep the ingredients to what is easily accessible in supermarkets and at home pantries. As we mentioned earlier, a lot of our family recipes are made of ingredients that are affordable and can be used in more than one way. We don't believe that you need dozens of herbs and spices to make something delicious. Just a few quality staples. 

And when you’re filming, that simplicity really comes across. What’s the vibe like in your kitchen on content days, calm and organised, or more of a fun, chaotic energy?

When you’re filming or creating, what’s the vibe in your kitchen really like, is it all organised, or a little chaotic (in the best way)?

We like to host what we call “Content Days” where we will schedule in a weekend to create recipes together. We both work full time so we try to do these about once a month. They're usually fun days where we will film and make 2-3 recipes. We have some music going and there's always laughter. We have a big collection of behind the scenes nonsense that we love to look back on. That's what we love about doing this, the fun memories we are continuously making. 

It sounds like such a joyful process. If you were hosting a dinner party with Crumble at the table, what would your dream menu look like?

If you were hosting a dinner party with Crumble at the table, what would your dream menu look like, from starters right through to dessert?

We love to host and menu plan! It's a tough choice to only choose one menu, but we think Crumble would love;

Antipasto of fresh Salumi, Italian cheeses and olives

A delicious, authentic pasta with ragu, slow cooked in Crumble Cast Iron

Our Veal Saltimbocca and steamed broccolini on the side

And it just has to be our Tiramisu for dessert!

That sounds like the perfect night. Outside of the kitchen, what’s inspiring you both right now?

This could be cookbooks, other creators, seasonal ingredients, or even something outside of food.

As we enter spring and summer, we are feeling very excited for new flavours and dishes. This year, we have tried our hand at gardening, growing broccolini, baby spinach, bay leaves, and soon we will have zucchini and tomatoes! It feels so great to cook and enjoy produce that has been home grown, and nothing beats fresh produce especially in the warmer months. On the sweet side, we love making our very own gelato and ice cream throughout summer. 

We otherwise love to stay in touch with the foodie community, trying new restaurants, markets, and being inspired by social media. 

And finally, what’s next for Cugini Cucina? What do you hope the future looks like for you both?

Do you have any big goals, projects, or recipes you’d love to bring to life in the near future?

We love what we have achieved and what we are doing so far! However, there is definitely more we want to do. It would be an absolute dream to make recipe and content creation a full-time venture. In particular, we hope to one day have a cookbook where we can bring our recipes from online to paper for people to have in their very own homes. There are so many goals we wish to achieve for Cugini Cucina, but mostly we want to continue to embrace who we are and keep having fun!