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The Independent
2 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Crème fraîche creates a creamy broth in this recipe for briny-sweet steamed clams
A big bowl of steamed clams and juicy-crisp corn is summer eating at its finest. The combination is fresh, sweet and briny, almost like a chowder made for eating with your fingers. In this recipe from our cookbook ' Milk Street 365: The All-Purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year,' we finish the clams and corn with a small measure of crème fraîche (or whole-milk yogurt); the briny-sweet liquid released by the clams becomes a subtly creamy broth that's as delicious as the clams themselves. Fennel perfumes the broth with anise-like notes. Scrub the clams well before cooking and be sure to dispose of any with cracked or damaged shells. Give any clams with open shells a gentle tap and toss if they do not close within a few seconds. If you can, use corn kernels cut from freshly shucked ears (you'll need two good-size ears to get the 2 cups kernels called for in the recipe), but frozen corn works in the off-season. When buying corn, look for bright green husks and supple silk, and avoid ears small brown holes in the husk. To easily remove kernels from the cob, place the ear flat on the cutting board and slice, rotating as needed. Serve with oyster crackers, or with crusty bread for mopping up the broth. Steamed Clams with Corn, Fennel and Crème Fraîche Start to finish: 30 minutes Servings: 4 Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium fennel bulb, halved, cored and thinly sliced 1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced 2 teaspoons fennel seeds Kosher salt and ground black pepper 2 cups corn kernels 2 pounds hard-shell clams (about 1½ inches diameter), such as littleneck or Manila, scrubbed ¼ cup crème fraîche OR plain whole-milk yogurt Directions: In a Dutch oven, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the fennel, onion, fennel seeds and a pinch of salt, then cook, stirring, until the vegetables are lightly browned. Stir in the corn and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil and add the clams. Cover and cook over medium, stirring once or twice, until the clams have opened. Stir once more, then remove and discard any clams that haven't opened. Off heat, stir in the crème fraîche and ½ teaspoon pepper. Season with salt.
Associated Press
2 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
Crème fraîche creates a creamy broth in this recipe for briny-sweet steamed clams
A big bowl of steamed clams and juicy-crisp corn is summer eating at its finest. The combination is fresh, sweet and briny, almost like a chowder made for eating with your fingers. In this recipe from our cookbook ' Milk Street 365: The All-Purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year,' we finish the clams and corn with a small measure of crème fraîche (or whole-milk yogurt); the briny-sweet liquid released by the clams becomes a subtly creamy broth that's as delicious as the clams themselves. Fennel perfumes the broth with anise-like notes. Scrub the clams well before cooking and be sure to dispose of any with cracked or damaged shells. Give any clams with open shells a gentle tap and toss if they do not close within a few seconds. If you can, use corn kernels cut from freshly shucked ears (you'll need two good-size ears to get the 2 cups kernels called for in the recipe), but frozen corn works in the off-season. When buying corn, look for bright green husks and supple silk, and avoid ears small brown holes in the husk. To easily remove kernels from the cob, place the ear flat on the cutting board and slice, rotating as needed. Serve with oyster crackers, or with crusty bread for mopping up the broth. Steamed Clams with Corn, Fennel and Crème Fraîche Start to finish: 30 minutes Servings: 4 Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium fennel bulb, halved, cored and thinly sliced 1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced 2 teaspoons fennel seeds Kosher salt and ground black pepper 2 cups corn kernels 2 pounds hard-shell clams (about 1½ inches diameter), such as littleneck or Manila, scrubbed ¼ cup crème fraîche OR plain whole-milk yogurt Directions: In a Dutch oven, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the fennel, onion, fennel seeds and a pinch of salt, then cook, stirring, until the vegetables are lightly browned. Stir in the corn and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil and add the clams. Cover and cook over medium, stirring once or twice, until the clams have opened. Stir once more, then remove and discard any clams that haven't opened. Off heat, stir in the crème fraîche and ½ teaspoon pepper. Season with salt. Optional garnish: Hot sauce OR chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley OR lemon wedges OR a combination EDITOR'S NOTE: For more recipes, go to Christopher Kimball's Milk Street at
The Independent
07-07-2025
- The Independent
Corfu beyond the crowds: Escape parties and package holidays for authentic tavernas and quiet hilltop villages
Hailing from south Corfu, I was raised during the summer months by my wilful and wild Greek yiayia (grandmother), and the enduring charm that this part of the island holds over me has had an undeniable influence on every aspect of my life. Even after my parents moved my brother and me to the UK in our youth, the misunderstood south of Corfu, which people usually associate with package holidays and a party atmosphere, has always been my home. My yiayia is an extension of this and the inspiration behind my latest cookbook, Mediterranea: Life-perfected Recipes from Grandmothers of the Mediterranean. She, like many others in her village, has rarely ventured elsewhere, and the locals she is friends with there have become my extended family and a reminder of the charm that this part of Corfu holds over me. While the north of the island promises a glimpse of how the famed writer Gerald Durrell's family lived – in an idyllic white coastal mansion in Kalami village surrounded by ritzy port towns – the south offers an insight into the true life of Corfiot islanders, from family-run vineyards to undisturbed fishing villages and beachside tavernas. For me, there's nothing quite like taking the main coastal road south of Corfu from the much-frequented airport that sits at this verdant Ionian island's heart. While most visitors will head straight for the pastel-toned Venetian old town of the capital, or else the aptly coined 'Kensington-on-Sea' in the northeast, due to the well-heeled British community that decamps to their perfectly preened villas there each summer, my destination of choice in Corfu will always be the south. This area has a sullied reputation due to the 18-30s crowds drawn to its infamous Kavos strip and the lure of package tourism that boomed here in the 1990s. Yet that single road of beach clubs and bars is a half-hour drive away from where I grew up and is becoming a forgotten pocket of the island as the years tick by. As I drive towards our white-washed village away from town, personal landmarks signal that I'm approaching home. A sprawling, centuries-old olive tree hangs over the winding road after I pass the tourist strip of Messonghi, signalling the untamed terrain that lies ahead. Oleander grows along the turquoise-lapped coastline, uncontrollable shocks of pink reaching in through the car windows. What the north has in fancy villas, the south makes up for in nature. The 'Corfu Trail' – a hiking route that weaves from the south to the north of the island – begins at Arkoudilas beach, where Jurassic cliffs and dense forest dripping with wild strawberries and figs feel prehistoric, lost completely to time and far from civilisation. 'These olive trees were here long before us and will be here long after us,' says my friend Spiros Dafnis when I drop by his olive mill, The Governor, to pick up my five-litre can of oil en route home. He speaks in a very poetic way and manages to romanticise the elements of nature that I took for granted in my youth. Together with his brother George, Spiros has taken over the family plots of land around Agios Matthaios village, producing a high phenolic olive oil. Locally, the young brothers are credited for bringing a heightened awareness of the value of the land and the importance of milling quality olive oil. They offer tours amongst the ancient, gnarly trees that take visitors deep into the groves of the south, on hikes that reveal palaeolithic caves and the remarkably well-preserved Byzantine castle of Gardiki. Similarly, the family-run vineyard Pontiglio has revived winemaking on the island, investing their livelihoods at a time of economic crisis in Greece into preserving grape varieties unique to Corfu. 'When we started, the vineyards of Corfu were in danger of disappearing,' says Konstantina Ntini, whose family's mission is to preserve abandoned vineyards across the south of the island. Sprawling 60 acres outside of Lefkimmi, Pontiglio is a 20-minute drive from my village, set away from the tourist hotspots of the island, tucked into wild-flower-flecked meadows where the hum of the cicadas is the soundscape to an afternoon of wine tasting. The matriarch of the household, Athina Kirtzoglou, serves up local Corfiot dishes and offers culinary classes as cats slink in and out from beneath the vines, while stepfather and daughter Charalambos Kouris and Konstantina Ntini tend to the harvest or otherwise, their speciality Corfiot wines. While I will forever adore the holy trinity of grilled sea bream, chorta (wild greens) and tzatziki at my local Taverna Aristos in Perivoli village, a culture of gastronomy is flourishing in southern Corfu, partly thanks to the young producers championing local produce. On the sandy, cliff-lined beach of Agios Gordios, Mikro Nisi cooks fish he catches locally from his traditional kaiki boat, while the contemporary restaurant, Taverna, prides itself on locally sourced, organic ingredients crafted into dishes that sing of a Mediterranean summer. And nothing says summer to me more than balmy afternoons spent in the company of locals in the hilltop villages of Argyrades (the village my grandmother comes from) and Chlomos, where old men sit outside of Kafeneions, playing backgammon while they sip ouzo or silty Greek coffees. Here, women like my own yiayia sit on plastic chairs outside of pastel-toned homes, waiting to welcome strangers through beaded curtains and drapery they crocheted themselves to demonstrate their famous Greek hospitality with a snack and a chat. It is these women who have inspired my latest cookbook about Mediterranean living, and it's the very essence of these afternoons, whiling away the hours with 'the girls' (my yiayia's nonagenarian friends) that has made me truly appreciate where I am from. Still largely untouched by tourism, these villages and the wild areas that surround them are a testament to slow living, a true insight into the real Corfu and a reason to visit beyond the obvious sun, sea and sand. Where to stay Panorama Notos is a collection of simple, self-catering apartments on a turquoise-lapped private beach surrounded by tropical flora (from £65 per night). Roumanades Estate is an authentic Venetian home surrounded by dense olive groves. Oliver Suites, A former olive mill transformed into a luxury hotel on the picturesque southeast of the island (from £350 per night).
National Post
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- National Post
Cook This: 3 'reimagined' Jewish recipes from Arthurs, including challah French toast
Our cookbook of the week is Arthurs: Home of the Nosh by Raegan Steinberg and Alexander Cohen, co-owners of Montreal's Arthurs Nosh Bar, with writer Evelyne Eng. Article content Jump to the recipes: challah French toast, smoked salmon panzanella salad and cheese blintzes. Article content Article content Raegan Steinberg paid homage to her late father, Arthur Steinberg, with a restaurant. She and her husband, executive chef Alexander Cohen, opened Arthurs Nosh Bar in 2016. Today, Montrealers (and the occasional visiting celebrity) line up for a seat at their luncheonette. Article content Article content 'Reimagined' Jewish fare, including syrniki (Eastern European cottage cheese pancakes), latkes, challah French toast and ever-changing shakshuka, reflects their heritage: Raegan's 'Romanian-Russian-Ashkenazi' and Cohen's 'Moroccan-Spanish-Sephardic.' Article content Article content Nine years after opening Arthurs' doors, with three restaurants — including American-style bistro Romies — Raegan and Cohen (with writer Evelyne Eng) carry on Arthur's legacy in a cookbook, Arthurs: Home of the Nosh (Appetite by Random House, 2025). Article content 'I feel like maybe that was my life's purpose,' says Raegan. 'I never thought I would lose my dad, and that really shifted my whole life. And I'm so grateful that my husband was on board and willing to create this — conceptualize this whole thing we've done.' She explains that Arthur was a food lover well before the term 'foodie' took hold. Her family's life revolved around eating, the where and the what. 'From a young age, all of us were introduced to food in a way that I don't know necessarily all families were.' Article content Raegan began her culinary career in Montreal at Mandy's Gourmet Salads. After attending culinary school at the Art Institute of Vancouver, she worked at celebrated restaurants such as the Blue Water Cafe and Joe Beef. Cooking professionally became entwined with processing the trauma of losing her father. 'It was such an easy way just to forget. You're working with your hands. You put your head down. You work.' Being a chef wasn't what Raegan had expected to be doing, but she embraced it. Article content Article content Today, she oversees business development at Arthurs Nosh Bar. 'I'll always love food, making food and being creative with food. To be the best chef you can be, you need to be 100 per cent focused, and I don't think I could do that wearing all the hats. I love doing the other parts. I love working on the marketing and the branding, and I love building something from scratch and conceptualizing it.'
The Independent
18-06-2025
- The Independent
Humble fish stew showcases the underappreciated cuisine of Spain's Balearic islands
In the shadow of an imposing stone bell tower, market stalls fan out by the dozens from the central plaza of Sineu, Mallorca. Every Wednesday, vendors fill the surrounding streets with produce from the fertile central plain of the Spanish Mediterranean island. Interspersed among the plump tomatoes, leafy chard and bright citrus are more stalls overflowing with handcrafts, textiles, jewelry and more. The scene plays out much like it has every week since at least the early 1200s. Designated a royal market in 1304, it's the only remaining market in Spain's Balearic Islands allowed to sell live rabbits, poultry and farm animals. Naturally, the produce changes with the season, showcasing products that define a cuisine that's little known outside the Balearic Islands. Although the islands are better known for their pristine beaches and sun-drenched cliffs, Jeff Koehler's new book, 'The Spanish Mediterranean Islands Cookbook,' aims to give the food some worthy attention. 'It's only a 30-minute flight from Barcelona,' said Koehler. 'But it's amazing to see that it has its own culinary culture.' Mallorca is the biggest of the Mediterranean chain, which also includes Ibiza, Formentera and Menorca, where Koehler, an American, has lived part time for 15 years. Much of the diet is classic Mediterranean, with lots of olive oil, legumes and fresh vegetables. But Koehler said the islands differ from the rest of the region because they were so isolated. The cuisine developed with few outside influences, with locals relying on heavily on fishing, foraging and preserving to survive the winter. Restriction led to creativity. As an example, he cited the moment in springtime when fava beans are suddenly everywhere in springtime. 'Then you start thinking of five ways of making fava beans because it's what's there now,' he said. 'What starts as this necessity of just survival eventually converts into real gastronomic treats.' Locals may pair favas, or broad beans, with mint, spring onions and sobrassada, a paprika-spiced, uncased pork sausage that's like a spreadable chorizo. Or they add them to a frittata-like Spanish tortilla, or use them with cuttlefish, bacon and onions. The result in each case is a humble yet tasty dish, a combination that is typical of the islands. One of the most representative is caldereta de peix, a simple fish stew that is served over slices of toasted day-old bread. Originally prepared with the worthless bycatch that got caught in fishermen's nets, it features a saffron-scented tomato broth with garlic, onion and white wine. The bold flavor is much more than the sum of its parts, and it exemplifies how leftovers can become a delicious classic. 'First came the need to eat,' Koehler writes. 'Then came the desire to eat well.' Caldereta de peix (Fish stew) From Jeff Koehler's 'The Spanish Mediterranean Islands Cookbook' Time: About an hour, 10 minutes Serves: 4 Ingredients: One 3- to 4-pound whole fish, such as scorpion fish, bream, sea bass or red snapper, or another firm-fleshed variety. Or 1 1/2 pound filets 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 3 medium tomatoes, halved and grated 1/4 cup dry white wine 8 cups fish stock 1 teaspoon sweet paprika Small pinch of saffron threads, crumbled Very thin slices of day-old country-style bread, cut into 2.5-cm/1-inch-wide strips and lightly toasted, for serving Directions: Cut the fish crosswise into thick steaks. Reserve the heads and tails. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium. Add the onions and cook until soft, 8–10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and then add the tomatoes. Cook until pulpy and deeper red, about 10 minutes, adding a few tablespoons of water (or stock) from time to time to keep it moist. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of the stock. Use a hand blender to puree the sauce, or transfer it to a blender to puree and return it to the pot. Stir in the paprika and saffron, and season with salt and pepper. Season the fish steaks and reserved heads and tails (if using whole fish) with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Pour over the remaining stock. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Don't let it reach a strong boil, to keep the fish from breaking apart. Remove the pot from the heat. Remove and discard the heads and tails. Cover the pot and let sit for 10 minutes. To serve, put a couple of pieces of toasted bread in each of 4 wide soup bowls. Ladle over the soup with 1 or 2 pieces of fish per bowl.
