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Missing British hiker's body discovered after several months

Missing British hiker's body discovered after several months

Independent01-06-2025
The body of Aziz Ziriat, a 36-year-old British hiker who went missing five months ago, has been found in a rocky crevice in the Dolomites, Italy.
Ziriat and his friend, Sam Harris, 35, both from London, disappeared while hiking in January; Harris's body was discovered on January 8.
Search teams, including a canine unit, located Ziriat's body about 400m below where Harris was found, in the Passo di Conca area.
Ziriat worked as head of community engagement for Crystal Palace FC's official charity, Palace for Life, who described him as a kind, compassionate, and impactful individual.
A university friend noted that Ziriat and Harris were experienced hikers, but concerns arose when they missed their return flight after last being seen near Casina Dosson mountain hut.
Body of British hiker finally found months after he went missing in Italy's Dolomites
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Five delicious Italian recipes straight from Nonna's cookbook
Five delicious Italian recipes straight from Nonna's cookbook

Daily Mail​

time2 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Five delicious Italian recipes straight from Nonna's cookbook

LUISA Born 1943, San Giuseppe Vesuviano, Italy 'I can't tell you exactly how many years I've been cooking this dish – probably around 60. The key to a good spaghetti alle vongole is to add a lot of oil, and the cooking water from the pasta, to make sure it doesn't go dry. We're just adding the tomatoes for colour and flavour, rather than to make a sauce, but we still want a silky finish at the end. Naples is famous for its vongole and we eat a lot of seafood here in the city. We Napolitani are completely mad about food. It is always on our minds – and usually the topic of conversation. Sunday lunch with family is a ritual we stick to religiously. It is an excuse to come together, share laughter and a great many dishes. A Neapolitan lunch doesn't just last one hour – sometimes it can go on until dinnertime and we will eat and eat and eat and talk about eating while we eat.' LUISA'S SPAGHETTI ALLA VONGOLE (Neapolitan Clam Pasta) This takes very little time to make and is an impressive dish to serve up once you master it. SERVES 4 400g cherry tomatoes 1 heaped tbsp sea salt, plus extra to taste 350g spaghetti 60ml olive oil 4 garlic cloves, halved and green germs removed ½ bunch of parsley, stems and leaves separated, and leaves finely chopped 2 small dried chillies 850g vongole (clams), washed 1 First, cut a cross in the top of each tomato, then set aside. 2 Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, add the salt then the spaghetti. Set a timer for 2 minutes before the suggested time on the packet – the pasta will finish cooking with the clams. 3 Meanwhile, heat the oil in a deep frying pan over a low heat and fry the garlic, parsley stems and chillies for 5 minutes, then remove the garlic, parsley and chillies from the pan using a slotted spoon and discard. Add the tomatoes to the pan, bringing the heat to medium, and cover. Let the tomatoes steam in their juices for about 4 minutes, then add the clams, cover again and cook for a minute or so. Add a scant ladle of pasta water to the pan and cook until the clams are open – discard any that aren't. Use a slotted spoon to remove some of the clams and set aside. 4 Drain the pasta, add it to the pan, stirring until the sauce thickens. Divide between dinner plates and add the reserved clams, plus a sprinkling of parsley leaves. Serve immediately. NINETTE Born 1935, Mallorca, Spain 'My mother taught me how to make this dish and it's one that I have reverted to again and again because I find it incredibly adaptable. You can eat the cod warm and serve for a family dinner or it can be eaten the next day with a salad. This way it serves as a good dish throughout the year, as long as you can find the fish and a good-quality one at that. Another important element of the dish is the vinegar. I use a vinegar that is Chardonnay and very high quality from France, but any good-quality white-wine vinegar will work here. My cooking has an element of finesse because for my most formative years I lived in France and loved all things French. The food, the culture, all of it was my own for many years before we moved back to Mallorca. My family owned and ran a bar while we lived in France, so I was raised with an element of 'Frenchness' that I suppose I have never really shaken.' NINETTE'S BACALAO ESCABECHE AL FINO (Spanish Cod Escabeche) This is a showstopper that tastes slightly pickled, and is surprisingly quick and easy to conjure up. SERVES 6 1kg cod fillet, cut into thick chunks salt and freshly ground black pepper 125g plain flour 400ml olive oil 3 large red onions, sliced into long, thin strips 2 bay leaves 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 200g chopped tomatoes (use tinned if it's not the season for fresh) 60ml tarragon vinegar 1 Sprinkle the cod with salt, then spread out the flour on a plate and dip the cod fillets into it until lightly coated. 2 Heat the oil in a wide frying pan over a high heat and fry the cod fillets for about 5 minutes, taking care not to turn the fish or poke it too many times as it will fall apart. After 5 minutes, flip the fillets and cook for 5 more minutes until golden all over. Gently remove the cod from the pan and put on a plate covered with paper towels. 3 Next, add the onions to the same pan with the leftover oil over a medium heat. Add the bay leaves, ½ tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper, then gently simmer for about 30 minutes until very soft. 4 Meanwhile, combine the garlic and tomatoes in a bowl. When the onions are ready, add the tomato and garlic blend to the onions and cook for a minute or so until the mixture has infused with the onions, then follow up with the vinegar. Cook for a further 5 minutes, then remove from the heat. 5 Put the cod on a serving platter, top with the onion mixture and serve. SOULA Born 1946, Peloponnese, Greece 'Lots of people aren't aware that spanakorizo is an interesting combination not only because it tastes good. Spinach is difficult for the human body to digest, but the rice and lemon that we add to it helps the body to absorb the iron. My mother was an excellent cook, and she told me this many years ago. I lived in America for most of my adult life but have returned to Greece for the weather and the good produce. I like to go to my local laiki (market) every Thursday – it's an outing that happens ritually every week. I also tend to go for walks in the surrounding olive groves every day, leaving my brother, whom I live with, to sleep in while I get out and about to catch up with friends or start on the day's chores. I find that what is most important in life is to keep moving. Even when things get tough, we must put one foot in front of the other and keep walking.' SOULA'S SPANAKORIZO (Greek Rice and Spinach Risotto) This dish is a kind of risotto, but in true Greek style the vegetables are the stars and it's much less fussy to make than a traditional Italian version – who has time for all that hovering and stirring? SERVES 4 1 kg fresh spinach (Soula insists it is always fresh – never frozen) 160ml olive oil, plus extra to serve 4 large spring onions, trimmed and chopped into 1cm rounds 2 large leeks, trimmed and cleaned, then chopped into 2.5cm half moons 1 bunch of dill, roughly chopped 2 large garlic cloves (green germs removed), roughly chopped 700ml water 150g medium-grain rice, such as arborio ½ tbsp salt ½ tsp ground black pepper 1 chicken stock cube, optional (reduce the salt by half if using) ½ lemon, for squeezing feta and bread, to serve 1 First wash the spinach. Add it to a large bowl of water with a splash of vinegar and wash well, roughly tearing it to pieces as you do so and removing any tough stalks. The vinegar will ensure you get rid of any little 'friends' hiding in the leaves. 2 Drain the spinach and put it in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Cover and leave to steam for 10 minutes. Next add the olive oil, followed by the spring onions, leeks, dill and garlic. Cook, stirring every so often, for about 5 minutes. 3 Pour in 700ml water and add the rice, salt, pepper and stock cube (if using). Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to stop the rice sticking. 4 Once the rice is tender, season again to taste, adding a squeeze of lemon for a final zingy flourish. Serve with an extra drizzle of olive oil, a slab of feta and plenty of crusty bread. LATIFA Born 1945, Tunis, Tunisia 'I've been eating lablebi since I was a little girl. It's our 'fast food' here in Tunis – the thing young people eat at five o'clock in the morning after a night out in the city. In some regions of Tunisia they serve it inside a baguette, like a sandwich. It soaks up the alcohol after a heavy night. Of course, I wouldn't know about this because when I was a young girl I was mainly kept indoors. I grew up in the Medina, but I rarely saw it because I wasn't allowed to play outside. We were seven children in total and my brothers were the only ones of us that were allowed to venture out. I didn't know any different and this was the norm, so I never questioned it.' LATIFA'S LABLEBI (Tunisian Chickpea Soup) Lablebi is a staple of Tunisian cuisine, although its origins can also be linked to the Ottoman occupation of Tunis in the 1600s, when chickpeas were served to Ottoman soldiers as a thrifty and filling meal. It's hot, hearty and the perfect go-to recipe if you ever feel a cold coming on. This recipe is for those well versed in spice. If you want a mellower lablebi, halve or even quarter the harissa quantity and then add more at the end if you need it, along with the other toppings. 500g dried chickpeas 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 70ml olive oil ½ bulb of garlic, cloves thinly sliced ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper 2 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground turmeric 1 tbsp harissa, plus extra to serve ½ tbsp sea salt 4-6 slices of days-old bread TO SERVE capers poached or boiled eggs good-quality tinned tuna 1 The day before you want to make the lablebi, put the chickpeas in a large bowl, add half the bicarbonate of soda, cover with water and leave to soak overnight. 2 The next day, drain the chickpeas, then add to a large saucepan with 2 litres of water. Put over a high heat and start to bring to the boil as you add the remaining bicarbonate of soda followed by the oil, garlic, pepper, cumin, turmeric and harissa. Cover almost completely (leaving a space uncovered for the steam to escape) and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a steady simmer and cook for 20 minutes. 3 After the time is up, add the salt, then simmer for a further 20 minutes. Check to see if the chickpeas have softened by taking a few out and pressing on them with a fork or, even better, tasting them. 4 When you're ready to serve, break up the bread into the bottom of your bowls and spoon over the lablebi (you can choose to have it dense like a stew or loose like a ramen), then finish with the other toppings as you like. MARYSE Born 1940, Uzès, France 'Like most foods of the peasant people, this courgette gratin was simply born out of an abundance of its key ingredient: courgettes. My parents were farmers from the Camargue. They grew their own vegetables, and we would have so many courgettes in the summer months that my mother practically raised us on this gratin. Some people don't use garlic in this béchamel, or else they use it to flavour it slightly and then take it out. Being from the south, I keep the garlic in. I've been cooking for 63 years. When I was a young girl we would be taught by our mothers how to get by in the kitchen in order to be able to satisfy our future husbands. What I've learnt in these six decades in the kitchen is that delicious food really needs a certain dedication of time. It's difficult for young people now to make something truly satisfying because everything's always done in such a rush. The truth is, time is necessary for food to be good; it's an essential pause in the day to treat oneself.' MARYSE'S COURGETTE GRATIN FROM THE CAMARGUE, SOUTHERN FRANCE This recipe can be found all over the south of France. While it's baked in a béchamel sauce along with added butter and cheese (the latter helps the dish achieve the all-important golden crust that is essential to a gratin), this courgette bake is light, and it pairs perfectly with a meatier main – or perhaps even just a green salad on a summer's day. SERVES 4 as a main, 6 as a side 800g courgettes, sliced into 5mm rounds 40g Emmental, finely grated For the béchamel 4 tbsp plain flour 390ml whole milk, plus another 6 tbsp 1 tbsp sunflower oil 2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1½ tsp flaky sea salt 4 tbsp double cream 10g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing freshly ground white or black pepper 1 Preheat the oven to 200C/ 180C fan/gas 6 and grease a casserole dish (alternatively a roughly 25cm x 32cm baking dish or baking tray) generously with butter. 2 Prepare a steamer (or steamer basket over a saucepan of hot water) and steam the courgette slices for 6 minutes. 3 Meanwhile, start preparing the béchamel. Combine the flour with 90ml of the milk in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. 4 When the courgettes have steamed (they should be slightly softened at this stage but still possess a bit of bite), drain them in a colander and leave to dry. 5 Heat the sunflower oil in the same saucepan over a low to medium heat and fry the garlic, taking care to stop before it begins to brown. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool for a minute, then add the remaining milk to the pan, along with the salt and a grind of white or black pepper. Return to a low to medium heat. Now add the flour-and-milk mixture and stir like crazy with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes until you have a smooth and viscous béchamel sauce. You don't want it to be very thick – rather a pourable consistency, like cream. Remove from the heat and add the cream and butter, stirring until combined. 6 Put the courgettes in your chosen baking dish. You don't need to arrange them delicately in layers (although you can if you want to go for a 'fancy' look). Maryse just tips them in and shakes the dish to disperse the courgettes evenly. Pour the béchamel sauce over the courgettes and sprinkle over the cheese and 6 tbsp milk. Bake in the oven on the top shelf for 25 minutes, or until the gratin is bubbling and golden. MARGARITA Born 1932, Mallorca, Spain 'I've reached my nineties, but I don't particularly feel very old. Thankfully, I can still get around and take care of myself as well as the children and grandchildren. I have a life of hard work to thank for that. I was born into a family that wasn't hugely wealthy and so, like many children at the time, I was sent to the estate of a rich French family here in Mallorca. That way, my parents could ensure I would be well taken care of, but it also meant that I couldn't go to school. I was nine years old when I left to work on the estate and I was terrified to leave my mother, but I have to say that, in the end, they took very good care of me and treated me as their own daughter. I learned a lot there about the land and about cooking, which I have loved ever since. It was in that first job that I learned to make coca de verduras. I've been making it for over 80 years now, so we can say I've become an expert. The key to this recipe and my ultimate tip is to use a hardy iron tray to make it and to cook it on the lowest level of the oven with the top and bottom setting on. You want the vegetables to caramelise and the dough to cook at the same time. No one wants a soggy dough. You want it to come out crispy like a tart.' MARGARITA'S COCA DE VERDURAS (Mallorcan Vegetable Tart) Every Mallorcan is familiar with coca de verduras, a crisp, thin-based tart weighed heavy with plenty of vegetables. The coca is described as a flatbread or pizza as it isn't yeasted at all. It's best enjoyed with a beer and a couple of other small plates and would make a great addition to a picnic, packed lunch or garden party spread. SERVES 12 SLICES 1 butterhead lettuce (about 150g), trimmed and finely chopped 2 tsp flaky sea salt 2 small leeks, finely chopped 6 spring onions, finely chopped 1 small bunch of parsley, leaves finely chopped 1 tsp ground black pepper 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 garlic clove, crushed or grated 150ml olive oil 2 small tomatoes, thinly sliced handful For the pastry ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 100ml cold water 100ml olive oil 50g lard or unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small cubes 300g plain flour, plus extra as needed 1 Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and line a roughly 38cm x 25cm baking tray, preferably cast iron, with baking parchment. 2 Put the chopped lettuce into a large bowl, add 1 teaspoon of the salt and massage it into the lettuce to break it down a little. Add the leeks, spring onions and parsley to the bowl with the remaining teaspoon of salt, the pepper, paprika, garlic and olive oil. Stir to combine. 3 Next, make the pastry. In a separate bowl, combine the bicarbonate of soda with the water, olive oil and your choice of fat. Stir to combine and break down the cubes of fat a little. 4 Add the flour bit by bit, combining with your hands and rubbing the cubes of fat into the flour to break them up. Do this until it comes together into a soft, pliable ball that doesn't feel sticky. Add more flour or water a teaspoon at a time if the dough is too wet or dry. You are going to press this into the tray rather than roll it, so you don't want it to be too stiff. 5 Place the dough in the centre of the prepared tray and pat it down to flatten it. Begin to spread it out across the entire base of the tray with your hands, pressing in with your fingers and pushing the pastry outwards until it reaches the edges in a thin, even layer. Prick it all over with a fork, then bake on the bottom of the oven (not on a shelf) for 5 minutes. Placing it on the bottom of the oven will help the base crisp up. 6 After 5 minutes, when the base is a little more firm, remove the tray from the oven and cover the pastry evenly with the greens, then spread the slices of tomato on top. Return to the bottom of the oven and bake for 10 minutes, then move to the top of the oven for a final 5 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the topping is nicely cooked and slightly charred in places. Remove from the oven and top with the toasted pine nuts, then serve hot or cold. NOW BUY THE BOOK Our recipes are taken from Mediterranea by Anastasia Miari with photographs by Marco Argüello (Quadrille, £28). To order a copy for £23.80 until 17 August, go to or call 020 3176 2937. Free UK delivery on orders over £25.

The mountain retreat - upholding an Italian tradition
The mountain retreat - upholding an Italian tradition

BBC News

time2 hours ago

  • BBC News

The mountain retreat - upholding an Italian tradition

The wheels on Josh Doig's plane had barely kissed Italian tarmac before he was whisked off to the Alps for a lung-pumping, leg-burning pre-season training camp with his new team-mates."They said to me if you sign, you can go home, pack a bag, come back," laughs the Scotsman, reflecting on his arrival at Hellas Verona in July 2022. "I was expecting to be drip fed into it."But literally I signed, then two hours [drive] straight up to the mountains, not speaking the language - it was terrifying, but after a few days I loved it."The ritiro pre-campionato - translated as pre-season retreat - is something of an Italian have long swapped hot and humid summers for fresh mountain air and picturesque surroundings in the north of the country, spending weeks preparing for the new season at high-altitude camps."You have almost six weeks off with your family and then 17 days away," adds left-back Doig, now with Sassuolo in Serie A and speaking from his fourth such retreat, this one in the quiet Alpine village of Ronzone."When you're in the mountains it's just head down and work hard. You feel dead on your feet every day but it is good because you know you are getting something out of it."It is a shock to the system but it gets you right back in the swing of things with your fitness and the football way of mind."While many clubs, particularly those in the Premier League, now opt for lucrative global tours, the 'ritiro' remains relatively unscathed heritage in Serie A."Every player has grown up with this kind of tradition," explains Genoa sporting director Marco Ottolini. "Maybe we have more mountains than other nations!"This summer, only AC Milan ventured outside Europe, playing in Hong Kong and Australia, with several clubs setting up retreats at their own training bases and 12 still making a trip to the slopes. Antonio Conte's Napoli are even doing it twice."You have better air, oxygen," says Gokhan Inler, technical director at Udinese, who have made a short hop across the border to Austria. "You are more controlled with food and sleep. It helps build the group, new players come in faster." Italian disciplinarian Fabio Capello recreated a similar retreat with England before the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, grilling the squad away from friends and family in the small village of Irdning, tucked away in the Austrian Italian football journalist Daniele Verri explains, would use the remote camps to control their players' behaviour or stop them partying in pre-season."Fans wouldn't even know where their clubs would go," adds Verri. "Now you get full houses."Over time, the culture has changed - as well as open training sessions for fans, most clubs allow players' families to visit, the camps have become shorter and there are more team-building activities. Genoa's players, for example, have spent time rafting and on mountain walks."In the past it was much longer," explains Ottolini from Genoa's base at Moena, in Val di Fassa, where they spent 11 days."There were clubs that stayed in the mountains for three weeks and for me that was something that was damaging the mental health of the players. Now you have to manage the breaks, give some free time to do different activities."Training methods have evolved too, of course."When I was younger it was more mountain runs, up and downs, more physical, 1,000m runs back and forth," says former Switzerland midfielder Inler, who spent eight seasons in Serie A with Udinese and Napoli."Then slowly it changed. Some coaches, like Rafael Benitez, liked to run but on the pitch with a ball."Now on the pitch you can do everything - more people, more scientific materials, you can check more data. Before you had GPS, but basic things, now you see sprints, distance, all these things to fine-tune the body." For Patrick Vieira's Genoa, a typical day - when there are no friendlies - consists of a morning and afternoon session, around which the players can use the spa and swimming pool, or do some recovery work with the physio."Patrick has brought a lot of self-consciousness and he transmits this kind of charisma, this calmness in the right way that is good for everybody," says Ottolini."Patrick is very organised, he gives the right breaks to the players and then in that hour when there is training he wants their full concentration, their full focus."At Sassuolo's camp, it has also been daily double sessions under Italian World Cup-winning left-back Fabio Grosso."It is full on," explains Doig. "We always do running or gym in the morning and always ball work in the afternoon. The gaffer is good with that."Now it is getting more tactical. Tactics, games in the afternoon - it gives you something to look forward to after the hard session in the morning."Of course, there is still always time for golf. "There is a beautiful course, Dolomiti Golf Course, five minutes' drive away," smiles Doig. "Whenever we get an afternoon off, we're straight there for like five hours." 'It's an event' - why Napoli have two camps As well as friendlies and open training sessions, clubs lay on events for visiting fans - Genoa boss Vieira spoke in the square at nearby Alpine resort Canazei and players took part in a table football tournament."It is traditional for the supporters," adds Ottolini. "They like to come with families to watch games and training, to stay a bit closer to the team compared to what they can do during the season."So popular are the retreats among Napoli fans, they have put on two this summer."In the 1980s, all Italian teams went to the mountains - fresh air, to build team spirit. It was really just between team-mates," says Naples-based journalist Vincenzo Credendino."Now the retreat of Napoli is an event. They train during the day and then in the night there is always an event."One night cinema, another night the presentation of the team, another there is Conte with his staff answering questions from people, another with four players, a disco night - it's a holiday village, really!" But there is also an economic incentive for side spent 11 days in Dimaro Folgarida, in Trentino's Val di Sole, before heading for two weeks in Castel di Sangro, in the Apennine Mountains in Abruzzo."For the regions, it is good to have Napoli because Napoli bring a lot of fans who go to hotels, restaurants, they kayak, mountain bike," explains Credendino."It's a lot of money - it's like a real business for the regions for Trentino and Abruzzo. They pay Napoli to come but they earn much more."Verri adds: "For a mountain resort looking for visibility, it can mean a lot to host a top club's pre-season training camp. It attracts publicity and above all fans, lots of fans."That is why it can be worth attracting teams for the retreat with sponsorships, free accommodation and various benefits."It begs the question - would clubs consider ditching the traditional retreats for more lucrative overseas options in future?"For the player it is hard," says Inler of that option. "After a long season, you go to a tour and it is a big fatigue, especially mentally. Smaller clubs, you are here in Europe, then it is less fatigue."If you are higher, if you are a better player, everybody wants something from you, the club needs to promote you, needs to promote the club - the higher you go the more you have to do."

Tell us: share your experiences of traveling with friends
Tell us: share your experiences of traveling with friends

The Guardian

time3 hours ago

  • The Guardian

Tell us: share your experiences of traveling with friends

Once, a stranger at a party imparted an invaluable piece of advice to me: 'There are friends you can travel with and friends you can't – and you have to know the difference.' I have since learned how true this is. I know of friendships that almost collapsed because one person wanted to fill each day with activities while the other preferred a more relaxed approach. I spent a blissful week crisscrossing Italy with a friend whose travel preferences exactly overlapped with mine, but argued with another who wanted to go clubbing at 2am when I desperately wanted to go to bed. In short, traveling with friends is high-risk, high-reward. We want to hear your tales of traveling with pals: the good, the bad, the ugly, the bachelor parties. You can tell us your best and worst memories of traveling with friends by filling in the form below. Please include as much detail as possible. Please include as much detail as possible. Please include as much detail as possible. Please include as much detail as possible. Please note, the maximum file size is 5.7 MB. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. If you include other people's names please ask them first.

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