Latest news with #HardieGrant
USA Today
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Six things I learned from Ian Baker-Finch's new biography
Ian Baker-Finch signed off from CBS after 19 years at 'The Eye' and 30 years as a TV broadcaster. The send-off from his team on August 3 was next level. But Baker-Finch's story from the rugged courses of Queensland, Australia, to his triumphant Open win at Royal Birkdale in 1991 and his downfall – 'one of the cruelest and swiftest collapses the game has witnessed,' according to the dust jacket of his new, authorized biography – is under-appreciated and has been under-told until now. 'Ian Baker-Finch: To Hell and Back,' (Hardie Grant, $35) by Geoff Saunders debuted this week and is a riveting read about one of the good guys in golf. Baker-Finch's life well lived in the game is documented – both the highs and the lows – and he shares so many fun and memorable anecdotes along the way. Here are the Schupak Six-Pack of things I learned: The story of the hyphen I always wonder the backstory on how and why a last name gets hyphenated. It turns out Baker-Finch's father, Tony, had a paternal grandfather named Baker, who was killed in the Boer War in 1899. His widow remarried a man named Finch, and Tony's father grew up as Anthony Finch. But when Anthony emigrated to Australia, he added Baker to his surname in memory of his birth father. Hatless, no matter the price at 1984 Open When Baker-Finch grabbed the 36-hole lead at the 1984 Open Championship at St. Andrews, Manufacturers Hanover Trust approached his agent, and the American bank offered Baker-Finch 5,000 pounds to wear a cap with its company logo for the final two rounds. Baker-Finch wasn't a hat guy and so turned it down, not wanting anything to get in the way of his chance at winning. Eventually, they came to a compromise: 2,500 to wear a logoed patch on the sleeves of his shirt and sweater. Baker-Finch's wife sewed it on for him. 'It was a funny little deal and an early form of ambush marketing that often occurred at these majors,' he said. Nicklaus is a gas One year later, at the 1985 Open at Royal St. George's, Baker-Finch was invited to play a practice round with Jack Nicklaus, the man whose book he'd received as a birthday present at age 12 and had become his golf instructional bible. Baker-Finch recounts a story from that day of how Nicklaus put him at ease that is a ripper – literally! "We were walking up the hill past the big bunker on the right side of the third when he let one go! He looked back at me and said, 'Can you believe they have the South African barking spider in this place?' I replied to him, 'And I thought you had just cut the cheese.' He replied, 'No, that was definitely a South African barking spider!' "Jack was trying to relax me, and it worked." Broken driver? No problem In 1986, Steve Williams, who would work the bag for 13 of Tiger's 15 major victories, was caddying for Baker-Finch at the PLM Open at Falsterbo GC in Sweden. After the third round, a bunch of caddies hightailed it to a nearby driving range and Williams absconded with Baker-Finch's bag to use. 'Unfortunately, during our session, the head came off the driver," Williams recalled. "We all banded together to try and find another driver for Ian to use in the final round, and amazingly enough, we found an identical Dunlop driver another player carried with him as a spare. The next day, Ian did not even notice the change and he played well with it.' Funny enough, Baker-Finch never heard this story until it was recounted to him in 2023 for this book. Aussie beer, shiraz and bolognese It's always interesting to hear how a player celebrates his crowning achievement. After Baker-Finch won the 1991 Open, he retired to the house he'd been renting and his friends tracked down Australian beer – Victoria Bitter and Foster's. 'I gave the Australian boys 200 pounds to go and buy as much Australian beer and wine as they could find. It was a good night, not a riotous one. Jennie put Hayley to bed and made a big pot of spaghetti Bolognese to feed everyone, and a few of the Australian press turned up as well," Baker-Finch recalled. 'At midnight, we put a nice bottle of Aussie shiraz in the jug and went back to the club – Jennie and Steve Bann and me. The security guard let us in after I showed the Jug to him. Jennie stayed at the green while Steve and I walked back up the last hole in the dark and I showed him where I had hit my second shot from.' Advice from his adoring fans When Baker-Finch lost his game – he missed 15 consecutive cuts on the PGA Tour in 1995 – he received a torrent of unsolicited advice from his loving fans. Carol from New South Wales wrote: 'Sleep with this Indian stone under your pillow. It resonates with your spirit. You have given away your own power. You have forgotten the beauty of your own soul.' Baker-Finch went through a slew of coaches and reflects, 'I had become almost an object of pity, and a potential case study for every coach. I would exhaust three or four coaches at a time. There was always someone coming along and saying, 'I have the answer for you.'
The Advertiser
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
What should you be reading this week? Here are eight new books
Lee Atkinson. Hardie Grant. $45.00. Australians love a road trip, right? This book has 35 drives for those who want to leave Highway 1 and hit the back roads, with notes about towns and highlights, camping and caravanning spots and handy drive ratings that range in difficulty from easy to challenging. Admittedly, these are not trips to tackle in your Pop's Hillman Minx, but they don't necessarily require a heavy-duty four-wheel-drive either. Whether you hanker after the rainforests of Tasmania, croc country in the tropics or the corrugations and bulldust of the red centre, this book has plenty to whet your appetite for exploration. Riley Knight. Allen & Unwin. $29.99. We really shouldn't laugh at the misfortunes of others, but it's hard not to see the funny side in the story of a bloke who carked it after tripping on his beard in 1567. The author, host of the Half-Arsed History podcast, lists 50 weird examples of people popping their clogs, including Duke Godfrey IV of Lower Lorraine, who was killed in 1076 by a man hidden inside his medieval thunderbox. "Despite his evil intentions, you'll agree that this was an assassin who was truly dedicated to his craft." This book is a bit gruesome, a little crude, and unapologetically hilarious. Adam Courtenay. Hachette. $34.99. Bryce Courtenay was an Australian literary sensation, an adman-turned-author known for novels such as The Power of One and the deeply personal tribute April Fool's Day. But to his son Adam, he could be complex and often elusive, a man who was better and more comfortable "working with make-believe worlds than he was at explaining real ones". Adam Courtenay's memoir reveals the man behind the very public persona: the Bryce of false humility, the before-fame Bryce and the after-fame Bryce, the Bryce who craved love and adulation from everyone "and would say and do whatever it took to get it". Vicki Hastrich. Allen & Unwin. $34.99. Zane Grey was one of the first superstar authors and the king of the Western. His dominance of the genre in books and films during the years between the two world wars raked in millions, allowing him to indulge his passion for big game fishing. That expensive pastime brought him to Australia twice in the 1930s. Grey chased world records off the NSW South Coast, where he helped to put Bermagui on the map, made a shark movie, White Death, at Hayman Island and later battled a great white off Port Lincoln. This is the story of his antipodean exploits. Gabriel Bergmoser. HarperCollins. $32.99. It's Die Hard meets The Raid, with an Australian accent on the humour, as rogue ex-cop Jack Carlin - a supporting character introduced in Gabriel Bergmoser's thrillers The Inheritance (2021) and The Caretaker (2023) - finds his year-long search for estranged daughter Morgan propelling him to the top floor of a derelict Melbourne high-rise. Morgan doesn't want to be saved - particularly not by her father - and half the city's criminal underworld is on his tail, but Jack kicks into John Wick/Jack Reacher mode through 15 storeys of fast, furious and ferocious action, the violence made more brutal and relentless in this nowhere-to-escape setting. Sam Guthrie. HarperCollins. $34.99. Zipping between the vibrant streets of Hong Kong, the shadowy corridors of power in Beijing and the backstabbing power plays of Parliament House in Canberra, this espionage thriller draws on former diplomat and trade official Sam Guthrie's extensive experience of China and insider knowledge of the workings of government. Focusing on the relationship between political fixer Charlie and government minister Sebastian, best friends since their brutal private school days, The Peak weaves a story of brotherly bonds betrayed and a suspenseful doomsday scenario into the real-life drama of Australia's diplomatic dance between geopolitical titans China and the US. Magdalena McGuire. Ultimo Press. $34.99. When passionate environmentalist Sapphie rescues a baby from the sea, she forms an intense friendship with the infant's struggling mother, Candace. But Alexia, Candace's friend, is dubious about this unconventional new woman in their lives. The internet suggests Sapphie doesn't exist, so what is she hiding? As each woman navigates her fears and desires to discover who they really are when it seems so much is against them - the environment, parenting, economic security, gender disparity - the novel's pacing allows the reader time to reflect deeply and meaningfully on the characters, draw connections and empathise with their struggles from different perspectives. Michelle Johnston. 4th Estate. $34.99. "Time rumbles. It's a low growl between the shoulder blades, in the bones, deep in the chest." This evocative epigraph sets the tone beautifully for a novel exploring the idea that you can never really hide from your past. Christine Campbell is a former journalist writing a memoir based on her acclaimed coverage of the 1999 unrest in the North Caucasus. When an estranged friend comes back into her life, uncomfortable truths surface from that fateful time and place. Johnston's storytelling is magnificent as she thoughtfully captures the essence of place while artfully entwining the two distinct time periods. Lee Atkinson. Hardie Grant. $45.00. Australians love a road trip, right? This book has 35 drives for those who want to leave Highway 1 and hit the back roads, with notes about towns and highlights, camping and caravanning spots and handy drive ratings that range in difficulty from easy to challenging. Admittedly, these are not trips to tackle in your Pop's Hillman Minx, but they don't necessarily require a heavy-duty four-wheel-drive either. Whether you hanker after the rainforests of Tasmania, croc country in the tropics or the corrugations and bulldust of the red centre, this book has plenty to whet your appetite for exploration. Riley Knight. Allen & Unwin. $29.99. We really shouldn't laugh at the misfortunes of others, but it's hard not to see the funny side in the story of a bloke who carked it after tripping on his beard in 1567. The author, host of the Half-Arsed History podcast, lists 50 weird examples of people popping their clogs, including Duke Godfrey IV of Lower Lorraine, who was killed in 1076 by a man hidden inside his medieval thunderbox. "Despite his evil intentions, you'll agree that this was an assassin who was truly dedicated to his craft." This book is a bit gruesome, a little crude, and unapologetically hilarious. Adam Courtenay. Hachette. $34.99. Bryce Courtenay was an Australian literary sensation, an adman-turned-author known for novels such as The Power of One and the deeply personal tribute April Fool's Day. But to his son Adam, he could be complex and often elusive, a man who was better and more comfortable "working with make-believe worlds than he was at explaining real ones". Adam Courtenay's memoir reveals the man behind the very public persona: the Bryce of false humility, the before-fame Bryce and the after-fame Bryce, the Bryce who craved love and adulation from everyone "and would say and do whatever it took to get it". Vicki Hastrich. Allen & Unwin. $34.99. Zane Grey was one of the first superstar authors and the king of the Western. His dominance of the genre in books and films during the years between the two world wars raked in millions, allowing him to indulge his passion for big game fishing. That expensive pastime brought him to Australia twice in the 1930s. Grey chased world records off the NSW South Coast, where he helped to put Bermagui on the map, made a shark movie, White Death, at Hayman Island and later battled a great white off Port Lincoln. This is the story of his antipodean exploits. Gabriel Bergmoser. HarperCollins. $32.99. It's Die Hard meets The Raid, with an Australian accent on the humour, as rogue ex-cop Jack Carlin - a supporting character introduced in Gabriel Bergmoser's thrillers The Inheritance (2021) and The Caretaker (2023) - finds his year-long search for estranged daughter Morgan propelling him to the top floor of a derelict Melbourne high-rise. Morgan doesn't want to be saved - particularly not by her father - and half the city's criminal underworld is on his tail, but Jack kicks into John Wick/Jack Reacher mode through 15 storeys of fast, furious and ferocious action, the violence made more brutal and relentless in this nowhere-to-escape setting. Sam Guthrie. HarperCollins. $34.99. Zipping between the vibrant streets of Hong Kong, the shadowy corridors of power in Beijing and the backstabbing power plays of Parliament House in Canberra, this espionage thriller draws on former diplomat and trade official Sam Guthrie's extensive experience of China and insider knowledge of the workings of government. Focusing on the relationship between political fixer Charlie and government minister Sebastian, best friends since their brutal private school days, The Peak weaves a story of brotherly bonds betrayed and a suspenseful doomsday scenario into the real-life drama of Australia's diplomatic dance between geopolitical titans China and the US. Magdalena McGuire. Ultimo Press. $34.99. When passionate environmentalist Sapphie rescues a baby from the sea, she forms an intense friendship with the infant's struggling mother, Candace. But Alexia, Candace's friend, is dubious about this unconventional new woman in their lives. The internet suggests Sapphie doesn't exist, so what is she hiding? As each woman navigates her fears and desires to discover who they really are when it seems so much is against them - the environment, parenting, economic security, gender disparity - the novel's pacing allows the reader time to reflect deeply and meaningfully on the characters, draw connections and empathise with their struggles from different perspectives. Michelle Johnston. 4th Estate. $34.99. "Time rumbles. It's a low growl between the shoulder blades, in the bones, deep in the chest." This evocative epigraph sets the tone beautifully for a novel exploring the idea that you can never really hide from your past. Christine Campbell is a former journalist writing a memoir based on her acclaimed coverage of the 1999 unrest in the North Caucasus. When an estranged friend comes back into her life, uncomfortable truths surface from that fateful time and place. Johnston's storytelling is magnificent as she thoughtfully captures the essence of place while artfully entwining the two distinct time periods. Lee Atkinson. Hardie Grant. $45.00. Australians love a road trip, right? This book has 35 drives for those who want to leave Highway 1 and hit the back roads, with notes about towns and highlights, camping and caravanning spots and handy drive ratings that range in difficulty from easy to challenging. Admittedly, these are not trips to tackle in your Pop's Hillman Minx, but they don't necessarily require a heavy-duty four-wheel-drive either. Whether you hanker after the rainforests of Tasmania, croc country in the tropics or the corrugations and bulldust of the red centre, this book has plenty to whet your appetite for exploration. Riley Knight. Allen & Unwin. $29.99. We really shouldn't laugh at the misfortunes of others, but it's hard not to see the funny side in the story of a bloke who carked it after tripping on his beard in 1567. The author, host of the Half-Arsed History podcast, lists 50 weird examples of people popping their clogs, including Duke Godfrey IV of Lower Lorraine, who was killed in 1076 by a man hidden inside his medieval thunderbox. "Despite his evil intentions, you'll agree that this was an assassin who was truly dedicated to his craft." This book is a bit gruesome, a little crude, and unapologetically hilarious. Adam Courtenay. Hachette. $34.99. Bryce Courtenay was an Australian literary sensation, an adman-turned-author known for novels such as The Power of One and the deeply personal tribute April Fool's Day. But to his son Adam, he could be complex and often elusive, a man who was better and more comfortable "working with make-believe worlds than he was at explaining real ones". Adam Courtenay's memoir reveals the man behind the very public persona: the Bryce of false humility, the before-fame Bryce and the after-fame Bryce, the Bryce who craved love and adulation from everyone "and would say and do whatever it took to get it". Vicki Hastrich. Allen & Unwin. $34.99. Zane Grey was one of the first superstar authors and the king of the Western. His dominance of the genre in books and films during the years between the two world wars raked in millions, allowing him to indulge his passion for big game fishing. That expensive pastime brought him to Australia twice in the 1930s. Grey chased world records off the NSW South Coast, where he helped to put Bermagui on the map, made a shark movie, White Death, at Hayman Island and later battled a great white off Port Lincoln. This is the story of his antipodean exploits. Gabriel Bergmoser. HarperCollins. $32.99. It's Die Hard meets The Raid, with an Australian accent on the humour, as rogue ex-cop Jack Carlin - a supporting character introduced in Gabriel Bergmoser's thrillers The Inheritance (2021) and The Caretaker (2023) - finds his year-long search for estranged daughter Morgan propelling him to the top floor of a derelict Melbourne high-rise. Morgan doesn't want to be saved - particularly not by her father - and half the city's criminal underworld is on his tail, but Jack kicks into John Wick/Jack Reacher mode through 15 storeys of fast, furious and ferocious action, the violence made more brutal and relentless in this nowhere-to-escape setting. Sam Guthrie. HarperCollins. $34.99. Zipping between the vibrant streets of Hong Kong, the shadowy corridors of power in Beijing and the backstabbing power plays of Parliament House in Canberra, this espionage thriller draws on former diplomat and trade official Sam Guthrie's extensive experience of China and insider knowledge of the workings of government. Focusing on the relationship between political fixer Charlie and government minister Sebastian, best friends since their brutal private school days, The Peak weaves a story of brotherly bonds betrayed and a suspenseful doomsday scenario into the real-life drama of Australia's diplomatic dance between geopolitical titans China and the US. Magdalena McGuire. Ultimo Press. $34.99. When passionate environmentalist Sapphie rescues a baby from the sea, she forms an intense friendship with the infant's struggling mother, Candace. But Alexia, Candace's friend, is dubious about this unconventional new woman in their lives. The internet suggests Sapphie doesn't exist, so what is she hiding? As each woman navigates her fears and desires to discover who they really are when it seems so much is against them - the environment, parenting, economic security, gender disparity - the novel's pacing allows the reader time to reflect deeply and meaningfully on the characters, draw connections and empathise with their struggles from different perspectives. Michelle Johnston. 4th Estate. $34.99. "Time rumbles. It's a low growl between the shoulder blades, in the bones, deep in the chest." This evocative epigraph sets the tone beautifully for a novel exploring the idea that you can never really hide from your past. Christine Campbell is a former journalist writing a memoir based on her acclaimed coverage of the 1999 unrest in the North Caucasus. When an estranged friend comes back into her life, uncomfortable truths surface from that fateful time and place. Johnston's storytelling is magnificent as she thoughtfully captures the essence of place while artfully entwining the two distinct time periods. Lee Atkinson. Hardie Grant. $45.00. Australians love a road trip, right? This book has 35 drives for those who want to leave Highway 1 and hit the back roads, with notes about towns and highlights, camping and caravanning spots and handy drive ratings that range in difficulty from easy to challenging. Admittedly, these are not trips to tackle in your Pop's Hillman Minx, but they don't necessarily require a heavy-duty four-wheel-drive either. Whether you hanker after the rainforests of Tasmania, croc country in the tropics or the corrugations and bulldust of the red centre, this book has plenty to whet your appetite for exploration. Riley Knight. Allen & Unwin. $29.99. We really shouldn't laugh at the misfortunes of others, but it's hard not to see the funny side in the story of a bloke who carked it after tripping on his beard in 1567. The author, host of the Half-Arsed History podcast, lists 50 weird examples of people popping their clogs, including Duke Godfrey IV of Lower Lorraine, who was killed in 1076 by a man hidden inside his medieval thunderbox. "Despite his evil intentions, you'll agree that this was an assassin who was truly dedicated to his craft." This book is a bit gruesome, a little crude, and unapologetically hilarious. Adam Courtenay. Hachette. $34.99. Bryce Courtenay was an Australian literary sensation, an adman-turned-author known for novels such as The Power of One and the deeply personal tribute April Fool's Day. But to his son Adam, he could be complex and often elusive, a man who was better and more comfortable "working with make-believe worlds than he was at explaining real ones". Adam Courtenay's memoir reveals the man behind the very public persona: the Bryce of false humility, the before-fame Bryce and the after-fame Bryce, the Bryce who craved love and adulation from everyone "and would say and do whatever it took to get it". Vicki Hastrich. Allen & Unwin. $34.99. Zane Grey was one of the first superstar authors and the king of the Western. His dominance of the genre in books and films during the years between the two world wars raked in millions, allowing him to indulge his passion for big game fishing. That expensive pastime brought him to Australia twice in the 1930s. Grey chased world records off the NSW South Coast, where he helped to put Bermagui on the map, made a shark movie, White Death, at Hayman Island and later battled a great white off Port Lincoln. This is the story of his antipodean exploits. Gabriel Bergmoser. HarperCollins. $32.99. It's Die Hard meets The Raid, with an Australian accent on the humour, as rogue ex-cop Jack Carlin - a supporting character introduced in Gabriel Bergmoser's thrillers The Inheritance (2021) and The Caretaker (2023) - finds his year-long search for estranged daughter Morgan propelling him to the top floor of a derelict Melbourne high-rise. Morgan doesn't want to be saved - particularly not by her father - and half the city's criminal underworld is on his tail, but Jack kicks into John Wick/Jack Reacher mode through 15 storeys of fast, furious and ferocious action, the violence made more brutal and relentless in this nowhere-to-escape setting. Sam Guthrie. HarperCollins. $34.99. Zipping between the vibrant streets of Hong Kong, the shadowy corridors of power in Beijing and the backstabbing power plays of Parliament House in Canberra, this espionage thriller draws on former diplomat and trade official Sam Guthrie's extensive experience of China and insider knowledge of the workings of government. Focusing on the relationship between political fixer Charlie and government minister Sebastian, best friends since their brutal private school days, The Peak weaves a story of brotherly bonds betrayed and a suspenseful doomsday scenario into the real-life drama of Australia's diplomatic dance between geopolitical titans China and the US. Magdalena McGuire. Ultimo Press. $34.99. When passionate environmentalist Sapphie rescues a baby from the sea, she forms an intense friendship with the infant's struggling mother, Candace. But Alexia, Candace's friend, is dubious about this unconventional new woman in their lives. The internet suggests Sapphie doesn't exist, so what is she hiding? As each woman navigates her fears and desires to discover who they really are when it seems so much is against them - the environment, parenting, economic security, gender disparity - the novel's pacing allows the reader time to reflect deeply and meaningfully on the characters, draw connections and empathise with their struggles from different perspectives. Michelle Johnston. 4th Estate. $34.99. "Time rumbles. It's a low growl between the shoulder blades, in the bones, deep in the chest." This evocative epigraph sets the tone beautifully for a novel exploring the idea that you can never really hide from your past. Christine Campbell is a former journalist writing a memoir based on her acclaimed coverage of the 1999 unrest in the North Caucasus. When an estranged friend comes back into her life, uncomfortable truths surface from that fateful time and place. Johnston's storytelling is magnificent as she thoughtfully captures the essence of place while artfully entwining the two distinct time periods.
National Geographic
14-07-2025
- National Geographic
This pasta dish is the one thing you should eat on Corfu—here's why
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). As a child, Sunday mornings were spent in the kitchen of my yiayia. My Greek grandmother — or yiayia — cooked in the whitewashed shack built by my grandfather to keep the scent of frying fish and spices away from the main house. Cloves and cinnamon spiked the air as a rich tomato sauce and beef short ribs simmered away, cooking for hours before the pasta it would be served with — thick bucatini or penne to soak up the richly spiced sauce — went into a separate pot. Pastitsada or 'la pastizzada' as the island's Venetian colonisers called it, is a dish that's been representative of Corfu for hundreds of years. Slow-cooked meat — beef, rabbit, rooster or, on occasion, octopus — is stewed in a deep-red tomato sauce for hours, flavoured with the island's signature spetseriko spice mix. The combination of spices varies from household to household, but invariably contains cinnamon and cloves along with nutmeg, allspice, cumin and several more besides. It's then served atop a pile of pasta — again we have our Italian neighbours to thank for this — alongside a customary Greek salad topped with a block of feta. In that dingy kitchen, I'd watch Yiayia's face, creased like the bark of an olive tree, hovering over a pot of bubbling tomato sauce. Sunday lunch was a spiritual experience; a time to truly appreciate the culinary magic that can be conjured with the simplest of ingredients. My Greek grandmother — or yiayia — cooked in the whitewashed shack built by my grandfather to keep the scent of frying fish and spices away from the main house. Photograph by Hardie Grant/Marco Argüello Pastitsada has a distinct flavour profile. Like most of our illustrious 'native' dishes, it is a credit to the Venetians and their trading power across the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Found in tavernas, restaurants and — more importantly — households across the island, pastitsada has a distinct flavour profile that scents the air as you stroll around Corfu's mountain villages or the cobbled alleyways of its Venetian old town. Like most of our illustrious 'native' dishes, pastitsada is a credit to the Venetians and their trading power across the Mediterranean and the Middle East. They put the island on the spice trail more than 500 years ago when they colonised it, passing through the surrounding aquamarine waters, forging commercial ties between Corfu and Dubrovnik — another Venetian outpost. With them they brought powdered red pepper — both sweet and hot — and should you travel to Croatia's Dalmatian coastline, you'll find the same dish, known locally as pašticada and served with gnocchi instead of pasta. Corfu is blessed with rainfall in winter that sees produce flourish. Tomatoes, sweet and plentiful, taste of sunshine. Photograph by Getty Images 'My own yiayia followed the seasons with her ingredients and her food was always consistent in taste and generally very good,' says chef Spyros Agious, when I visit The Venetian Well in Corfu Town. Framed by tendrils of bougainvillea, his fine-dining restaurant is set around a centuries-old well in a quiet courtyard near the sea. 'What I appreciated over time, and as a professional chef, is the slow cooking,' he says. 'The way Yiayia sauteed the onion very slowly until it was perfectly caramelised. The result goes to another level of taste. I also learnt to find beauty in simplicity and in the quality of seasonal produce on my own island.' While my yiayia is a 'throw it in a pot and walk away' kind of cook, Corfu's most talented chefs spend years perfecting their versions of pastitsada. Chef Agious's ravioli with cockerel is perhaps the most exquisite variation I've encountered. It's served with a cream of graviera cheese, artichoke chips and hazelnut, each pasta parcel a delectable combination of flavours and textures that sings with a signature Corfu spice mix. Driving south along the coastal road from Corfu Town, past mountains dense with olive trees and hilltop villages painted in the island's blushing pastel tones, I arrive at Klimataria — or Bellos as it's better known by locals — a blink-and-miss-it restaurant in the former fishing village of Benitses. The owner, Nikos Bellos, is the kind of old-school Corfiot who believes in simplicity and sticking with tradition — and will insist that every last scrap of food on your plate is eaten before he whisks it away. But I'm here to cook octopus pastitsada with his wife, Lily, to feature in my cookbook. Nikos looms over the kitchen, ready to catch us deviating from the recipe. The dish is both a signature of the island and of Klimataria — and he insists that actually, the only necessary seasoning is spicy paprika. While Pastitsada is rustic, the humble ingredients are elevated thanks to slow cooking and clever flavour balancing. It results in me gasping and voicing superlatives like 'this is the best meal I've eaten in Greece.' Photograph by Marco Argüello The other ingredients in the Bellos pastitsada are olive oil (and lots of it), onions, tomato puree and octopus. While it's rustic, with whole octopus tentacles and the deep red sauce piled atop spaghetti, these humble ingredients are elevated thanks to slow cooking and clever flavour balancing. It results in me — and apparently numerous other diners — gasping and voicing superlatives like 'this is the best meal I've eaten in Greece.' Cookbook author and restaurant owner Vasiliki Karounou takes a slightly different approach for the pastitsada she serves at Ambelonas, in the grounds of a 400-year-old Venetian estate. Like the rest of the menu here, her version is the dish is inspired by her mother-in-law, whose handwritten recipe book, filled with forgotten island recipes, provided Vasiliki with all she needed to know about traditional Corfiot cuisine. In contrast to Nikos's simple one-spice pastitsada, Karounou does as my yiayia might and combines seven spices — cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, allspice, hot red chilli, sweet red chilli and black peppercorns — to marinate a beef rump or shoulder, which cooks for several hours. 'The sauce must be very thick, spicy and served very hot,' says Vasiliki, who also insists on using fresh tomato alongside tomato paste. We Corfiots are snobs when it comes to our gastronomy — an attitude that stems not from cherished recipes, but from our primary ingredients. The most verdant of all the Greek islands, lush with wildflowers where others are sun-scorched, Corfu is blessed with rainfall in winter that sees produce flourish. Tomatoes, sweet and plentiful, taste of sunshine. So, while we have the Venetians to thank for the spices, as my yiayia says, Corfu is blessed with fertile ground — which is what brought the Venetians here in the first place. Published in Issue 28 (summer 2025) of Food by National Geographic Traveller (UK). To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
5 of the best new cookbooks for summer
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). With more than 3,600 miles of coastline, Croatia's Dalmatia region is intrinsically tied to the sea. This is apparent in its cuisine, where fish and seafood plucked directly from the Adriatic reigns supreme, whether it's delicately sweet and silky oysters or smoky grilled sea bream. Melbourne-based restaurateur Ino Kuvačić — originally from Split, Dalmatia's largest city — believes the flavours of his homeland deserve to be celebrated. In his latest cookbook, he transports readers to the cobbled streets of the region's medieval towns, offering more than 100 recipes, most of which are designed to be shared. Classic dishes such as brudet (seafood stew) and splitska pašticada (Split-style beef with red wine, prunes and apples) take centre stage, while small plates, including kozice s pršutom (prawns wrapped in prosciutto with goat's cheese) serve as the perfect introduction to the region's cuisine. To finish, there are indulgent desserts, including Dubrovnik crème caramel, whose French and Spanish origins reflect Dalmatia's rich blend of cultural influences. £25, Hardie Grant. In her new book, chef and restaurateur Lin celebrates her Malaysian-Scottish heritage. Personal stories explore the interconnectivity of food and identity, while recipes such as chilli crisp puttanesca and kaya croissant-and-butter pudding showcase Lin's innovative approach to Malaysian flavours. £28, Ebury Press. Food writer Cloake's latest release traces the origins of the most iconic dishes in the US, via a cycle ride across the country. She uncovers the stories behind specialities like crawfish stew, marionberry pie and sauerkraut balls — offering insights into the immigrant communities that have shaped the US's ever-evolving food scene. £16.99, HarperCollins. Half-Turkish Cypriot, half-British chef Semay's latest book resulted from a solo journey through Turkey, during which he picked up both stories and recipes. Alongside chapters dedicated to bread and mezze are explorations of regional delicacies like Adanan kofte and Gaziantep pistachios. £28, Ebury Press. Born and raised in Islamabad, food writer Jillani's debut cookbook contextualises Pakistani cuisine through essays on each region. Encompassing Afghan, Chinese, Indian and Iranian influences, the 100-plus recipes include boldly flavoured dishes like spiced chicken dumplings, saffron flatbread and Parsi wedding custard. £26, Hardie Grant. Published in Issue 28 (summer 2025) of Food by National Geographic Traveller (UK).To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
Sydney Morning Herald
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
How Aussie cookbooks are winning hearts and stomachs worldwide
'Seriously, when I (very late) sent through the material, and five days later I got the editorial comments, you couldn't see any of my writing, it was all blue and red. I was like 'woah', I thought I was done. It was so much! But I'm very happy that we went through that process – the final product is really amazing.' As for making dishes his own, Papadakis says you can take inspiration from the classics or your peers. 'I try to keep the integrity of the flavour and be original at the same time,' he says. 'A good example is our Tipomisu, a take on a tiramisu but very different, thus the name. We changed the coffee soaked savoiardi with a rich chocolate brownie and finished it with a salted caramel coffee sauce. 'In a similar way, we have had a smoked eel carbonara, where instead of guanciale I use local smoked eel, crisped up in a similar way as the guanciale, and make a smoked eel stock for the egg mix.' The book team includes editorial manager Virginia Birch, designers Andy Warren and Megan Pigott, photographer Mark Roper, stylist Lee Blaylock and illustrator Robin Cowcher. Australian cookbooks have form in the James Beard awards. Publisher Jane Willson has clocked up four wins and five nominations, including the latest for Tipo 00. Those wins include Josh Niland's first two books – The Whole Fish Cookbook and Take One Fish – the late Greg Malouf's Suqar in 2019, and Milk Made by Nick Haddow in 2017, all while she was at Hardie Grant. Nominations there include Carla Oates' The Beauty Chef in 2018 and From the Earth by Peter Gilmore in 2019. More recently, at Murdoch Books, she has garnered nominations for Mat Lindsay's Ester in 2024 and The Miller's Daughter by Emma Zimmerman in 2023. She says common ingredients in the best books are 'committed authors, appetite for risk (from all involved), a POV/something to say and a team that's greater than the sum of its parts – and is firing'. 'That last element is actually more important than you might think,' she says. 'Book-making is such a collaborative undertaking. I don't think it's any coincidence that the authors who get that and, indeed, embrace that, are often the ones who are recognised. 'It's a total thrill to win, but it doesn't really sell books ... What it does do, however, is recognise a commitment to thoughtful, quality, often boundary-pushing publishing.' Niland's The Whole Fish Cookbook won the major gong in the overall Book of the Year in 2020 as well as its category. His Take One Fish won its category in 2021, then Fish Butchery: Mastering the Catch, Cut and Craft won its category last year. The Sydney-based chef known for his restaurant St Peter wrote that first book in just eight weeks on his mobile phone and has sold more than 200,000 copies. 'Doing the book was a good lesson in working with creatives in other fields,' Niland says. 'I felt like we managed to put together a team for [ The Whole Fish ] that was so ready. And nobody was combative or said, 'No, I don't think that will work' … it was like being in a drama lesson where you get taught to say yes, and it just made the product better.' Lorraine Woodcheke has spent much of her career marketing Australian chefs and authors in North America, as marketing and publicity director for Hardie Grant in the US and before that at Penguin Random House/Ten Speed Press and Chronicle Books. Now with Murdoch, based in San Francisco, she says a nomination is a major honour and 'a win is life-changing'. 'It becomes a permanent part of a chef or author's bio – a credential that carries weight across the food and publishing industries anywhere in the world.' While it may not immediately equate to sales, a win significantly expands visibility, particularly in the US,' Woodcheke says. '[It] affirms an author's place among the most influential culinary voices of their time. That recognition stays with them for the rest of their career and beyond.'
