Claire and I met as fledgling foodies, when that term didn’t really exist. She had recently opened her now landmark (39 
years young) vegetarian restaurant Claire’s Corner Copia in downtown New Haven, while I was the new food editor at the New Haven Register. We’ve 
been friends ever since.
Since then, Claire’s opened a second restaurant (Basta Trattoria, right next door to Claire’s Corner Copia), penned four cookbooks (Claire’s Corner Copia Cookbook, Claire’s Classic American Vegetarian Cooking, Claire’s Italian Feast and her most recent Welcome to Claire’s), written for — and been featured by — local and national publications, been a guest chef on TV and is now on the brink of manufacturing some of her popular food items, which will be offered on her website.
I caught up with her recently to get her responses to my Bite of the Best Guest Foodie queries.
Which food product or gadget would you never give up? I can’t imagine living without extra virgin olive oil. This flavorful, heart-healthy oil is the perfect beginning and end to the dishes I love. Heat it as you begin a sauce, whisk it into an emulsion for a lovely dressing, drizzle it over vegetables and increase their flavor and the availability of their nutrients.
What do you like to serve when you entertain? When I entertain my family and friends, I always rely on my Italia
n heritage. Generally, we begin with Campari, Italian wines, and fresh lemonade for the children – just like my mother did. Marinated Cerignola olives, bruschetti with organic greens and beans, tomatoes and other seasonal organic vegetables. During the summer months, they’ll come from my gardens. There is always pasta e fagioli, it’s a tradition that my nieces and nephew continue to expect and I enjoy the tradition, too. Just like my mom, I try to make the favorite dish of my guests. For my niece Carolyn, it’s a creamy mushroom and truffle butter sauce on fresh noodles, for my niece Carley it’s a simple pasta with my marinara sauce and maybe a few tiny bits of fresh mozzarella tossed in just before serving. My nephew and my brothers and sister-in-law love a fish sauce or my squid risotto, so I have that. Yes, it’s not unusual for me to make three to four pasta dishes and maybe a polenta dish, with either organic corn or farro. There are always at least three vegetable dishes, broccoli rabe, sauteed escarole and or organic spinach, roasted broccoli and stuffed artichokes in the spring and fall. I have many gym fanatics in my family so they eat like “bears!” Desserts include Italian cookies, maybe my favorite — zabaglione, and a cake — always Lithuanian coffee cake from Claire’s because the family adore it.
Describe your “last meal?” Hmmmm, Likely it would be my mom’s cauliflower sauce with angel hair pasta, her lentil soup, or my pasta e fagioli, absolutely, Stuffed artichoke, broccoli rabe with white bean salad, avocado-tomato salad and my mom’s cream puffs (some filled with with vanilla Italian cream and some filled with plain whipped cream) dusted with confectioners sugar. Iced blueberry tea with Pellegrino and organic lemon, and Campari w/Pellegrino, lime – over ice.
What food is your secret guilty pleasure? Potato chips! Salty and fried, not baked!
What is your go-to neighborhood restaurant? Crazy as this sounds, even 38+ years later, I love eating at Claire’s Corner Copia. I adore the selection, and like my mom, I like to eat a variety of small plates – we have appetizer portions of lots of menu items. And, I always crave the polenta at our Basta Trattoria. If I’m not eating at my places, I like to visit my friend, Dave McCoart’s Sage American Grill. I’m a complete sucker for his mashed sweet potatoes! He even brought in the Barbera that I drink.
What is one food product most people don’t know about, but should? Just a little truffle butter adds a luxurious, delicious flavor to a risotto, a simple scramble organic egg dish, a cream sauce, toast!
Describe your worst kitchen disaster and how (if possible) you saved it: I suppose that burning a dish is the worst – there is no way to save it and you’ve wasted good food and good time. The most “fun” disaster was when the place was packed, lines out the door, and a pot of salsa fell, upright to the floor, splashed like a “crime scene” over the ceiling, some walls, the open kitchen area — our kitchen is completely open to our guests! … Well, my amazing staff jumped into action. Ashlyn took a step ladder and started cleaning, methodically cleaning every single spot of sauce from every single surface where it splattered. She said “Could we have chosen a better day for this?” Funny, but I don’t think our customers knew anything unusual was happening. In fact, we took it so well that a few Sunday’s ago, during a crazy-busy day, I asked Ashlyn “Do you think this would be a good day to clean the ceiling?” “No, thank you.”
Who was your most influential mentor? My mother taught me to “lead with your good example, iron hands and kid gloves, always remember that if you are not nice to your staff, they won’t do their job, and you’ll fire them – And, who are you to take someone’s job away?” And, no one made better soups and sauces, and vegetable dishes than my mom.
Click to follow Claire’s restaurants on Twitter: Claires Corner Copia and Basta
– bonnie
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