Year: 2024

The Weekly Dish 24/02/08

News from the local food scene

Valentine’s Day is Wednesday, Feb. 14, and if you haven’t made those dinner reservations yet, now is definitely the time. A few of the dinner and take out offerings announced on area restaurants’ websites and social media pages include:

• Averill House Vineyard in Brookline (averillhousevineyard.com) has multiple Valentine’s Day themed events on its schedule including a Galentine’s Felting Workshop & Wine Tasting on Friday, Feb. 9, at 6 p.m.; Valentine’s Bottle Your Own Experience at various times Sundays, Feb. 11, and Feb. 18; Valentine’s Igloo Experience Dinner & Wine Pairing on Wednesday, Feb. 14, at 7 p.m., and a five-course dinner and wine pairing, also on Valentine’s Day at 7 p.m.

• The Bakeshop on Kelley Street in Manchester (thebakeshoponkelleystreet.com) has chocolate covered strawberries, among other sweet treats.

• Bedford Village Inn in Bedford (bedfordvillageinn.com) is offering a four-course meal for $125 per person with seating times between 5 to 9:30 p.m. See the website for the menu (which includes options for either desserts for sharing or a dessert of your own) and to reserve a table.

• Birch Wood Vineyards in Derry (birchwoodvineyards.com) has a four-course dinner planned (doors open at 6 p.m. for a cocktail hour before dinner) with a vegetarian option — $95 or $120 with wine pairing. Call to reserve by Sunday, Feb. 11.

• Bistro 603 in Nashua (bistro603nashua.com) will offer its Valentine’s Day specials Feb. 14 through Thursday, Feb. 22, ccording to a Facebook post.

Order chocolate-covered strawberries from Buckley’s in Merrimack or Hollis by Monday, Feb. 12, for a Valentine’s Day pickup. A half-pound is $18, a full pound is $36.

• The Farm Bar & Grille in Manchester (farmbargrille.com) will have a Valentine Trivia Night at 8 p.m. with food and drink specials to go with Heathers rom-com related trivia.

• Check out the menu of specials at Firefly in Manchester (fireflynh.com), which includes a red velvet cheesecake and the strawberry chocolate old-fashioned. The specials will be offered along with the regular menu.

• Frederick’s Bakery in both Amherst and Bedford (pastry.net) has offerings including single-serving desserts like cookies and cupcakes, full-size cakes, chocolates and chocolate-covered strawberries and a Valentine’s cookie decorating kit.

• Giorgio’s (giorgios.com) has a special on its website for Sunday, Feb. 11 (game day) — reasonable people can argue over which is the bigger holiday. On Feb. 14, Manchester and Milford Giorgio’s are open from 4 to 9 p.m. and Merrimack is open from noon to 8 p.m., according to the website, where you can make reservations.

• Granite State Candy Shoppe in Manchester and Concord (granitestatecandyshoppe.com) has a variety of Valentine’s offerings including chocolate-dipped strawberries; red foil wrapped heart-shaped and lip-shaped chocolates; heart boxes with chocolates, and more.

• The Grazing Room at Colby Hill Inn in Henniker (colbyhillinn.com) will have seatings 4 to 8 p.m.; see the evening’s menu on the website.

• The Hills Restaurant at Hampshire Hills Athletic Club in Milford (hampshirehills.com) will have its Valentine Specials menu available Tuesday, Feb. 13, through Saturday, Feb. 17.

• LaBelle Winery (labellewinery.com) has multiple Valentine’s- and chocolate-themed events at its Derry and Amherst locations. Events that, as of Feb. 5, had openings include a Valentine’s Day dinner with ballroom dancing in Derry on Saturday, Feb. 10; a Sinatra in Love dinner with performer Rich DiMare and the Iron Poster Trio in Amherst on Wednesday, Feb. 14, and Cooking with Wine & Chocolate classes in Amherst (Feb. 15) and Derry (Feb. 21).

• Murphy’s in Manchester posted a drinks menu that includes items such as Chocolate Craze (vanilla vodka, chocolate liqueur and Baileys with a chocolate drizzle) and Cotton Candy Kiss (Champagne with a cotton candy base). Murphy’s Taproom & Carriage House in Bedford has a Valentine’s Day prix fixe menu for $60 per person as well as a romantic dining package for $40 per couple; see murphystaproom.com/holiday.

• Pearls Candy and Nuts in Windham (pearlscandynh.com) has a variety of themed offerings including red foil wrapped chocolate hearts.

• Van Otis Chocolates in Manchester and Wolfeboro (vanotis.com) has a variety of Valentine’s treats including chocolate-dipped bottles, special boxed chocolates, gift boxes, chocolate-dipped strawberries and more.

• Maybe you can’t go to Europe for Valentine’s Day but you can get candies and chocolates that come from Europe at Viking House in Concord (vikinghouse.com), which is open from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.

• Vine Thirty Two in Bedford (vinethirtytwo.com) is offering a “Partners in Wine” special Wednesday, Feb. 14, through Friday, Feb. 16 — $100 includes two $25 wine cards, a five-item charcuterie board and a dessert to share.

On The Job – Alexiev Gavriluk

Beekeeper

Alexiev Gavriluk is a beekeeper and owner of Mad Russian Apothecary in Derry.

Explain your job and what it entails. 

I keep bees. I help the bees make honey, then I sell the honey. I also teach people about our best practices and how we co-exist … and how they can coexist with the bees.

How long have you had this job? 

My wife and I got the bees during the pandemic, so I’ve been keeping them for four years. I learn from the bees every day and every season, so I’m constantly growing as a beekeeper. 

What led you to this career field and your current job? 

I’m disabled, and I’ve always worked blue-collar jobs. … I needed to find something I could do comfortably on my own. We’d always loved the idea of keeping a few hives … as a hobby. As I grew more involved in the meditation aspect of it, matching the energy of the bees, I also grew more in tune with the hives, and beekeeping became more than just a hobby … Also, I’m just really good at it. I also love talking with our honey customers at fairs and markets about the benefits of pure local honey and how good bees are for the environment.

What kind of education or training did you need?

I attended an online bee school taught by a master beekeeper. Everything else was self-taught, hands-on learning.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire? 

I wear long jeans, work boots, a beekeeping jacket, leather elbow gloves and a special veil attached to a hat. … When I’m working with the honey, I wear whatever I don’t mind getting sticky. When we’re working at a market or fair, my wife and I wear matching yellow plaid shirts.

What is the most challenging thing about your work, and how do you deal with it?

I work with hundreds of thousands of stinging insects buzzing around me — most people would find that a little challenging. But since I learned to operate on the bees’ frequency … the hardest part now is dealing with my disability. I had to adapt beekeeping to fit what I could do with my hands. I attached special handles to the boxes, additional bars to lift the frames and other little techniques to make the job more accessible.

What do you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?

The bees know more than I do, and I’m better off assisting them than trying to control them.

What do you wish other people knew about your job? 

I’d want people to know the systemic harm … lawn pesticide or poison causes to our environment. The bees, the wildlife — everything suffers. … Also, I’d want people to know the value and importance of raw local honey, and why it’s often more expensive than … in supermarkets.

What was the first job you ever had?

Sweeping the parking lot and cleaning the dumpster area of a local convenience store when I was in fourth grade.

Five favorites
Favorite book: Necroscope by Brian Lumley
Favorite movie: Big Trouble in Little China
Favorite music: Punk rock and metal
Favorite food: I have two: shoo-fly pie, and obviously honey
Favorite thing about NH: We’re in the woods but still close to everything – city, mountains, ocean.

Featured photo: Alexiev Gavriluk. Courtesy photo.

Treasure Hunt 24/02/08

Hello, Donna.

This quilt was given to my husband and me when we were married. It was a family piece so we kept it safe till today. Now we would like to use it and it’s in need of some repair. Can you provide any information on a value and can it be reinforced for use on our bed?

Mary Anne

Dear Mary Anne,

Your crazy quilt is most likely from the early 1900s, so wear from use is expected. Sometimes you can come across one that was never used, but not often. Crazy quilts were made mostly from scraps of a mixture of different materials with different colors, stitching, etc. Lots of them were made by a group effort of family, friends etc.

Some can be very plain with just stitching and others can have detail added in each fragment of material. To find them signed by the maker or makers and dated is a plus.

Mary Anne, the value is in the detailing, age, fine detailing, signatures and, as always, condition. A value to start with would be, it’s safe to say, in the $100 range in plain but good condition. Then it goes up from there for extra detailing.

As far as use, it’s tough unless you remove it from the top of the bed daily. The treads are old and won’t withstand night use. There are quilt repairers out there. I’m just not sure it would be cost-effective for hand work. You might just want to use it the way it is. Just decoratively and carefully.

I hope this was helpful, Mary Anne. Glad to see a family piece shared. Enjoy!

Donna Welch has spent more than 35 years in the antiques and collectibles field, appraising and instructing. Her new location is an Antique Art Studio located in Dunbarton, NH where she is still buying and selling. If you have questions about an antique or collectible send a clear photo and information to Donna at [email protected], or call her at 391-6550.

Kiddie Pool 24/02/08

Family fun for whenever

Family shows

• Local family entertainer Mr. Aaron throws a Valentine’s Day Party Saturday, Feb. 10, at 11 a.m. at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com). Tickets cost $15.75. Give a listen to Mr. Aaron’s music at mraaronmusic.com.

• See Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo, an interactive show featuring live dinosaurs (operated by puppeteers) on stage, at the Capitol Center for the Arts’ Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Saturday, Feb. 10, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $35.25 to $48.25 (for an additional $28.75, take part in a VIP meet and greet).

Free art

• Saturday, Feb. 10 features free admission for New Hampshire residents to the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., stop in at the Creative Studio for family art fun. Short family tours will be available in the galleries as well, according to the website.

Basketball weekend

• Catch the Saint Anselm Hawks this weekend when both the men’s (3:30 p.m.) and women’s (1:30 p.m) basketball teams take on the teams from Southern Connecticut State University at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium (73 College Road on Saint Anselm College campus in Manchester). Tickets to either game cost $10 (kids 5 and under get in free to regular season games) and are available for purchase starting one hour ahead of game time at the Gymnasium ticket booth. See saintanselmhawks.com. Both teams will also play the teams from the College of Saint Rose on Tuesday, Feb. 13; women’s game starts at 5:30 p.m. and men’s game starts at 7:30 p.m.

• At Southern New Hampshire University, the Penmen take on the Adelphi University Panthers with women’s (1:30 p.m.) and men’s (3:30 p.m.) basketball on Saturday, Feb. 10. The games take place at Stan Spiro Field House (at the Southern New Hampshire University campus, 2500 River Road in Manchester); regular season games are free to attend.

• Catch some mid-week basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 13, when the men’s ( 5 p.m.) and women’s (7 p.m.) Rivier Raiders teams play Mitchell College at Muldoon Fitness Center (440 Main St. in Nashua). See rivierathletics.com.

Growing and eating cardoon

It’s like an artichoke, but with more food per plant

Most years I start some onion seeds and perhaps a few artichokes indoors in February; this year I will also start some cardoon seeds at the same time. Cardoon, which is a lovely-looking plant related to artichokes, is a delicious vegetable too.

Artichokes and cardoon are in the thistle family, and closely related. With artichokes, we eat the flower bud before it matures. The edible part of cardoon is the midrib of the long leaves, much as we eat the stalks of celery. But cardoon stalks are eaten cooked, not raw.

Since cardoon plants are rarely sold at garden centers, you may wish to buy some seeds now and plant them indoors in February. It grows best in full sun with rich soil and plenty of moisture. Like artichokes, cardoon seems to have few pests or diseases. It is also a lovely decorative plant in the flower garden. It is a big plant that is vertical in growth habit and has silver-green leaves with toothed edges. You may need to stake it to keep it from encroaching on nearby plants.

Toward the end of the growing season and before it flowers, you must blanch the leaves before eating them. Blanch in this use means depriving them of light, not steaming them. In the Piedmont district of Italy (in the northwest part, near Turin) farmers do this by digging up cardoon before the first frost in the fall. They lay it in a trench and cover it with soil for 2 weeks to blanch it and give it a bittersweet flavor. Easier yet, according to the Johnny’s Selected Seeds catalog, you can blanch the plants by wrapping them with several layers of newspapers (avoid colored print), enough to keep out the light. You don’t dig them up to do that. By the way, I find I always learn something when I read the Johnny’s catalog. The variety I ordered from Johnny’s Seeds is called “Porto Spineless.”

Cardoon is in the thistle family, and if you don’t harvest the leaves it will eventually produce gorgeous purple flowers like those you see on wild thistle plants. I have read that if you are in Zone 6 or warmer, it will survive the winter just like a perennial flower — just cut it back, leaving the stubs of leaves at 10 inches.

In Italy there is a cardoon dish called “bagna cauda.” It is to the people of the Piedmont what haggis is to the Scots. If you meet someone you like, you invite them over for a bagna cauda, which translates loosely as “hot bath.” But cardoon goes in the bath, not people.

An evening with bagna cauda features a container of hot olive oil, an inch or two deep, with a whole head of thinly sliced garlic and a can or two of anchovies in it. It is brought to a simmer and kept simmering with a hot plate or flame. As with fondue, you spear food and cook it in the hot oil — the midribs are cut into 1-inch pieces for cooking. But the one key ingredient is always cardoon. Yes, there can be radishes, cubes of beef, celery and perhaps peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms or fennel. But without cardoon, it is not a proper bagna cauda. It is good to add an occasional splash of red wine in the pot to keep the garlic and anchovies from burning. You need loaves of good French bread that you tear — not slice — into pieces and use to catch any drips of oil.

For the less adventurous and the garlic-averse, here is the recipe I adapted from Ellen Ogden’s wonderful cookbook From the Cook’s Garden:

1 pound cardoon stalks (1 plant), rinsed clean and towel-dried

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

2 Tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup milk, heated

½ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup dried bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375°F, and warm an 8×11-inch baking dish, lightly buttered. Prepare midribs of leaves by cutting off the leaf portion and cutting into 4-inch pieces. Cook the cardoon by boiling in lightly salted water for 10 minutes or until tender. Melt butter and whisk in flour, cooking for two minutes. Gradually whisk in milk and bring to simmer. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread bottom of baking dish with a little sauce, arrange half the stalks in dish, and cover with sauce and half the Parmesan cheese. Repeat and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake until top is lightly brown, about 20 minutes.

As much as I love artichokes, you really only get a few tablespoons of food from a plant that takes up a 2- or 3-foot square section of garden. Cardoon has a similar flavor, but you get enough from one plant to serve as a side dish for four people. And because it is so vertical, it takes up less space. It is a gorgeous foliage plant that can get to be 3 to 4 feet tall, so you can plant it in either the flower garden or the vegetable garden.

Part of the fun of gardening, for me, is in the eating. Fresh is better than store-bought. And for cardoon, growing your own is probably the only way to have some. So if you plan to start your own tomato seedlings indoors in April, why not start early with some cardoon?

Henry is the author of four gardening books. Reach him by e-mail at [email protected]. This winter his column will appear just once a month.

Spirng Flower Shows

• Thursday, Feb. 22, through Monday, Feb. 25: Connecticut Flower and Garden Show. Connecticut Convention Center, Hartford. The biggest show in New England with plenty to learn and see. ctflowershow.com

• Friday, March 1, through Sunday, March 3: New Hampshire Orchid Society Annual Show and Sale. Courtyard Marriott, Nashua, New Hampshire. If you love orchids, this is a must-see. nhorchids.org

• Saturday, March 2, through Sunday, March 10: Philadelphia Flower Show. The biggest and oldest show of its kind in America. Go mid-week to enjoy smaller crowds. Buy tickets in advance, as admission is less expensive that way. phsonline.org/the-flower-show

• Friday March 22, through Sunday, March 24: Capital Region Flower and Garden Expo. Hudson Valley Community College, Troy, New York. flowerandgardenexpo.com

• Thursday, April 4, through Sunday, April 7: Rhode Island Home Show: This home show includes two areas devoted to flowers, including the Federated Garden Clubs of Rhode Island competition. Ribahomeshow.com

Spring Flower Shows
• Thursday, Feb. 22, through Monday, Feb. 25: Connecticut Flower and Garden Show. Connecticut Convention Center, Hartford. The biggest show in New England with plenty to learn and see. ctflowershow.com
• Friday, March 1, through Sunday, March 3: New Hampshire Orchid Society Annual Show and Sale. Courtyard Marriott, Nashua, New Hampshire. If you love orchids, this is a must-see. nhorchids.org
• Saturday, March 2, through Sunday, March 10: Philadelphia Flower Show. The biggest and oldest show of its kind in America. Go mid-week to enjoy smaller crowds. Buy tickets in advance, as admission is less expensive that way. phsonline.org/the-flower-show
• Friday March 22, through Sunday, March 24: Capital Region Flower and Garden Expo. Hudson Valley Community College, Troy, New York. flowerandgardenexpo.com
• Thursday, April 4, through Sunday, April 7: Rhode Island Home Show: This home show includes two areas devoted to flowers, including the Federated Garden Clubs of Rhode Island competition. Ribahomeshow.com

The Art Roundup 23/02/08

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

• Own an original Tomie dePaola: The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; Currier.org, 669-6144) is selling 200 tickets at $50 each for a raffle of two original artworks by artist, author and illustrator Tomie dePaola. The sale runs through Feb. 29. See the website for a look at the pieces being raffled and to purchase tickets. The funds raised support the Tomie dePaola Art Education Fund, which was “created by the Currier in Tomie’s memory” and “awards scholarships to lower-income families and disadvantaged youth, allowing them to participate in our classes and camps throughout the year,” according to the website.

• Save the date for Chris Bohjalian: Author Chris Bohjalian will discuss his new novel The Princess of Las Vegas and more at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Wednesday, March 27, at 7 p.m. The event is part of Authors on Main and is a collaboration between Gibson’s Bookstore, New Hampshire Public Radio and the Capitol Center for the Arts and will feature Bohjalian in conversation with NHPR’s Rick Ganley, according to a press release. Tickets cost $39 (one admission and one hardcover copy of The Princess of Las Vegas) and $49 (for two admissions and one book).

• More coming up at Gibson’s: Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St. in Concord; gibsonsbookstore.com, 224-0562) has several author events coming up. On Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 6:30 p.m. Margo Cooper will discuss her book of photographs and interviews Deep Inside the Blues with Holly Harris, host of WUMB’s Spinning the Blues. On Wednesday, Feb. 21, at 6:30 p.m. Leila Philip will discuss her book Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America. On Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 6:30 p.m., Matthew J.C. Clark, a Maine carpenter, will discuss Bjarki, Not Bjarki: On Floorboards, Love, and Irreconcilable Differences. On Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 6:30 p.m., Pembroke-based author Avree Kelly Cark will discuss her book Malice Aforethought: A True Story of the Shocking Double Crime That Horrified Nineteenth-Century New England. On Tuesday, March 12, at 6:30 p.m. author and gardener Jane Hawley Stevens will discuss her new book The Celestial Garden: Growing Herbs, Vegetables and Flowers According to the Moon and Zodiac. On Thursday, March 14, at 6:30 p.m. Casey Sherman will discuss her book A Murder in Hollywood: The Untold Story of Tinseltown’s Most Shocking Crime.

• New exhibit: Mariposa Museum & World Culture Center (26 Main St. in Peterborough; 924-455, mariposamuseum.org) features an exhibit from New Hampshire photographer Becky Field called “Crying in the Wilderness” that illustrates “the physical and emotional toll of immigrant detention,” according to a press release. The exhibit features the story of an African man who sought asylum in the U.S. in 2018 and moved in 2020 to the Seacoast, where his movements were tracked via an ankle monitor, according to a press release. Admission to the museum costs $8 for adults, $6 for seniors. The exhibit will be on display through Sunday, April 14. The museum is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• On display in Rochester: The Rochester Museum of Fine Arts (rochestermfa.org) exhibition “Neither Created Nor Destroyed” featuring works by Julie K. Gray is on display in the Bernier Room at the James W. Foley Memorial Community Center (150 Wakefield St. in Rochester) through Friday, March 1. The building is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

MARDI GRAS CELEBRATION
Celebrate Mardi Gras (Tuesday, Feb. 13) with a performance by the Soggy Po Boys at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org) on Saturday, Feb. 10, at 7:30 p.m. The show will feature New Orleans-style jazz, Caribbean music, funk, soul and brass band/street beat music, according to the website. Tickets cost $29.
CIRQUE US
Circus company Cirque Us, featuring “acrobats, aerials and quirky clowns,” will present One Man’s Trash on Thursday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. at Stockbridge Theatre (44 N. Main St. in Derry; stockbridgetheatre.showare.com, 437-5210), according to a press release. Tickets cost $22.


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