Matt Ingersoll – Page 70

Steve Zyck

Steve Zyck of Mont Vernon is the owner and founder of Wood Stove Kitchen (woodstovekitchen.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @woodstovekitchen), a producer of all-natural drink mixes, including a mulling syrup and a hot toddy mix, as well as cocktail and mocktail mixers in a variety of flavors, like blueberry and lavender, strawberry and basil, and grapefruit and rosemary. Originally from Chicago, Zyck first came to New Hampshire as a student of Dartmouth College, later going on to hold multiple positions at humanitarian aid agencies and governments across Europe and the Middle East. He started Wood Stove Kitchen in 2017, making small-batch mixers for mulled wine, one of his favorite drinks, out of his own home. Today you can find his products at nearly every New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlet statewide as well as at a number of small country stores and a few national retailers.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

For me, it’s a mason jar, hands down. I use my mason jars for pickling, as cocktail shakers, as measuring cups, as a glass. … There’s no single thing that is more useful in the kitchen.

What would you have for your last meal?

Gummy peaches and a white wine spritzer. Honestly, I’m still a kid at heart. I basically still have the core tastes that I did when I was 15 years old.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Al Basha Mediterranean Grill in Manchester. It’s a small place and they do a lot of takeout, especially over the past year, but they have absolutely wonderful baba ganoush, falafel and shawarma.

What celebrity would you like to see trying one of your products?

Steve Carell. I’m a big fan of The Office and his movies.

What is your favorite product that you offer?

My personal favorite is my blueberry and lavender mixer. For me it’s just the perfect flavor combination of being fruity and tart. … I would say 99 percent of my products are used for drinks, but people always find other creative ways. I once had an email from a customer who said she uses the mulling syrup in her kids’ pancake batter. Then there was a time when my local general store here in Mont Vernon made holiday-spiced cupcakes with it.

What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?

A lot of barbecue and a lot of smoking, not only in terms of meats but in other things. … I know so many people who bought high-end smokers and grills during the pandemic. I think this is going to be a great season for butchers.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

My favorite thing to make is a beet salad, usually with boiled or steamed beets. Then beyond that, all of the other ingredients can change a little, based on what I have. Usually I’ll add cucumber, or sometimes sweet onion or shallots. … It’s an amazingly versatile salad that you can whip up with whatever you have around the house.

Blueberry and lavender gin fizz
Courtesy of Steve Zyck of Wood Stove Kitchen, woodstovekitchen.com

2 ounces Wood Stove Kitchen blueberry and lavender cocktail/mocktail mixer
2 ounces Barr Hill gin
4 to 6 ounces seltzer or club soda
Lemon wedge, fresh lavender or herbs to garnish (optional)

Mix the gin and blueberry and lavender mixer together, then top off with as much seltzer or club soda as you like. The honey, lemon and lavender in the mixer gives the drink a perfect balance between sweet, tart and floral and herbal.

Food & Drink

Farmers markets

• Cole Gardens Farmers Market is Saturdays, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Cole Gardens (430 Loudon Road, Concord), now through Oct. 30. Visit colegardens.com.

• Concord Farmers Market is Saturdays, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, on Capitol Street in Concord (near the Statehouse), now through Oct. 30. Visit concordfarmersmarket.com.

• Contoocook Farmers Market is Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to noon, at 896 Main Street in Contoocook (by the gazebo behind the train depot), now through October. Find them on Facebook @contoocookfarmersmarket.

• Exeter Farmers Market is Thursdays, from 2:15 to 5:30 p.m., at Swasey Park in Exeter, beginning May 6 and through Oct. 28. Visit seacoastgrowers.org.

• Francestown Community Market is Fridays, from 4 to 7 p.m., at the horse sheds near the Francestown Police Station (15 New Boston Road). Find them on Facebook @francestowncommunitymarket.

• Milford Farmers Market is Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 300 Elm Street in Milford (across the street from the New Hampshire Antique Co-op), beginning May 8 and through Oct. 9. Visit milfordnhfarmersmarket.com.

• Peterborough Farmers Market is Wednesdays, from 3 to 6 p.m., on the lawn of the Peterborough Community Center (25 Elm St.), now through October. Find them on Facebook @peterboroughnhfarmersmarket.

• Portsmouth Farmers Market is Saturdays, from 8 a.m. to noon, at Little Harbour Elementary School (50 Clough Drive, Portsmouth), now through Nov. 6. Visit seacoastgrowers.org.

• Salem Farmers Market is Sundays, from 10 a.m. to noon, inside the former Rockler Woodworking building (369 S. Broadway, Salem). Visit salemnhfarmersmarket.org.

• Wolfeboro Area Farmers Market is Thursdays, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., at Clark Park (233 S. Main St., Wolfeboro), beginning May 6 and through Oct. 28. Visit wolfeborofarmersmarket.com.

Featured photo: Steve Zyck

A fruitful expansion

LaBelle opening new restaurant, culinary market and sparkling wine barn in Derry

Nearly a decade after opening their flagship location in Amherst, LaBelle Winery co-owners Amy LaBelle and her husband Cesar Arboleda are expanding to a 45-acre property on Route 111 in Derry. The new space, opening in several phases over the coming weeks and months, will introduce a brand new restaurant concept, a retail market, and an onsite sparkling wine tasting barn, along with performance and event spaces and a nine-hole golf course.

A former attorney, LaBelle became inspired to pursue winemaking following a visit to a winery while on vacation in Nova Scotia in 2001. She founded LaBelle Winery in 2005 at Alyson’s Orchard in Walpole, later moving the operations to Amherst in late 2012. Last December, she and Arboleda closed on the former Brookstone Events & Golf space in Derry.

“We’ve been trying to expand the LaBelle brand for some time,” she said. “We came and toured this property … and just fell in love with it. It’s a beautiful spot.”

In addition to offering all new types of menu options out of the restaurant and market, LaBelle said a new line of sparkling wines will be produced out of the tasting barn, which will soon be built on a three-acre vineyard. Here’s a look at each core aspect of LaBelle Winery Derry.

Americus Restaurant

With nearly 300 seats inside and more than 100 others on an outdoor terrace overlooking an onsite pond, Americus Restaurant, due to open this month, is roughly four times the size of The Bistro at LaBelle Winery in Amherst. The name “Americus” was chosen as a tribute to the American Dream — Arboleda, LaBelle said, came to the United States with his family as a child from Medellin, Colombia, while her family also immigrated here just a few generations prior.

“We both have a strong belief in work ethic and a love for this country,” LaBelle said. “We also developed a wine in tribute to the American dream called Americus. … So we decided to name the restaurant after it, because I think it follows suit that we took this huge leap of faith.”

The interior space of Americus includes multiple round booths and high-top tables, a full bar with beers and wines on draft, and a 50-person private dining room separated by glass doors.

Unlike the restaurant in Amherst, which has a heavy focus on French bistro fare as well as a concept of pairing food with many of LaBelle’s wines, Americus will offer New England contemporary farm-to-table cuisine with “lots of international flair thrown in,” she said.

Former Bedford Village Inn executive chef Peter Agostinelli was recently brought on board as LaBelle Winery’s culinary director, overseeing all of the company’s food and beverage operations. Agostinelli is a longtime friend of LaBelle’s and an industry veteran who also spent a few years at the nationally acclaimed Grill 23 & Bar in Boston.

“Peter and I really wanted to create a menu that was approachable and familiar but incredibly elevated,” LaBelle said. “You can sit in the dining room and have a fancy anniversary dinner of a rib-eye for two with charred garlic and lemons … [or] you can have the most casual meal here after you play a round of golf with your buddies, … maybe some wings or some wood-fired pizza and beer on draft. It’s going to be one of those places where you’ll see everything.”

The kitchen is also much bigger than the one in Amherst, she said, and will similarly serve as a shared space for the restaurant and the event ballroom. Much of the bulk production of items like sauces, salad dressings and pastries will also be moving from Amherst to Derry.

Americus will be open for dinner to start, according to LaBelle, with plans to eventually expand to lunch on weekdays and brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.

LaBelle Market

Housed in the former pro shop of Brookstone’s golf course will be LaBelle Market, a retail space offering prepared and made-to-order foods that’s also due to open soon.

The market will feature menu items handwritten on chalkboards, as well as outdoor seating beneath a covered veranda and windows overlooking the golf course and vineyards. In addition to coffees and espresso drinks, food offerings will include everything from house pastries like croissants, muffins, Danishes and scones, to breakfast sandwiches, platters for catering, prepared entrees, artisanal cheeses and charcuterie, prime cuts of beef, marinated beef tips and chicken, house pastas, house ice cream flavors and wood-fired pizzas to go.

“You’ll be able to either grab something on site if you’re golfing … or take it for a picnic on the vineyard once it’s installed,” LaBelle said. “It will be great for people who don’t want to cook or are busy with family and saying, ‘Oh gosh, what are we going to have for dinner tonight?’ You can come here and grab everything you need. … There will be convenience items too, so good quality local milk, eggs, bread, things like that.”

Other items for sale will be from The Winemaker’s Kitchen, LaBelle’s line of artisan culinary products, which include jams, sauces, marinades, vinegars and cooking oils, as well as new offerings to be bottled, like a few new salad dressing flavors, a bloody mary mix and a triple citrus sour mix. The 2,400-square-foot building is also serving as the check-in spot for golfers.

“The pro shop that was here was mostly an empty building that was vastly under-utilized,” LaBelle said, “so now it’s really going to be brought to life.”

Vineyard visions

Directly to the east of LaBelle Market, in the area of what used to be Brookstone’s driving range, plans are currently underway to install three acres of vineyards, vegetable and flower gardens.

“It’s going to be awesome for picnicking and walking, and there will be a wedding ceremony space right in the middle of it,” LaBelle said. “So right in the middle, you’ll have this gorgeous ceremony space, and [couples] can get married among the vines. It’s going to be incredible.”

A sparkling wine tasting barn, a newly built structure for the property, is also coming soon. That will include a tasting room in the front, a production space in the back and wine storage in a basement. LaBelle’s dozens of wines will be available for sampling, plus a new line of red, white and rosé sparkling wines debuting with the space. Grape varieties set to be planted soon will take about two years to produce fruit for winemaking.

Across the parking lot from the vineyard is the newly renovated ballroom and onsite bar, which will be used for wedding receptions, baby showers, bridal showers, birthday parties and other functions. LaBelle said the ballroom will also host a 15-show summer concert series, beginning on Thursday, May 27, with James Taylor tribute act JT Express.

“We’ll be doing wine tasting classes and cooking classes too,” LaBelle said. “We developed a kids’ cooking class in Amherst last summer that was a lot of fun, so we’ll do that here.”

LaBelle Winery Derry
Includes Americus Restaurant and LaBelle Market, as well as an onsite golf course, event spaces and a soon-to-be sparkling wine tasting barn
Where: 14 Route 111, Derry
More info: Visit labellewinery.com, find them on Facebook and Instagram, or call 672-9898

The Links at LaBelle Winery
LaBelle never had a dream of owning a golf course but said she realized it’s not unlike owning a restaurant, vineyard or market.
“To me, it’s hospitality,” she said. “I’m inviting you onto my property to have an experience, to have fun, [and] to make a great memory spending time with your friends.”
The Links at LaBelle Winery, a nine-hole par 3 golf course, and a miniature golf course called Mini Links, both opened to the public on May 1 following a restoration process. According to LaBelle, the entire nine-hole course can be played in roughly an hour and a half.
Memberships are available that include two wine tasting cards, unlimited golfing access, preferred tee times and advance booking. Beginning this summer, there will also be golf lessons for adults and golf camps designed for kids.

Feautred photo: Aerial shot of the new LaBelle property opening in Derry. Courtesy photo.

The Weekly Dish 21/05/06

News from the local food scene

• Return of the market: After canceling its winter season, the Milford Farmers Market will be returning outdoors one month earlier than normal, on Saturday, May 8, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to market manager Adrienne Colsia. This will be the town’s largest outdoor market yet, with between 17 and 20 vendors on the schedule each week selling a wide variety of products like meats, fish, vegetables, baked goods, wine and craft beer, coffee beans and personal care products. The market will continue outdoors, rain or shine, at 300 Elm St. in Milford (across the street from the New Hampshire Antique Co-op) through Oct. 9. Visit milfordnhfarmersmarket.com.

• Fresh catch: The Merrimack County Conservation District (10 Ferry St., Concord) is taking orders for a trout sale for fish lovers looking to restock their ponds, offering New Hampshire-raised disease-free rainbow and brook trout in 6- to 8-inch or 10- to 12-inch sizes. Orders are due by Tuesday, May 11 — bagged 6- to 8-inch trout can be picked up at the Conservation District’s Concord center on Sunday, May 16, from 1 to 1:30 p.m. The fish must then be released to your pond immediately. Larger trout will be directly delivered to your pond (you do not need to be a Merrimack County resident to participate). Visit merrimackccd.org to fill out an order form.

• Souvlaki to go: Join Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (68 N. State St., Concord) for its next boxed Greek dinner to go event on Sunday, May 16, from noon to 1 p.m. Now through May 12, orders are being accepted for boxed meals, featuring chicken souvlaki, rice pilaf, Greek salad and a dinner roll, for $15 per person. The event is drive-thru and takeout only — email ordermygreekfood@gmail.com or call 953-3051 to place your order. The church is also planning a similar event for June 13, when fresh gyro sandwiches will be available. Visit holytrinitynh.org.

• Shop (and eat) local: Nearly 40 local vendors will participate in the inaugural Henniker Handmade & Homegrown event, set for Saturday, May 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Henniker Community Center park (57 Main St.). Prepared food will be available on site from Abby’s Cafe, while the Country Spirit Restaurant will also be selling candied apples and other sweet treats. Other happenings will include live music performances from Walker Smith and Decatur Creek, as well as raffles and various items for sale like jewelry, pottery, soaps, body care products, candles and more. Admission is free — raffle tickets can be purchased at the event or in advance online. Email hennikercommunitymarket@gmail.com.

• Gate City Brewfest update: In lieu of its traditional beer festival and wing competition format, this year’s Gate City Brewfest will be pivoting to a live concert to be held at Holman Stadium in Nashua on Friday, Aug. 27. “After much deliberation and working within the city guidelines, it was simply not feasible to bring you the Gate City Brewfest beer festival model you are used to this year, but we do plan to return to that model in 2022,” reads a recent post on the event’s Facebook page. The live concert being planned in its place will offer both stadium and pod-style lawn seating on the field, plus an assortment of beer, non-alcoholic beverages and food options available, according to the post.

Play Ball!

Baseball returns as the NH Fisher Cats take the field

Panoramic view of Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester, home of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Courtesy photo.

It has been more than 600 days since the New Hampshire Fisher Cats last played a home game at Manchester’s Northeast Delta Dental Stadium, in August 2019. On Tuesday, May 11, the minor-league Double A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays will hold its season opener for the 2021 season, ending the nearly two-year professional baseball drought in the Granite State.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am to be able to welcome fans back to the ballpark,” team president Mike Ramshaw said. “I’m sure it’s going to be an emotional day for a lot of people.”

The Fisher Cats’ front office team has been closely following guidance from the State and from Major League Baseball, implementing a number of safety measures ahead of this season. Here’s a look at what you can expect when you come to the ballpark, plus some other events and happenings the front office has in store for this season.

Safety first

Northeast Delta Dental Stadium will be operating at 50 percent capacity, meaning it will be capped at just around 3,000 fans per game. In an effort to maintain social distancing, tickets will only be sold in “pods,” limited to two, four, six, eight or 10 people, with at least six feet between pods. At least 12 feet also separates the first row of seats from each dugout and bullpen.

“We’re really encouraging digital ticketing this year, just to try to limit the interaction between our staff and the fans,” Ramshaw said. “We’ll have ticketing that can be emailed or texted to you, and then [our staff] can just scan it and you’ll be good to go.”

Fans will not be allowed to congregate during any pregame happenings such as team batting practice, nor will there be autograph signings this year. During game play, Ramshaw said, masks or face-coverings are required for everyone over 2 years old, even when seated, except for when actively eating or drinking. Seats not in use during games will be Velcro-secured.

The types and sizes of bags that fans are allowed to bring into the park will be limited, also in an effort to limit staff interaction. Only necessary items such as medical bags, diaper bags and small clutch purses of about four-and-a-half by six-and-a-half inches will be allowed.

All of the concessions on the concourse, which include everything from hot dogs and hamburgers to french fries, peanuts, popcorn and domestic beers, will be open during games. Team officials are encouraging credit and debit card use whenever possible.

Both team stores will also be open, but at limited capacity. Ramshaw said there will be continuous sanitation throughout the park, especially on the concourse and in other high-traffic areas. In the event of rain delays, fans will be encouraged to return to their cars for the duration of the storm to avoid large gatherings. The Planet Fitness children’s play area will be open, but the bounce house has been removed in favor of other games that can be easily sanitized, like a giant inflatable tic-tac-toe game with basketballs that will be set up.

Coming out swinging

Despite the new precautions in place, the Fisher Cats will still be holding many of its usual special events throughout the season, including fireworks and giveaways.

“It will be a little different experience from what the fan is used to … and we just ask for our fans’ understanding and patience as we go through Covid,” Ramshaw said. “Minor league baseball is always about the player and fan interaction … [and] we want to still be able to bring as much as possible during a pandemic.”

Both the first home game of the season on May 11 and the game on Saturday, May 22, against the Portland Sea Dogs, for example, will wrap up with a fireworks show courtesy of Atlas Fireworks. Several giveaways are also planned, like for a magnet schedule on May 11 and May 12, and for a youth shirsey from former Fisher Cats player (and current Blue Jays major leaguer) Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on May 16.

The Fisher Cats will honor local essential workers and first responders, during the games on May 13 and May 14, respectively. Saturday, May 15, is Game Show Night, when fans will be challenged with trivia questions, puzzles and more in styles of popular game shows like Family Feud, Jeopardy! and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? More upcoming promotions will be announced on a monthly basis as the season goes on.

Nashua Silver Knights
Where: Holman Stadium, 67 Amherst St., Nashua
When: Home opener is Thursday, May 27, at 6 p.m., against the Worcester Bravehearts (this game will also include a championship ring ceremony)
Cost: Single game tickets start at $8 (limited to groups of 10 people); concessions are priced per item. Season ticket rates are also available.
Visit: nashuasilverknights.com

Following a championship-winning 2020 season, the Nashua Silver Knights will aim to defend their title in 2021, holding their home opener on Thursday, May 27. They will face off against the Worcester Bravehearts at Holman Stadium in the Gate City.
The Silver Knights are one of eight teams of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, a summer league gathering college baseball players from throughout the New England area. Although the start of the team’s 2020 season was delayed by about a month, front office general manager Cam Cook said the Silver Knights were able to play a shortened season that began on July 2.
For much of the 2020 season Holman Stadium was only filled at 25 percent capacity, or around 750 fans. This year, Cook said, it will likely be raised to 50 percent, pending final City approval. The home opener will feature a championship ring ceremony, while other promotions will include several fireworks nights on game days throughout June and July.

Schedule and league changes

In ways similar to those of Major League Baseball teams in 2020, the pandemic has impacted the Fisher Cats’ schedule as the team tries to limit the amount of out-of-state travel among players.

The team will host the Portland Sea Dogs, Double A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, 18 times in 2021 — a record since the Fisher Cats’ first season in New Hampshire in 2004.

“I know many of our fans always enjoy seeing the future Red Sox play here, so that’s going to be a big perk,” Fisher Cats broadcasting and media relations manager Tyler Murray said. “[The Sea Dogs] are coming three different times, each for a six-game series.”

In fact, adjustments to the Minor League Baseball schedule have the Fisher Cats either at home or on the road for six-game series matchups throughout the entire season, from Tuesday through Sunday with Mondays always designated off days. Half of the team’s 120-game season will be played within New England, with the exception of a few trips to New York and Pennsylvania, and one trip to Bowie, Maryland, at the end of June.

Due to a reorganization of certain team classifications that begins in 2021, the Fisher Cats will be playing a new rival during their opening homestand — the Somerset Patriots, who were announced as the new Double A affiliate of the New York Yankees late last year.

Under Minor League Baseball’s new scheduling format, there will be no All Star Game or playoffs this year. The Fisher Cats will close out their 2021 season with a series at home against the Harrisburg Senators, Double A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, from Sept. 14 to Sept. 19.

Field of opportunity

Even though the Fisher Cats didn’t play a single game in 2020, the team’s front office stayed busy throughout the year, hosting all kinds of socially distanced events on the field.

“The staff … worked so hard to try to find ways that we could stay engaged in the community and still pull off some of the events that we could do in the absence of baseball,” Ramshaw said. “We didn’t actually find out that the baseball season was going to be canceled until closer to July. … So for us, we were just trying to figure out how we could do other things in the interim.”

Immediately turning out to be a success, he said, was hosting local high school and college graduation ceremonies on the field. As the summer and fall went on, the Fisher Cats office hosted everything from a food truck festival and “Dinner on the Diamond” events to socially distanced movie nights and an outdoor concert series in partnership with the Palace Theatre, as well as a cornhole tournament, a fashion show, and even a Shakespeare-esque performance from members of the Cue Zero Theatre Co.

“We’ve always thought about a lot of the things that we were able to do last year, but never really had the bandwidth or time to do them,” Ramshaw said. “I think people and companies are realizing that we’re not just a ballpark but we’re a venue … [and] when you spread everybody out socially distanced, the park looks empty with 1,000 people.”

In 2021, Ramshaw said, events are already being booked for dates when the team is on the road, including graduation ceremonies. There have also been conversations to bring back the outdoor concert series in the summer months.

“Hopefully as things start to change throughout the duration of the summer, we can try to get some more fans out to the ballpark,” he said. “I think the ultimate goal would be that we’re able to be at 100 percent capacity by the end of the year.”

Upcoming NH Fisher Cats team promotions
• Tuesday, May 11: Atlas Fireworks show
• Wednesday, May 12: Magnet schedule giveaway
• Thursday, May 13: Essential Workers Night
• Friday, May 14: First Responders Night
• Saturday, May 15: Game Show Night
• Sunday, May 16: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. youth shirsey giveaway

Jamie Mandra

Jamie Mandra and her husband Randy are the owners of JRM Catering (509-9080, jrmcateringllc.com, and on Facebook @jrmcateringllc), also known as The Traveling Foodie, a mobile food cart based in Nashua. Their menu changes all the time but will often include comfort or Southern-inspired options — the Love in a Cup, for instance, is a layered barbecue meal featuring pulled pork, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, collard greens and cornbread all in one cup. Other featured items have been gourmet hot dogs and burgers, pulled pork sliders, macaroni and cheese and miniature doughnuts. The Traveling Foodie has several local public events booked for the month of May, including at the Hampstead Eats food truck festival on Saturday, May 1, from noon to 5 p.m., as well as Springlook Farm (112 Island Pond Road, Derry) on Saturday, May 15, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The cart is also available to hire for private functions.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

A really good quality chef’s knife. I could go without a lot of other things, but I have to have a good chef’s knife.

What would you have for your last meal?

A spicy tuna roll from Fuji Asian Bistro in Naples, Florida. We used to live down there. The sushi is so fresh and authentic. It’s out of this world!

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Bistro 603 [in Nashua]. The duck hash Benny with truffle fries is the way to go.

What celebrity would you like to see ordering something that you’ve made?

Julia Child. She is by far my biggest influence in the kitchen. I remember sitting in front of the TV as a child and it was like she was talking to me.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

The Love in a Cup. It’s by far the most popular … [and] it’s definitely a topic of conversation with people.

What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?

It’s hard with Covid, but I think people are looking for fun, over-the-top, picture-worthy food. People look for that experience of being wowed when they’re going out.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

Any type of soup. I love creating new flavors [and] using fresh local ingredients.

Tomato bisque with cheese tortellini
From the kitchen of Jamie Mandra

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup diced onions
Pinch of salt
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 32-ounce container chicken broth
1 28-ounce can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
½ teaspoon paprika
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese to taste|
Pinch of cayenne pepper to taste
Cheese tortellini
½ cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil leaves, divided
2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream, divided

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir onion with a pinch of salt until translucent (about 5 to 8 minutes). Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute). Pour chicken broth and tomatoes into onion mixture. Bring to a simmer and season with paprika, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Blend soup with an immersion blender in the pot until smooth. Whisk ½ cup of cream into soup and adjust levels of salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper and sugar. If the soup is too thick, add more broth; if it’s too thin, cook, stirring often, until reduced and slightly thickened (about 10 minutes). Add pre-cooked cheese tortellini. Ladle into warmed bowls, garnishing each bowl with a drizzle of cream and topping with about 1 teaspoon of chopped basil.

Featured photo: Jamie Mandra

Brews and beyond

New craft beer shop opens in Hudson

Cousins Jay Parajuli and Bik Basnet love trying new kinds of craft beers and had often talked about how to turn that hobby into a business. Then one weekend last fall, Parajuli said, he was en route to another cousin’s home in Hudson when he noticed construction of the town’s new Flagstone Crossing retail plaza.

“We saw the ‘for lease’ sign … and literally jumped into it right there,” he said. “I was working at a family business, a convenience store down in Massachusetts, and with Covid and everything it was tough to stay afloat. The overheads were high to maintain employees. … So we got out of that business and just kind of said this was the right time to get into something we like doing.”

Hudson Brews, which opened on April 16, is New Hampshire’s newest spot to get local and regional craft beers, ciders and hard seltzers, with a constantly rotating selection, Parajuli said, based on both seasonal supply and customer demand.

The shop’s interior is custom-built, featuring two sets of coolers near the front that are dedicated just to single-serve cans and bottles. Beer lovers who want to try single selections of more than one type of craft brew can also create their own custom four-pack carrier at a discount.

“I’m a buyer myself, and I will go to a store and try a four-pack if they don’t have singles … [but] I don’t want to end up spending $20 on something that I didn’t like,” Parajuli said. “So that was the concept. We put out singles of every possible thing that we have … so that people can try it, and if they like it, then they’ll go for the four-pack.”

Past the single selections are dozens of additional offerings in an aisle running near the back of the shop. Most of the coolers are labeled by their state of origin — beers from New Hampshire and Massachusetts make up several of them, including ones from popular local breweries like Concord Craft Brewing, Henniker Brewing Co. and 603 Brewery in Londonderry, as well as harder-to-find selections like from Coos Brewing Co. in Colebrook. Beers from other New England states are available, and there are coolers designated for regional and international options, and craft ciders and seltzers. In addition to its many beers, Hudson Brews sells a limited selection of glassware, canned cocktails and energy drinks, as well as cigars and CBD products.

Parajuli said he’s already had conversations with customers about what types of beers they want to see at the shop.

“We want to talk to people, [and] we want to get involved in the community,” he said. “It’s fantastic when you see people are happy that you have a product they are looking for.”

Hudson Brews
Where: 6 Flagstone Drive, Unit C, Hudson
Hours: Daily, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
More info: Find them on Facebook and Instagram @hudsonbrews, or call 417-5528

Featured photo: Photo by Matt Ingersoll.

Author: Matt Ingersoll

Steve Zyck

A fruitful expansion

The Weekly Dish 21/05/06

Play Ball!

Jamie Mandra

Brews and beyond

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