Category: Food

Bacon my way downtown

Annual bacon and beer festival returns

By Jack Walsh

[email protected]

Crispy, savory bacon dishes and unique flavors of beer are the two main focuses of the highly anticipated NH Bacon & Beer Festival, set to return rain or shine to Anheuser-Busch Brewery in Merrimack on Saturday, June 4.

The sixth annual event, a fundraiser for the High Hopes Foundation of New Hampshire, is expected to be the largest to date. There will be around 50 craft brewers — twice as many as there were last year — and 25 bacon samples from area restaurants and competitive barbecuing teams, totalling up to three times the amount from last year. Additionally, there will be a new Pulled Pork People’s Choice Contest, consisting of more than 25 pulled pork samples from competition teams across the Northeast.

Just before the festival, hundreds of pounds of bacon provided by North Country Smokehouse are distributed among the food vendors, each of whom has the creative freedom to incorporate it how they would like into their dishes. Bacon-inspired eats such as bacon cheese fries, bacon pizza, bacon-wrapped Italian sausage, maple bacon scallops, spring green salad with bacon bits, and maple bacon ice cream will all be on the menu throughout the day.

Despite ongoing staffing and supply challenges due to the pandemic, event organizer Jeremy Garrett said last year’s Bacon & Beer Festival raised the most money since its launch — around $165,000. Proceeds directly benefit the High Hopes Foundation, a Nashua-based nonprofit that provides life-enhancing experiences to chronically and terminally ill children.

“We have a number of restaurants and food trucks,” Garrett said. “It’s a unique event to support a great cause. … It’s going to be the biggest one we’ve ever had.”

There will be a few small up and coming breweries in attendance, as well as new food trucks and restaurants looking to make a name for themselves statewide. Local brewery favorites such as 603 Brewery of Londonderry, Concord Craft Brewing and Granite Roots Brewing of Troy will all be in attendance, and people should expect a diverse showing of more than 100 different craft brews to sample.

Upon entry through the gate, you’ll be given a sampling glass and be granted continuous three-and-a-half-ounce craft beer pours for the duration of the festival. Garrett said VIP ticket holders will also have the option to purchase individual beers inside the Biergarten VIP lounge with their golden tickets.

The festival is restricted only to attendees ages 21 and up, and no outside alcohol is permitted.

Live music by the Nashua-based band The Slakas will be featured.

6th annual NH Bacon & Beer Festival
When: Saturday, June 4, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. (VIP admittance begins at 12:30 p.m.)
Where: Anheuser-Busch Brewery, 221 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack
Cost: General admission is $60 per person (includes access to all available beer tastings and food samples while they last); designated driver admission is $35 per person (food samples only)
Visit: nhbaconbeer.com
Event is 21+ only. No children, pets or outside alcohol allowed.

Participating bacon samplers
• The Alamo Texas BBQ & Tequila Bar (alamobarbecue.com)
• All Real Meal (allrealmeal.com)
• Bone Daddy’s Competition BBQ Team (find them on Facebook)
• Celebrations Catering (celebrationsmenu.com)
• Dandido Sauce (dandidosauce.com)
• Dave’s Gourmet Kettle Corn (find them on Facebook)
• Granite State Whoopie Pies (granitestatewhoopiepies.com)
• Heavnly Dogs and Catering (find them on Facebook)
• Hill’s Home Market (hillshomemarket.com)
• Jeannette’s Fried Dough & Fried Treats (find them on Facebook)
• The Melted Cheesiere (find them on Facebook)
• Morgan’s Diner (morgansdiner.com)
• North Country Smokehouse (ncsmokehouse.com)
• Papá Grande Comfort Bites (papagrandecomfort.com)
• Phily’s Good Eats (find them on Facebook)
• Saucehound (saucehoundbbq.com)
• Stark Brewing Co. (starkbrewingcompany.com)
• Stumble Inn Bar & Grill (stumbleinnnh.com)
• The Traveling Foodie (jrmcateringllc.com)
• Uno Pizzeria & Grill (unos.com)
• Welbilt (welbilt.com)

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Flavors of the Gate City

Taste of Downtown Nashua returns

By Jack Walsh

[email protected]

Restaurants new and established will be offering the public an opportunity to discover their most popular options on Main Street in the Gate City during the Taste of Downtown Nashua, which returns on Wednesday, June 8, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., for the first time in three years. The 26th annual event will feature 19 participating locations for attendees to experience, as well as 16 retail shops for ticket holders to browse through.

In its 26th year, this celebration highlights locally owned businesses including restaurants, breweries showcasing their beer, and other food and beverage vendors sharing their specialties for all in the longest-running downtown tasting tour of its kind. Great American Downtown Executive Director Carolyn Walley looks forward to this event making Nashua look alive again. “The [event] is all about bringing people downtown inside the retail businesses while simultaneously trying the food that is offered,” Walley said. “I see the Taste as a kickoff to the summer and a kickoff to getting people back to enjoying local shops. There’s going to be three different bands and it should be a lively night.”

Main Street features a handful of new restaurants and retail businesses since the pandemic struck, and the June 8 event will help in creating more of an opportunity for these establishments to showcase themselves to locals effectively.

Caribbean Breeze, for example, just recently celebrated its grand opening on May 19. It’s the only restaurant around that offers different types of authentic food from five Caribbean islands, including Haiti, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Cuba. Owner and founder Gerald Oriol said he hopes to share options such as chicharrones de pollo, curry chicken and more with the community on June 8.

“[For] anyone who comes into the restaurant … when they eat the food, they feel like they’re at home,” Oriol said.

Another restaurant scheduled to take part in this event is Raga Contemporary Kitchen, an eatery most notably known for its modern Indian food and complementing cocktails. General manager Saurav Goel said that the kitchen serves some of the world’s most famous versions of curries, and that those who choose to stop by can expect to try a variety of dishes from their appetizer menu including Punjabi samosa (potato- and pea-filled pastries), Delhi aloo tikki chaat (a crispy potato dish with sweet and spicy chutneys) and bhuna murgh (boneless chicken dry curry).

In addition to the foods, attendees ages 21 and older will have the opportunity to sample beer offered at The Flight Center and The Peddler’s Daughter, courtesy of Bellavance Beverage Co. Live music performances throughout the night will include Hunter, The Human’s Being, and the Nick Goumas Jazz Quartet.

According to Great American Downtown, each ticket purchased has a treasure map holding various “taste discoveries,” and those who purchase their tickets prior to the event will have the option to plan out their route based on which establishments they feel may suit them the best.

Taste of Downtown Nashua
When: Wednesday, June 8, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Main Street and several connecting side streets in downtown Nashua
Cost: $45; tickets can be purchased online through Eventbrite
Visit: downtownnashua.org

Participating food and beverage purveyors
Bellavance Beverage Co. (bellavancebev.com)
Caribbean Breeze (find them on Facebook @caribbeanbreezerestaurant)
Casa Vieja Mexican Grill (find them on Facebook)
Celebrations Catering (celebrationsmenu.com)
Edible Arrangements (ediblearrangements.com)
Empanellie’s (empanellies.com)
The Flight Center Beer Cafe (flightcenterbc.com)
Giant of Siam (giantofsiam.com)
jajabelles (jajabelles.com)
Joanne’s Kitchen & Coffee Shop (find them on Facebook @joanneskitchenllc)
MT’s Local Kitchen & Wine Bar (mtslocal.com)
The Peddler’s Daughter (thepeddlersdaughter.com)
Raga Contemporary Kitchen (find them on Facebook @raganashua)
Riverwalk Cafe & Music Bar (riverwalknashua.com)
Riviera Nayarit (rivieranh.com)
San Francisco Kitchen (sfkitchen.com)
Stella Blu (stellablu-nh.com)
Subzero Nitrogen Ice Cream (subzeroicecream.com)
Surf Restaurant (surfseafood.com)
Tostao’s Tapas – Bar (tostaostapasbar.com)

Featured photo: Scenes from the Taste of Downtown Nashua in 2018. Photos by Allegra Boverman.

The Weekly Dish 22/06/02

News from the local food scene

• Gyros to go: Join St. George Greek Orthodox Church (650 Hanover St., Manchester) for A Taste of Glendi gyro drive-thru event on Saturday, June 4, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. No pre-ordering is necessary — attendees can drive up to the church and order a meal for $10, which will include a ground lamb and beef gyro with herbs and spices, along with a bag of chips and a soda or water. Orders are cash only. St. George’s annual Glendi, meanwhile, is due to return for its 43rd year from Friday, Sept. 16, through Sunday, Sept. 18. Visit stgeorgeglendi.com.

• All about herbs: Herb & Garden Day is due to return to the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum (18 Highlawn Road, Warner) on Saturday, June 4, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Presented by the New Hampshire Herbal Network, a local chapter of the American Herbalists Guild, the annual event features a full day of workshops dedicated to all kinds of topics related to herb growing and gardening, along with local food vendors, an herbal market and plant sale, raffles, children’s activities and more. This year’s theme is “Grow Your Roots,” building on last year’s “Roots” theme, which focused on herbalist diversity and ancestors. General admission is $35 and grants attendees access to all of the workshops. A $5 rate is also available for those who just want to attend the herbal market, which will feature a variety of local herbalists, farmers, gardeners and environmental and agricultural organizations. Visit nhherbalnetwork.wordpress.com/herbday.

• Tea time: Join The Cozy Tea Cart of Brookline for some garden afternoon tea on Sunday, June 5, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Gatherings at The Colonel Shepard House (29 Mont Vernon St., Milford). In addition to a selection of fine-quality teas, there will be various foods available, like tea breads, sandwiches, pastries and more. The cost is $39.95 per person and reservations are required. Visit thecozyteacart.com or call 249-9111.

• Season of strawberries: The Friends of the Library of Windham will present their annual strawberry festival and book fair, scheduled for Saturday, June 4, from noon to 6 p.m., at Windham High School (64 London Bridge Road, Windham). The event will feature freshly prepared strawberry shortcake available for purchase, along with eats from several local food trucks, restaurants and other vendors. Additional activities will include face painting, bounce houses, a dunk tank and live music. A collection of “berry sweet raffles,” featuring more than a dozen themed baskets of prizes, will also be up for grabs. Visit flowwindham.org.

• Tropical vibes: Last week, Boston Billiard Club & Casino (55 Northeastern Blvd., Nashua) debuted The Container Bar, a new full-service outdoor bar built entirely from a retired 40-foot shipping container. According to a press release, the neon pink-colored bar is situated in the casino’s existing beer garden and is outfitted with both sun and shade seating, as well as multiple TVs, eight rotating draft lines and lunch and dinner menus also available. It’s open Tuesday through Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m., and Friday, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m. Visit bostonbilliardclub.com.

Lemon scones, two ways

This recipe has a choose-your-own-ending element to it. Some of you may want the sweeter lemon scones that are filled with white chocolate chips. Others may want a slightly tarter version with a lemon glaze. The nice part about this recipe is that it starts with the same base regardless of the ending you choose.

This recipe is simple, if you read it thoroughly before beginning. Each option has specific steps and ingredients that are required. Nothing crazy but just slight differences for shopping and cooking. The only key thing for both versions is that you purchase lemons. Bottled lemon juice doesn’t have enough acidity. Plus, you need the lemon zest for an extra bite of flavor.

Whatever option you choose, you are going to end up with a delicious treat!

Lemon scones, two ways
Makes 8

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
5 Tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, diced
3/4 cup buttermilk*
1 large egg yolk
2 Tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Option A
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
2 teaspoons sugar
Option B
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
Add butter.
Combine dry ingredients using a pastry blender (or two forks) until butter is reduced to the size of grains of rice.
Whisk buttermilk, egg yolk, lemon juice and extracts in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup or small bowl.
Add liquids to dry ingredients; mix until dough forms a ball. (You may not need to add all of the liquid.)
OPTION A: Stir in white chocolate chips. OPTION B: Skip to next step.
Place dough on a lightly floured surface and press into an 8-inch round. Cut into 8 wedges.
OPTION A: Sprinkle with 2 Tablespoons sugar. OPTION B: Skip to next step.
Transfer wedges to rimmed cookie sheet.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the scones are crusty on top and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
OPTION A: Serve warm. OPTION B: Cool slightly on a wire rack.
Combine powdered sugar and remaining lemon juice.
Coat top of scones with glaze.

Featured Photo: Lemon scones, two ways. Photo by Michele Pesula Kuegler.

Wines for barbecuing

What to pair with cooking and eating outdoors

Memorial Day weekend! Seems like just yesterday we were still blowing snow, but now the heat is upon us. Temperatures and the pollen count are rising, but after our long, cold winters it is time to get out and enjoy the great outdoors. What better way to do that than to barbeque our favorites: beef, pork, chicken, fish, vegetables and, yes, fruit! Everything tastes better when cooked and eaten outdoors! And we welcome the opportunity to try out new marinades, toppings, recipes.

While your food is on the grill, you need something to “wet your whistle.” I suggest something light and summery. Our first wine fits that description perfectly. The 2020 Ruffino Lumina Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie,available at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets, originally priced at $11.99 and reduced to $8.99, is a medium-bodied, lively and elegant Italian white wine. Made from grapes harvested in the vineyards of Delle Venezie, northeastern Italy, this wine offers delicious flavors of crisp golden apple, citrus and pear. Ruffino’s status was well-established when its Chianti won awards in the fourth quarter of the 19th century. This wine carries on that reputation by Ruffino’s sourcing premium grapes, combined with traditional wine-making processes of fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. Chilled, this wine can be sipped alone or paired with light fare such as prosciutto, cheese, a bruschetta or a light salad.

Our next wine, the 2021 Joel Gott California Sauvignon Blanc, available at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets, originally $13.99 and reduced to $10.99, is the perfect complement to grilled shrimp, scallops, swordfish, or marinated and grilled chicken and vegetables. The wine has a bright straw color. Citric notes greet the nose, along with other fruit — melons and peaches. On the palate, bright tropical notes appear with strong acidity, followed by a crisp finish of sweet red grapefruit. The 100 percent sauvignon blanc grapes come from Sonoma and Lake counties to Monterey and Santa Barbara. Why the diverse vineyard locations? According to the Joel Gott website, Sonoma vineyards offer flavor and complexity, Lake vineyard offer citric notes, and Monterey tropical notes. Santa Barbara grapes offer minerality, and this blending of grapes across hundreds of miles produces a balanced, food-friendly wine.

For those who are drawn to red wines rather than white, a bottle of Beaujolais, made from the gamay grape, is the wine to pair with grilled chicken, hamburgers, grilled pork, sausage, salmon or tuna.The 2018 Robert Debuissson Beaujolais-Villages, available at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets, originally $16.99 and reduced to $8.99, is a wine that can work with a wide variety of entrees. In the glass the color is a deep cherry red with slight purple tints. To the nose the wine is fresh with strawberries and cherries. The fruit persists on the tongue with a lightness that allows it to pair well with rich, oily fish such as salmon and tuna or grilled chicken and still be bold enough to be paired to hamburgers. This is a fruity wine with light tannins and a soft texture that is somewhat lower in alcoholic content than more robust reds.

For steak-lovers there is no better match than a wine from Bordeaux. The 2016 Château La Gorre Cru Bourgeois from Medoc, originally priced at $49.99 and reduced to $23.99, is a superb blend of 60 percent merlot, 35 percent cabernet sauvignon and 5 percent petit verdot. The color is ruby red; there is rich, deep blackberry, plum and cherries on the nose with more fruit, leather, and spice on the tongue. The right amount of tannins from aging on oak makes this a balanced bottle of wine, but these tannins dictate the bottle should be decanted a couple of hours in advance to allow it to open. This is a great wine to be drunk now or cellared to be enjoyed with that steak in a couple of years.

Warming weather begs us to get out and barbecue. Plan your meal, pick your entrée, and pair some great wine to be quaffed while cooking, along with more wine to pair with what is being served. Enjoy

Featured photo. Courtesy photo.

In the kitchen with Rylan Hill

Rylan Hill is the head chef of New Hampshire Pizza Co. (76 N. Main St., Concord, 333-2125, newhampshirepizzaco.com), which opened in downtown Concord in January. With the overall focus of highlightling locally produced ingredients, the full-service dine-in restaurant features brick-oven artisan pizzas as its centerpiece, along with house appetizers, salads, brunch items and desserts like homemade gelatos, ice creams and sorbets. It’s the latest venture of longtime Concord restaurateur Joel Harris of Dos Amigos Burritos — he opened that eatery’s first location in Portsmouth in 2003 before coming to the Capital City four years later. Hill, who grew up in Somersworth, worked stints at each of the Dos Amigos locations over the years prior to taking over the kitchen of New Hampshire Pizza Co., creating the entire menu and building relationships with local farms along the way.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

A chef’s knife. I believe I have about 15 knives now, ranging from utility and paring all the way up to a cleaver.

What would you have for your last meal?

That’s the hardest question ever. … I guess I would chalk it up to a hot tin roof sundae. Just your standard couple of scoops of ice cream, with hot fudge, whipped cream, walnuts and a cherry.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Industry East in Manchester. I love that place. I’ve had a bunch of their flatbreads and whatever they’ve had on special a few times. Last time I went, I had a braised octopus tentacle and, man, that was good. … Lemon Thai, also in Manchester, is great. I think they have some of the best Thai food in New Hampshire.

What celebrity would you like to see eating at New Hampshire Pizza Co.?

I have three right off the top of my head. Anthony Bourdain, absolutely. Also I would say Jack Black, and then … I kind of consider these guys one unit, but the creators of South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker. … Those guys are geniuses.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

The pan-fried pork chop, which uses the pork from Brookford Farm [in Canterbury]. … I made that one night for dinner, and then the next day I ended up going back to get more pork chops and doing it again for a second night because it was so good. So as an appetizer, that was something that I really wanted to bring on every day. … I would say that, and then I’m also a sucker for the margherita pizza.

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

Mini things, like mini cupcakes, doughnuts and stuff like that. … If I were to be broad, I would say just doughnuts, flat out. I’ve been noticing a lot more of the small doughnut shops opening and they’re doing all these crazy doughnut flavors.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

Anything breakfast, or ramen. Those are two things that you can do a thousand different ways.

Basil pesto
From the kitchen of Rylan Hill of New Hampshire Pizza Co. in Concord

¼ cup toasted pine nuts
2 bunches basil (approximately 4 cups), stems and all
½ cup grated Parmesan
1 cup grated pecorino
2 garlic cloves
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons sea salt
1¼ cups extra virgin olive oil

In a medium saucepan, toast your pine nuts on low heat, stirring occasionally until golden. In a food processor, pulse your pine nuts, garlic cloves, lemon juice and lemon zest to a paste. Add half the amount of basil and sea salt, and ¼ cup of olive oil, pulsing until smooth. Add the remaining basil and pulse until smooth. Add the Parmesan and pecorino and blend on high, while slowly adding the rest of your olive oil. Once smooth and creamy, you can enjoy it right away.

Featured photo: Rylan Hill. Courtesy photo.

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