• Lamb dinners to go: Join St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church (1160 Bridge St., Manchester) for its annual baked lamb dinner, a takeout-only drive-thru event happening on Sunday, Dec. 12, from noon to 2 p.m. Now through Tuesday, Dec. 7, orders are being accepted for meals featuring baked leg of lamb au jus, with rice pilaf, Greek-style green beans, a salad and bread for $20 per person. Contact Barbara George at the church office at 623-6115 or via email at [email protected] to reserve your dinner, which will be ready for pickup at the church.
• A piece of the pie: The Nashua Public Library will present a virtual event about savory pies and tarts on Monday, Dec. 6, from 7 to 8 p.m. featuring Chef Liz Barbour of The Creative Feast in Hollis. Barbour will demonstrate her favorite pie dough recipe and prepare a meat pie, with vegetarian options, and a seasonal vegetable tart. Visit nashualibrary.org to register and receive a Zoom invitation link to the event. Barbour has a full schedule of other virtual cooking events throughout the month of December. Visit thecreativefeast.com for more events.
• Brunch with Santa: Get your tickets now before they’re gone to Polar Express brunch at LaBelle Winery in Amherst (345 Route 101) on Saturday, Dec. 18, from 10 a.m. to noon. In addition to assorted scones, muffins and rolls, the menu will feature a multi-course food offering and holiday-inspired cocktails. The event also includes a screening of The Polar Express and photo opportunities with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. Admission, after taxes, is $41.31 for adults and $23.09 for kids ages 3 and up. Visit labellewinery.com.
The holiday season is upon us, a time to gather with family and friends around a tree with a dinner table laden with a lavish assortment of food and special wines.
I have selected three wines to give, receive and possibly store for the future. These wines are more than appropriate for the hearty fare, the endless buffets, the snowy evenings. A gift of one, or all, of these wines to someone special to you not only enforces your love and caring for them, but also exhibits your exceptional knowledge and taste in wine.
If you are lucky enough to receive one, or all, of these wines and are not ready to open them on the spot, what do you do with them? Long after you have drafted your last thank-you note, you may have one or several of these superb wines nearby, and you may be wondering, “How do I store these for the short, or perhaps long, period of time before I open the sangiovese for a rich Italian meal of pasta in a red meat sauce, or the red Bordeaux alongside a roast duck, or the ‘Cadillac’ Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon accompanying a thick grilled steak with bearnaise sauce?”
First, even though the New Hampshire State Liquor & Wine Outlets have their retail inventory standing up, do not store your wine standing up! Exception: Fortified wines like ports and sherries can and should be stored standing up. The corks in wine bottles need to be kept wet. Second, find a location in your house or apartment that is dark and has a comfortable to cool temperature, without drastic swings. If you have a basement (or a part of it) that can maintain 55 degrees and 60 percent humidity, take advantage of it. That is the ideal temperature and humidity for the long storage of reds that age well. You will likely not keep your wines for decades, so the perfect temperature and humidity is not a requirement; however, the control of humidity is important, and if it falls below 50 percent corks tend to dry out. When you open a bottle of red and the wine has begun to creep up the sides of the cork, it may be likely due to storage in an environment of low humidity.
Our first holiday gift wine, the 2013 Petroni Estate Sangiovese Poggio Alla Pietra (originally priced at $74.99 at New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets, reduced to $32.99), hails from the Moon Mountain District of Sonoma County. Grown throughout Italy, this grape is well suited to the steep and arid soils of the south-facing Petroni Vineyards. This wine is made in the style of brunello, the coveted wine of Tuscany. With a deep red color and notes of red cherries, along with some leather from the barrel aging in new French oak, this is an ideal wine to pair with a rich red pasta dish or game, like venison. This wine needs to be decanted or opened at least an hour before serving.
Our second wine, the 2016 Château La Gorre Cru Bourgeois Médoc (available at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets, originally priced at $49.99, reduced to $23.99), hails from where else but Bordeaux, France. It is a classic blend of 60 percent merlot, 35 percent cabernet sauvignon and 5 percent petit verdot. This is an outstanding value, as similar wines cost upwards of $50 a bottle. With a deep ruby color and silky notes of cassis, blackberry and plum joined by the oak from barrel aging, this is an ideal wine to pair with beef or to accompany a roast leg of lamb or casserole after decanting.
Our third wine brings us back to the Napa Valley of California. The 2015 Stewart Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (available at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets, originally priced at $69.99, reduced to $34.99) has deep red-purple color. I call this wine a “100 percent Cadillac Cab” as it has a thick, fruity mouthfeel. It is rich in black currants and blackberries to the nose and taste, and has medium tannins, perfect for that porterhouse steak!
These are impressive wines with subtle but distinctive differences, one to the other, to pass on to a good friend or family member, or to simply treat yourself, purchase and store for a couple of years to enjoy at future holiday seasons.
This is your first big, blow-out meal of the decade. You’ve been locked away for two years and you fully intend to throw yourself into everything Thanksgivingy.
But, if you’re going to eat cheese and snack mix and olives and pigs-in-blankets before dinner, while simultaneously avoiding getting sucked into your brother-in-law’s conspiracy theories, you’re going to have to be light on your feet.
Then comes turkey and stuffing and far, far too many mashed potatoes. You can’t afford to get bogged down with something heavy. You need something light and fascinating to keep you light and fascinating.
Elderflower Collins
1½ ounces gin ½ ounce St. Germain – a sweet elderflower liqueur 1½ teaspoons absinthe ½ ounce fresh lemon juice Seltzer – I like Topo Chico; it’s aggressively bubbly
Combine everything but the seltzer in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake thoroughly. Strain into a Collins glass with 2 or 3 ice cubes. Mix 50/50 with seltzer and stir gently.
On first sip, you might be forgiven for asking yourself if this is too light. Then, you’ll remember the fascinating part. Although there is very little absinthe in this drink, it pushes its way confidently to the front of your attention. The gin brings a clean, bracing quality, which is rounded out by the gentle sweetness of the elderflower liqueur. If you’ve ever heard a drink described as “dancing on your tongue,” this is what they were talking about.
This is a drink that will help you go the distance.
Full-blown decadence
You’ve been stuck in your house, listening to Baby Shark on repeat since Valentine’s Day two years ago. This is Thanksgiving. You’re going to start drinking during the parade and drown out your mother’s parenting advice with the sound of your slurping.
This is pretty much the richest, most wanton excuse for a cocktail that you are likely to have had in the past 22 months. It has bourbon, cream, port, An Egg Yolk, and Absinthe for crying out loud. Do it.
Dry shake all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker — this means without ice. (Trust me, you really, really want to mix the egg yolk thoroughly with the other ingredients before introducing it to ice.) Shake it for at least 30 seconds. Add ice, then shake for another 30 seconds or more. Strain into a coupé glass.
Decadent as it is, this cocktail isn’t all that alcohol-heavy. There is a modest amount of bourbon, but bourbon always tastes a little boozier than it actually is. The tawny port adds a touch of sweetness that builds on the nutmeg syrup. The cream and egg yolk are there to fortify everything and hum Victorian holiday songs in the background.
Nutmeg Syrup
¾ cup white sugar ¾ cup water 2 whole nutmegs
Using a mortar and pestle — or alternatively a tea towel and a hammer — break the nutmegs into medium-sized pieces, about the size of roughly chopped nuts. Bring all ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Let the solution boil for 10 to 20 seconds, to make sure the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let the syrup steep for 30 minutes.
Strain and bottle. This should last at least a month in your refrigerator. It is appallingly good.
Featured photo: Elderflower Collins. Photo by John Fladd.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! More than likely this weekend is filled with food, whether you’re surrounded by family and friends or are keeping it more intimate. Among all that food, you might be seeking some respite. This oatmeal recipe is here to save the day, or at least get your morning off to a healthier start.
Not only is this recipe healthy, it is also incredibly easy to make. You combine all of the ingredients in the evening, refrigerate overnight, and then have a small amount of baking time in the morning. At that point you are rewarded with a piping hot breakfast with a heaping serving of pumpkin to start your day.
If you have company for the long weekend, this recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, quadrupled as needed. Plus, it is made with pureed pumpkin, and how much more fall-like could a dish be? Although it’s simple to make, it definitely gives the appearance of a much fancier breakfast dish.
Ingredient notes: Make sure you buy 100-percent pure pumpkin puree. You do not want pumpkin pie filling, which will be much sweeter. You also want to use old-fashioned or rolled oats. Instant oats will lose a lot of texture and become soggy. Finally, I recommend using almond milk, as it is my go-to milk. However, skim milk, soy milk, and coconut milk all could work and keep this a healthy dish.
Michele Pesula Kuegler has been thinking about food her entire life. Since 2007, the New Hampshire native has been sharing these food thoughts and recipes at her blog, Think Tasty. Visit thinktasty.com to find more of her recipes.
Healthy pumpkin oatmeal Serves 2
1½ cups canned pumpkin (100% pure pumpkin) ½ cup old-fashioned oats 2 egg whites 2 teaspoons granulated sugar ½ teaspoon cinnamon ½ cup unsweetened almond milk*
Spray a small baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Combine pumpkin, oats, egg whites, sugar and cinnamon in the prepared dish, and stir well. Cover with foil, and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Bake oatmeal mixture, covered with foil, for 20 minutes and uncovered for another 10 minutes. To serve: Scoop half of the pumpkin mixture into a cereal bowl. Top each serving with 1/4 cup almond milk. Sprinkle with extra cinnamon and sugar, if desired.
Photo: Healthy pumpkin oatmeal. Photo courtesy of Michele Pesula Kuegler.
Chef Dennis “DJ” Belanger of Nashua is the new owner of Culture (75 Mont Vernon St., Milford, 249-5011, culturenh.com), a locally sourced artisan sandwich shop also offering baked goods, pastries and fresh breads out of a scratch kitchen. A native of Hudson, Belanger got his start in the industry as a dishwasher at the age of 15 and went on to graduate from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Cambridge, Mass. For nearly a decade he worked his way up the ranks at Burtons Grill of Nashua, eventually becoming the eatery’s executive chef for a time. He has been with Culture since the shop opened in August 2020, assuming the role of owner earlier this month.
What is your must-have kitchen item?
There are two. One of them is what I call a bottom feeder, but it’s really just a wooden spatula that I use to scrape and mix everything. … Other than that, I would say my Vitamix blender.
What would you have for your last meal?
It would probably be just roasted chicken with rice and vegetables. It’s one of my go-tos if I don’t know what I want to eat, and it’s one of those things that I can eat every day and wouldn’t even think twice about.
What is your favorite local restaurant?
La Santa [Tacos & Tequilas], which is literally right over the line in Tyngsboro, [Mass.]. My fiancée and I go there probably at least once a month.
What celebrity would you like to see eating at your restaurant?
Matty Matheson. He’s a chef out of Canada, and he’s pretty big in the States now, too. I feel like he and I have a lot of similarities in our styles and philosophies of food, and I just really respect him as a chef and an entrepreneur. I would love to be able to pick his brain.
What is your favorite thing on your menu?
Either the La Capra, which is our Italian sub, or the roast beef.
What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?
It’s definitely farm stuff, and just keeping things as local as possible. There’s a lot of focus on foods made from scratch and not anything that’s processed or mass produced, and that’s something that we definitely want to continue.
What is your favorite thing to cook at home?
My go-to at home is fried rice. Especially if I’ve got any leftover rice from the night before, it’s just a really good, fast dish.
Cranberry vinaigrette dressing From the kitchen of Chef DJ Belanger of Culture in Milford
12 ounces frozen cranberries, thawed 1½ cups whole-grain or Dijon mustard 1 cup red wine vinegar 3 cups oil (half extra virgin olive oil and half canola oil) ¼ cup finely chopped chives Salt and pepper to taste
Add cranberries to the cup of a blender and puree on high, making sure there are no chunks of berry left over. Add mustard, vinegar and salt and blend until fully combined. With the blender on medium-high, slowly add the oil into the mixture (should take about 30 to 45 seconds). Mix in chives to emulsified dressing (do not blend). Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Transfer to a squeeze bottle or mason jar for storage. (Note: When blending cranberries, you may need to add a little water to help get everything blended together. You shouldn’t need much more than ¼ to ½ cup. You can also substitute almost any type of frozen berry or fruit to make this dressing).
While living out in Colorado in the early 2000s, Loudon native Chuck Nemiccolo developed a newfound admiration for coffee, thanks in part to the vibrant cafe culture of downtown Denver.
“There was this really cool place called Paris on the Platte, and it was basically like a 24-hour punk rock cafe,” he said. “It was a place where people from all walks of life were coming in, having coffee and just getting along. … That was kind of like the spark for me, when I really started to care about what I was drinking and where I was spending my money.”
Nemiccolo returned to the Granite State a few years later and worked at Starbucks in Concord for a time. But he always held on to a dream of one day opening his own spot — a cafe focused on community, local products and great coffee.
The Brothers’ Cortado, which opened in the Capital City on Nov. 18, is the culmination of that dream. Chuck and his younger brother Ian Nemiccolo have joined forces to make it a reality, purchasing the former True Brew Barista storefront in Bicentennial Square and getting it ready with the help of other family members and friends.
If you ever visited the space as True Brew, you’ll likely first notice that the Nemiccolos have switched entrances, utilizing what was the former location’s bar as their main cafe area. Unlike its predecessor, the Brothers’ Cortado does not serve alcoholic beverages onsite.
“It had more light to it, and it felt more open and welcoming overall on that side,” Chuck Nemiccolo said. “We felt that it kind of fit best with what we wanted for the space.”
Coffees and teas at the Brothers’ Cortado are sourced from A&E, a USDA-certified organic roaster that launched in 2001. Nemiccolo’s lineup of drinks includes hot and iced coffees and espressos. He also makes his own syrups in house.
The cafe has a namesake drink with espresso and steamed milk, while other options include a peppermint mocha, a bourbon vanilla latte and a mocha borgia with orange.
“[We have] an Ethiopian blend for our light to medium roast. It’s bright and sweet, so it will be good for people that maybe want to experience something a little bit new,” Nemiccolo said. “Our flavors that we’re [bringing] to the lattes are not … super sweet, but sweet enough. We want a nice well-balanced drink that people can enjoy.”
Tea drinkers will find a diverse roster as well, from blueberry black, green mango and golden milk teas, to an herbal blend called New Hampshire Evening.
“The New Hampshire Evening is almost like root beer. It’s incredibly good,” Nemiccolo said. “I’m not a big tea drinker but I’ve fallen in love with it. It cuts down on the chamomile taste … and it just makes it a nice smooth experience.”
The Brothers’ Cortado is partnering with Concord bakery Bread & Chocolate to serve cheese Danishes, croissants and other pastries available daily out of a refilled case. Nemiccolo also hopes to eventually begin offering sandwiches, fruit or cheese boards and other small food items.
While it will start out with closing at 4:30 p.m. each day, the goal is for the cafe to expand to being open in the evenings at least a few times a week. Performances from local musicians, as well as themed events like poetry nights, are all being planned for the space.
“We want it to be a place where people can hang out and just relax and feel comfortable being at,” Nemiccolo said.
The Brothers’ Cortado Where: 3 Bicentennial Square, Concord Hours: Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. More info: Visit brotherscortado.com, or find them on Facebook and Instagram @brotherscortado
Featured photo: Owners and brothers Chuck and Ian Nemiccolo. Courtesy photo.