Category: Food

Apple pie cookies

Looking at the name of this recipe, you may think, “Now I know what I will do with all the apples from my recent trip to the orchard!”

Well, you could use your freshly picked apples for this recipe, but you’d have to slice and dry them first. If you want to spend less time making these cookies, you will want to start with store-bought dried apple slices.

Dried apples are key to this recipe for one very important reason: They have less moisture. Fresh apple chunks are going to release their juices in a hot oven. The cookies will then transform from moist and chewy delights to overly spread out and disappointing cookies.

Besides dried apples, there are two other items to consider. First, you may not think of oatmeal when you think of apple pie, but it adds texture to the dough that makes the cookies reminiscent of pie crust. Make sure you use old-fashioned or rolled oats for that textural note. Second, it may seem silly to stop baking to add the cinnamon and sugar topping. Trust me, it adds a delightful sweetness to the cookie that is worth the baking interruption at the midpoint.

Make a batch of cookies, serve them a la mode if you like, and then enjoy a piece of pie, cookie style.

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.

Apple Pie Cookies
Makes 4 dozen

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups diced dried apple
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine butter, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1 cup granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer
Mix on speed 2 for 4 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until incorporated and scraping sides, if necessary.
Add vanilla, baking soda, salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and flour, mixing until combined.
Add oatmeal and apple to dough, stirring until combined.
Scoop heaping teaspoons of dough onto a parchment paper-lined tray, placing 2 inches apart.
Bake for 7 minutes.
Combine 1/3 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl, while cookies are baking.
Remove cookies from oven, and sprinkle a small amount of the cinnamon-sugar mixture on each cookie.
Bake for another 7 minutes.
Allow to cool for 2 minutes on tray, then transfer to baking rack to cool completely.

Photo: Apple Pie Cookies. Photo by Michele Pesula Kuegler.

In the kitchen with Victoria Mellen

Victoria Mellen of Derry is the owner of Mama V’s Kitchen ([email protected], and on Facebook @mamavskitchennh), a weekly meal prep and delivery business she started last year that specializes in home-cooked keto and low-carb options. New menus are posted to her Facebook page every Monday, with ordering open through that Friday. Items rotate but will always include a few breakfast options like quiche, as well as a soup, stew or chili, and a few entrees and desserts. Mellen prepares everything fresh out of Creative Chef Kitchens (35 Manchester Road, Derry) and offers free deliveries for meals on Sundays within a 15-mile radius of Derry. For a flat fee of $5, the delivery radius can be expanded to 25 miles.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

A spoon, because I’m constantly mixing and tasting everything.

What would you have for your last meal?

A bacon-wrapped filet, cooked medium rare, with cheesy asparagus and waffle fries.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Having five kids, I don’t really get out to eat much, but when I do it’s usually breakfast. I love MaryAnn’s [Diner], right here in Derry.

What celebrity would you like to see trying something you have cooked?

Giada De Laurentiis. I absolutely love her.

What is your favorite thing that you’ve offered on one of your menus?

My homemade manicotti. I grew up in a large Italian family, and it just reminds me of my grandmother.

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

Delivery and takeout. People seem to be doing a lot more meals to go these days.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

Breakfast. I love to get my kids in on making different flavors of pancakes. They love it.

Three meat and cheese quiche
Courtesy of Victoria Mellen of Mama V’s Kitchen in Derry

Pie crust (optional)
10 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup cooked chopped bacon
¼ cup cooked sausage
¼ cup diced ham
1½ cups shredded cheese of choice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
2 Tablespoons parsley

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add cooking spray to a pie pan and line with the crust. Fill the pan with the bacon, sausage, ham and cheese. Mix eggs, heavy cream and seasonings together with a whisk. Pour the egg mixture over the meat and cheese, using a rubber scraper or spatula to clean the bowl. Gently use a fork to incorporate the egg into the meat and cheese mixture. Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until a knife can be inserted into the middle. Let sit and enjoy.

Featured photo: Victoria Mellen. Courtesy photo.

Bagels and beyond

Simit Cafe opens in Nashua

Remzi Kahya grew up working at his father’s shop, the Bagel Cafe on Hanover Street in Manchester. He learned how to make New York-style bagels from scratch and, as an adult, eventually expanded the family business to a second Bagel Cafe in Bedford.

Now Kahya is building on his success even further — Simit Cafe, which opened on Sept. 21, brings his handcrafted bagels to Nashua while adding espresso drinks, tea shakers, cold-pressed juices, smoothies and all kinds of pastries and baked goods to the menu.

At around 3,000 square feet, the space is the largest of the three storefronts, inspiring Kahya to introduce a full-service cafe concept. Like at its predecessors, bagels here are prepared in multiple batches throughout the day to ensure their freshness.

Courtesy photo.

“Simit is a Turkish name for a bagel,” said Kahya, who came to the United States with his family from Turkey when he was 7. “We like to steam our bagels. … I think that’s better for making a sandwich. You still get that crust that you want, but it’s not too hard, either.”

Simit Cafe features all the traditional bagel flavors from plain and everything to sesame and onion, plus a few more decadent options like French toast and jalapeno cheddar. They can be ordered with cream cheese; with a spread like butter, Nutella or jelly; or as a breakfast or lunch sandwich, all of which are available all day. If you want to order bagels to go, you can mix and match up to a half-dozen of any flavor per package.

“I try to get premium ingredients for everything … rather than going for the cheapest option,” Kahya said. “So, like when you order a bacon, egg and cheese [sandwich], you’re getting free-range eggs on a real grill, not microwaved or anything. … We make our own cream cheese in five different flavors, and you can taste the difference.”

Bagel sandwiches encompass a variety of palates, from a BLT and a turkey club to a grilled pastrami sandwich with Swiss cheese and deli mustard. A new option exclusive to the space, Kahya said, is a chipotle chicken sandwich with a spicy mayonnaise, avocado, tomato and onion.

While both Bagel Cafe shops offer drip coffee, Simit Cafe takes the options a step further with a full line of hot and iced espresso drinks, featuring Peet’s Coffee brewed on site with a La Marzocco Italian espresso machine. Through Peet’s Coffee’s sister company, Mighty Leaf Tea, there are also multiple flavors of iced tea shakers, made with real fruit purees, some freeze-dried fruits and Kahya’s own freshly squeezed lemonade.

“The strawberry hibiscus [tea shaker] has been a really big hit,” he said.

The cafe is currently open until 3 p.m. seven days a week, but Kahya said those hours will likely be extended in the future, as he continues to add more menu items and works out the kinks of his new online ordering system. An outdoor patio is planned for next summer.

Simit Cafe

Where: 262 Amherst St., Suite A, Nashua
Hours: Daily, 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.; expanded hours likely coming soon
More info: Visit simitcafe.com, find them on Facebook and Instagram @simitnashua or call 204-5141

Featured photo: Courtesy of Simit Cafe.

Brews by the river

Manchester Brewfest returns

Normally held in late July, the Manchester Brewfest is a fall affair this year — the event returns on Sunday, Oct. 31, bringing together all kinds of local beers and food options at Arms Park.

It’s the seventh annual festival and the first one since the summer of 2019. Attendees will have the opportunity to sample more than 100 craft beer options, and other featured activities will include live music, face painting, and a petting zoo from Candia’s Charmingfare Farm.

“We have the perfect location for a brew festival,” Peter Telge of Stark Brewing Co. in Manchester, one of the festival’s organizers, said of Arms Park. “A lot of times if you go to brew festivals it can be hard to find a place that’s close to stay or to park, or everything’s spread out and you’ve got to walk all the way here or there. This is just a nice huge area that we can make a great festival out of … and it’s also next to the Merrimack River, which is beautiful.”

Telge has worked with several local charitable organizations over the years that have been beneficiaries of the Manchester Brewfest. This time around, he’s partnering with John Hayden of Value of Sport, a new nonprofit dedicated to giving Manchester students in fourth grade and up equal access and opportunity for success through programs in sports, art and music.

“In the past we’ve had around 30 breweries. This year we’re probably going to get 20 or so, maybe 25,” Telge said. “There are a lot of new people doing some really cool stuff with malt beverages and seltzers and things like that, so it will be a nice variety of different flavors.”

Most of the vendors hail from New Hampshire or a neighboring New England state. Martha’s Exchange & Brewery of Nashua, for instance, is expected to bring its Apple Brown Betty, a Belgian brown ale brewed and aged on toasted apple wood, in addition to a few other selections. Hidden Moon Brewing and Moonlight Meadery of Londonderry will pour both its Little Apples hard cider and its Razz What She Said raspberry session mead, while Willie’s Superbrew, a Charlestown, Mass.,-based purveyor of hard seltzers blended with real fruit, will be there with multiple offerings, like its cranberry and lime and pineapple and jalapeno flavors.

Several local restaurants will be there too, including 900 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria, which will have meatball subs, Hayden said. Auburn Pitts, Firefly American Bistro & Bar of Manchester, and Hooksett’s Second Brook Bar & Grill are all expected to attend as well.

Live performances will include both the Gilford-based Eric Grant Band and the New Hampshire Police Association Pipes and Drums. The festival is also coinciding with the conclusion of Millennium Running’s annual Trick or Trot 3K Race.

7th annual Manchester Brewfest

When: Sunday, Oct. 31; general admittance is from 1 to 4 p.m., with VIP admittance beginning at noon
Where: Arms Park, 10 Arms St., Manchester
Cost: Tickets are $40 general admission, $50 VIP admission and $15 for designated drivers; ticket prices do not include food
Visit: manchesterbrewfest.com
Event is rain or shine.

Featured photo: Photos courtesy of Jarrod Barthe.

The Weekly Dish 21/10/14

News from the local food scene

• Bookstore cafe reopens: Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St., Concord) has refitted and reopened the adjoining cafe space under its own management on Oct. 4, more than a year and a half after True Brew Cafe’s closure in March 2020, owner Michael Herrmann confirmed. Now known as Gibson’s Cafe, it features a full line of espresso drinks in addition to coffees, teas and multiple flavors of smoothies. Food options include breakfast sandwiches and pastries, daily soup specials, avocado toasts, lunch paninis, and build-your-own acai bowls with a variety of ingredients to choose from. Gibson’s Cafe is open Monday through Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit gibsonsbookstore.com/cafe or call 715-5833.

• Piccola turns 20: Join Piccola Italia Ristorante (815 Elm St., Manchester) for a 20th anniversary celebration honoring chef-owner Johnny “Eastie” Paolini on Saturday, Oct. 16, at 2 p.m., which will feature specials, giveaways, raffles and more. Born and raised in an Italian-American family, Paolini got his start in the industry working for an Italian restaurant near his childhood home in the North End of Boston. Since opening Piccola on Elm Street in downtown Manchester in October 2001, he has become a pillar of the community, participating in annual fundraisers and donating to several local charities over the years. According to Lisbett De Leon, one of a few Piccola’s staff members organizing the anniversary celebration, proceeds will be donated to a charity of Paolini’s choice. Visit piccolaitalianh.com.

• Beer at the winery: Learn to cook with beer at an interactive class hosted by LaBelle Winery, at its Amherst location (345 Route 101) on Wednesday, Oct. 20, and at its Derry location (14 Route 11) on Wednesday, Oct. 27, at 6 p.m. each evening. Attendees will taste samples and receive recipes of several items, including beer-battered fish tacos with cilantro crema, bratwurst cooked in beer with sauerkraut, and chocolate stout cheesecake. Admission is $32.70 per person, including taxes, and pre-registration is required. Visit labellewinery.com.

• Final outdoor markets: Several Granite State farmers markets are due to wrap up their outdoor seasons this week. The final date of the Nashua Farmers Market will be Sunday, Oct. 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. outside City Hall Plaza (229 Main St.; visit downtownnashua.org/local), while the Candia Farmers Market, held on the third Saturday of each month at the Smyth Public Library (55 High St., Candia; visit candianh.org), concludes on Saturday, Oct. 16, from 9 a.m. to noon. The Milford Farmers Market will also be holding its last date of the season outside on Saturday, Oct. 16, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 300 Elm St. in Milford, but is due to return indoors three weeks later. Beginning Saturday, Nov. 6, the market will be held bi-weekly inside the Milford Town Auditorium. Visit milfordnhfarmersmarket.com.

Portland beer tour

Maine and beer are a thing

Is there a better place in the world for beer than Portland, Maine?

Aside from just very high-quality, very fresh beer straight from the brewery or close to it, the proximity is off the charts. There are a few different spots where your trusty Uber driver can deposit you and you can just bounce from brewery to brewery to brewery on foot.

I’m not saying you should be having multiple beers at each brewery or even one beer at each brewery, but that’s just pretty cool. There’s something more relaxed about the brewery scene too — it’s much more laid back than walking into a bar, although Portland is pretty laid back regardless.

During a very recent visit to Belleflower Brewery in Portland, I counted approximately a dozen dogs and even more babies. Not really on the babies but you get the point: dog-friendly, family-friendly, you know, friendly.

If you like beer, regardless of style, it’s just a place you need to go at some point. Even if you’re not into hopping from brewery to brewery, there are countless tremendous bars and pubs featuring a wide array of the local brews so you can still experience the area’s top beer.

OK, this isn’t an advertorial. I just went to Portland a couple weeks ago and I’m still excited. That’s all.

Here are some highlights from my most recent Portland excursion. Is it going to be IPA-heavy? Yes it is.

Magpie Pale Ale by Belleflower Brewery

Belleflower, which was new to me, was one of the gems of the trip: great beer across the board. Loved this particular beer — super easy to drink and incredibly flavorful. This New England pale ale is very piney and boasts big grapefruit flavor. Magpie is Belleflower’s flagship brew and I suspect you’ll want to have a couple of these.

Abstract Object Milk Stout by Battery Steele Brewing

After a sea of IPAs, this was a welcome change of pace, featuring rich, dark malts and robust notes of dark chocolate and toffee. This is a decadent brew. The brewery also featured a version of this with Madagascar vanilla that I didn’t get to try.

Assume Positive Intent by Bissell Brothers Brewing

Bissell is the one brewery in Portland that makes me nervous. Not because I’m questioning the beer but because I’m terrified I’ll have to wait in line. I need not have been concerned as its tap room was, honestly, a little quiet. I liked that personally. I dubbed this the beer of the trip very early in the weekend and it may still have come out on top. This is delicious, exploding with tropical citrus flavor in a very drinkable package.

Portals Sour Ale by Definitive Brewing Co.

Another brewery that was new to me, Definitive cranks out a series of sour ales with its Portals series. This sour ale was brewed with Maine Blueberries and the blueberries are basically trying to jump out of the glass this brew is so flavorful. Not too tart, I’d definitely hand this to someone who says they don’t like sours.

Prime IPA by Goodfire Brewing Co.

This is like my dream IPA. It’s hazy, although I wouldn’t call it juicy. I might even call it dry with a fresh, fruity brightness. As the brewery says, this is an “all day kinda beer.”

What’s in my fridge

Glass DDH IPA by Northwoods Brewing Co. (Northwood)
My wife picked this up for me because the fishing-themed label has a fishing “fly” on it. She made the right call, not just because the label is beautifully done. This IPA is bursting with tropical flavor, including pineapple and melon, and finishes a little sweet (in a good way). I wasn’t familiar with this brewery but I will make sure to familiarize myself. Cheers!

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

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