Category: Food

The Weekly Dish 21/09/30

News from the local food scene

• May the best chili win: Join Goffstown Ace Hardware (5 Depot St.) for its annual Great Bowls of Fire Chili Cook-off,set for Saturday, Oct. 2. Chili entrants are welcome to bring a slow cooker of their best batches by 10:30 a.m., with sampling beginning at 11 a.m. Prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third place winners for each chili at 1 p.m., as voted by all attendees. Pat Barss of Goffstown Ace Hardware told the Hippo that all chili varieties have been known to be featured at the cook-off, from beef and venison to white chilis and vegan chilis. No cost is required to enter your chili or attend as a taster. Find the event on Goffstown Ace Hardware’s Facebook page @goffstownhardware for more details.

• A taste of Germany: Head to Mile Away Restaurant (52 Federal Hill Road, Milford) for an Oktoberfest celebration on Sunday, Oct. 3, from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. The event will feature dinner plates available for $17 per person, with options like sauerbraten (German pot roast), schweineschnitzel (pork schnitzel), hunter’s stew or spicy beef and sausage chili with cheddar cheese, along with two sides (German potato salad, sea salt chips and sauerkraut, braised red cabbage, pickled beets or applesauce). There will also be a dessert and pretzel station with additional a la carte items, like pumpkin pie, Black Forest cake, flourless chocolate cake and more. Live music will be featured from the TubaFrau Hofbräu Band, a Waltham, Mass.-based German oompah band. There is a $20 parking fee per car. The event is cash only and first-come, first-served. Visit mileawayrestaurantnh.com. For more details on Oktoberfest celebrations and a full list of upcoming events happening in New Hampshire, check out our cover story in the Sept. 23 issue of the Hippo, which begins on page 18.

• Flavors of fall: Tuscan Market (9 Via Toscana, Salem) will hold its Toscana Fest, an annual Italian street festival and fundraiser, on Sunday, Oct. 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In addition to multiple flavors of gelato and other options from local food vendors, this year’s Toscana Fest will feature a variety of family-friendly activities like face painting, pumpkin painting, carnival games and a bounce house, plus crafts, live music and more. Admission is free and foods are priced per item. Proceeds from the event benefit Lazarus House Ministries in Lawrence, Mass., a nonprofit that helps people in need by providing transitional housing and educational and work preparation programs. Visit tuscanbrands.com.

• From vines to wines: LaBelle Winery (345 Route 101, Amherst) is hosting the fourth and final session of its Walks in the Vineyard series on Sunday, Oct. 3, at 11 a.m. Vineyard manager Josh Boisvert and wine educator Marie King will lead participants on an educational walk throughout LaBelle’s Amherst vineyard, focused on the vines’ overall life cycles. You’ll also have the opportunity to taste four different types of wines throughout the session. No previous knowledge of wine or attendance of previous vineyard walks is required. Admission is $27.25 per person and includes tax. Visit labellewinery.com.

Pumpkin time

Why these seasonal brews are hard not to like

I know I get all indignant about pumpkin beers, specifically that they arrive too soon each year, but the reality is, I like them. Labor Day hits and wham, it’s pumpkin time.

OK, honestly, I usually make it until later in September, but this year I was ready early. It was a strange summer and I think I was ready to turn the page.

When it comes right down to it, the complex, sweet, earthy flavor of this giant squash actually does go well with beer.

Yes, I do think you can run into pumpkin beers that are too sweet, too syrupy and maybe more pumpkin pie spice than pumpkin, but I also think you’re starting to see a greater array of really good pumpkin beers, particularly as craft brewers jump on board with this style.

While I dare to say the cinnamon-sugar-rimmed glass shouldn’t be shunned as it so often is by beer enthusiasts, there’s just more to pumpkin beer now than simply sugar and spice. Brewers are roasting locally grown pumpkins — or using fresh — to develop a rich, sweet, complex flavor that creates delicious, interesting beers.

You are seeing pumpkin beers run the gamut, from big, heavy stouts and porters with a pumpkiny, malty backbone to super light, crisp brews that accentuate the sweetness of pumpkin — and everything in between. So you have plenty of choices.

Despite being awfully sweet and syrupy, the Southern Tier Pumking is an explosion of flavor. Shipyard has taken a step past its popular Pumpkinhead with its Smashed Pumpkin, which is, well, a lot more intense with its 9 percent ABV.

Local craft brewers are experimenting with pumpkin, not satisfied with the more mass-produced beers, pairing pumpkins with yams, vanilla, nutmeg, cloves, molasses and more. They’re pairing pumpkin with an array of seasonal flavors and many are experimenting with barrel-aging and souring.

As beer drinkers, we’re the real winners here. If you do like pumpkin beers, it’s an exciting time. Here are four pumpkin beers to enjoy this fall.

Pumpkin Ale by Smuttynose Brewing Co. (Hampton)

This is a longtime favorite of mine: hearty, not too sweet and just a little spicy. Although, honestly, I haven’t had it in a few years, more by accident, so I’m looking forward to it this year to see if its taste or my palate has evolved. My memory says the pumpkin is very present, but not so overpowering.

Toasted Pumpkin Ale by 603 Brewery (Londonderry)

I love this beer. The brewery makes this with real organic pumpkin and then ages the brew on Madagascar vanilla beans and cinnamon sticks. This is just exploding with flavor.

Post Road Pumpkin Ale by Brooklyn Brewery (Brooklyn, New York)

I think this is a perfect pumpkin brew: pumpkin-forward with just a little spice, it’s warming and sessionable. I grabbed one of these recently after a long day of yard work and, well, that was just the right move.

Pumpkin Patch Ale by Rogue Ales and Spirits (Newport, Oregon)

They grow their own pumpkins. That’s just pretty cool and indicative, again, of brewers’ commitment to this style. Vanilla, orange peel, cardamon, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg together make this a spice-forward pumpkin beer. If you’re going to go spice, you might as well not hold back. This beer certainly doesn’t.

What’s in my fridge

Islands IPA by Mast Landing Brewing Co. (Westbrook, Maine)
I’ve got to say I’m yet to try a beer by this brewery that I don’t love. I feel like they’re just meeting me on my level time and time again. I find an inherent drinkability with all their beers. This is a double dry-hopped IPA brewed with Azacca, Simcoe and Centennial hops that delivers a fresh, clean and tropical punch. This is one you’re going to return to over and over. Cheers!

Featured photo: Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale is a classic. Courtesy photo.

Thyme and brown sugar apples

It’s fall in New Hampshire, which likely means you’ve been apple picking or at least stopped by an orchard. You now have more apples than you know what to do with. After you’ve made apple pies, apple muffins and caramel apples, I have a recipe that will use those apples for a dinner side dish.

This recipe is perfect for a dinner on a busy fall night for a multitude of reasons. First, only four ingredients are required. Second, from start to finish these apples are ready in 10 minutes or less. Third, between freshly picked apples and thyme, this dish smells and tastes like fall.

I have a few notes about the apples in this recipe. As you may notice, I don’t specify the type of apple. This recipe is pretty flexible, so you can use whatever you have on hand or whichever you prefer. Also, these apples don’t need to be peeled for two reasons: It streamlines the recipe and saves time, and the apple peel adds a nice amount of texture to the dish.

You need to keep a careful eye on the apples while you cook them. You want to saute them until they are fork tender, but you don’t want them to become soggy. Be sure to stay attentive. Once they get just the least bit tender, add the thyme and brown sugar, saute quickly and transfer to a serving dish.

If you haven’t been to an orchard yet, this recipe is all the reason you need.

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.

Thyme and brown sugar apples
Serves 4

2 apples, approximately 1 pound total
1 Tablespoon salted butter*
1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme
1 Tablespoon brown sugar

Slice the apples into quarters, and remove the core from each section. (Do not peel the apples)
Cut each apple quarter into six evenly sized slices, so that you have 24 long slices per apple.
Then cut all of the slices in half.
Place a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat.
Melt butter, and add apple slices.
Saute for 4 minutes, tossing occasionally.
Sprinkle the apple slices with thyme and brown sugar, and cook for an additional minute.
Serve immediately.

*If using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt along with the thyme.

Photo: Thyme and brown sugar apples. Photo by Michele Pesula Kuegler.

In the kitchen with Cheri Coco

Cheri Coco of Londonderry is the owner of Feed Your Fitness (feedyourfit.com, and on Facebook @feedyourfitnessofficial), a meal prep business she launched last October that offers a rotating menu of locally sourced options. New meals are posted to her website on Sunday night and usually feature dishes with chicken, beef and fish, as well as a breakfast item like overnight oats. Recent meals have included Buffalo ranch chicken stuffed peppers with brown rice; a barbacoa beef burrito bowl with rice, beans and homemade salsa; and pistachio-crusted salmon with broccoli and quinoa. Everything is made fresh out of Creative Chef Kitchens (35 Manchester Road, Unit 9, Derry), with online ordering available from Monday through Wednesday at 2 p.m. In addition to curbside pickups at the commercial kitchen space, meals can be delivered on Thursdays within a few-mile radius.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

I would have to say my pressure cooker, or my garlic press.

What would you have for your last meal?

Pizza. Probably just a plain cheese pizza, a garden salad with Italian dressing, and definitely a nice red wine.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

It depends on the meal. If it’s breakfast, then it’s Talia’s [Breakfast & Eatery] in Londonderry, and if it’s dinner, it’s Sabatino’s North in Derry.

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

I would have to say Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.

What is your favorite meal to make?

I don’t offer anything I don’t like to eat myself, but I think right now the chicken cacciatore is my personal favorite. I serve that with zucchini and brown rice. I rotate it out — it pops up probably every five weeks.

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

Not necessarily just right now, but in the last couple of years, food trucks have been huge. I’d love to have one myself.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

Definitely marinara sauce, [with] meatballs, sausage or pasta and Italian bread.

Pumpkin spice overnight oats
Courtesy of Cheri Coco of Feed Your Fitness

½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup almond milk (or own preference, dairy or non-dairy)
3 ounces Greek vanilla yogurt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
Pinch of sea salt
¼ cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Combine all ingredients in a glass jar or bowl with a lid. Refrigerate overnight. When you’re ready to eat it, give it a good stir and enjoy either cold or warm.

Featured photo: Cheri Coco. Courtesy photo.

The Weekly Dish 21/09/23

News from the local food scene

• Crushing it: Join Black Bear Vineyard & Winery (289 New Road, Salisbury) for its annual Harvest Weekend, happening the weekend of Saturday, Sept. 25, and Sunday, Sept. 26. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about how the vineyard’s grapes are destemmed and crushed before its juices are used to make the wines. Food trucks will also be on site, as well as live music performances outside between 1 and 5 p.m. each day. Reservations are not required, but bringing your own chairs is recommended. With seven wine varieties grown on site — four reds and three whites — and about 18 acres of rolling hills, Black Bear is one of the largest vineyards in the Granite State. Visit blackbearvineyard.com.

• Italian festivities: Tuscan Market (9 Via Toscana, Salem) will host Passeggiata: Walk of Wine, an annual festival, at its newly unveiled location on Saturday, Sept. 25, from 1 to 4 p.m. The event will feature more than 40 Italian and world wines available to taste, along with several stationary and passed appetizers and live music. Bottled wines of featured selections at the festival will also be available for purchase. Tickets are $30 per person. Tuscan Market will also be holding its annual Toscana Fest on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring local food vendors, face painting, pumpkin painting, carnival games and raffles, with all proceeds to benefit Lazarus House Ministries in Lawrence, Mass. Visit tuscanbrands.com.

• Brothers Cortado coming to Concord: True Brew Barista recently announced the sale of its shop at 3 Bicentennial Square in Concord, which will reopen under new ownership as Brothers Cortado. Brothers and Loudon natives Ian and Chuck Nemiccolo plan to open by October, and their shop will feature a variety of coffees and espresso drinks. Renovations are currently underway — follow their progress on Facebook and Instagram @brotherscortado.

• WineNot Boutique reopens: Specialty wine retail shop WineNot Boutique reopened on Sept. 15 in its new space at 25 Main St. in Nashua, it recently announced. The newly renovated location is less than a half mile up the road from its former storefront at 221 Main St., with all of its weekly complimentary wine tastings and special events transitioning there. WineNot’s temporary hours are Wednesday through Saturday, from noon to 7 p.m. Visit winenotboutique.com.

• Brews for a cause: Red, White & Brew, a craft beer and wine festival presented by Veterans Count, returns to Funspot (579 Endicott St. N., Laconia) on Saturday, Sept. 25, with a VIP hour from noon to 1 p.m. and general admittance from 1 to 4 p.m. In addition to multiple craft beer and wine options, the festival will feature local food vendors, a classic car show, raffles, an auction and live music from The Bob Pratte Band. General admission is $35 and VIP admission is $50. Admission for all attendees includes sampling tickets and a commemorative glass while supplies last, and proceeds benefit local service members and their families. Military discounts are also available. Visit vetscount.org/nh/events.

Boxes and cans

Eye-catching packaging, tasty wines

Traditionally grapes were picked, vinified, sometimes aged, and then bottled and sealed with a cork and foil or wax. The bottles were finished with simple labels identifying the vineyard or blender, grape varietals and vintage. The bottles were loaded into cardboard boxes or wooden crates and sent off to distributors for sale.

While the bulk of the wine industry still operates this way, the marketing of wine has evolved to appeal to a larger and younger market. There was a huge outcry when vintners started to put screw caps on bottles. There were claims that the screw tops would fail; they would not keep the wine from spoiling. Fact is that screw tops have replaced corks on many wines. Next came “box wine” — the wine that can be loaded onto the shelf of a refrigerator and tapped when one wants a glass of chardonnay. Then came “wine in a can.” A can is a perfect way to keep a carbonated beverage; why not make that beverage a wine?

The packaging and marketing of wine has become an industry unto itself. Several years ago, some vineyards commissioned artists to create labels for them. The label of the 2019 Navigator Sauvignon Blanc of Napa Valley (originally priced at $32.99, reduced to $14.99 at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets) is a fine example of graphic artistry. The front label is very simple — just the wine’s name. The back of the bottle has an array of constellations, printed in white, with a sailing ship, printed in black, above blue scrolling ocean waves. This entire image is meant to be viewed through the bottle, magnified by the straw-colored wine. What a marvelous idea! The wine has a slight fruit nose, along with herbal lavender. To the mouth it is citric — a favoring lemongrass. A perfect wine to pair with seafood.

Another direction in marketing is to appeal to basic pleasures. The label of the 2018 Michael David Winery Old Vine Lodi Zinfandel (originally priced at $15.99, reduced to $12.99 at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets) is an example of simplicity. The label refers to “Zinfandel grapes sustainably farmed in Lodi, California.” Modestly priced and presented, this wine is bold. The dark purple, opaque color and fruit-laden nose lead to notes of black raspberry, vanilla, some cinnamon and a touch of pepper. This wine is designed and marketed for a “kick-back” barbecue with friends.

Australian Thomas Angove invented boxed wine in 1965. Improved upon in 1967, with the creation of an air-tight tap welded to the plastic bag, his invention became salable. The science behind this packaging is simple; the wine is removed from the bag without adding air, thus removing the potential for oxidation of the remaining wine. The original large box containers have evolved into single-serve sizes. The Woodbridge Limited Edition Mondavi California Chardonnay (originally priced at $4.99, reduced to $3.99 at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets) is packaged in 500 ml boxes. This results in three and a half 5-ounce servings. The packaging notes this has been proclaimed the “Official Wine of Major League Baseball.” The color is the classic gold color of a California chardonnay, with aromas of apple and pear. The nose carries through to the tongue with a toasty finish, perfect for pairing with roast chicken, eaten on a picnic.

Wine in a can? Why not? Beer has been put into cans since the mid-’30s! The House Wine Limited Edition Rosé Bubbles, 3.75 ml (originally priced at $5.99, reduced to $4.99 at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets), was conceived in 2004 by ex-rock ’n’ roll manager and wine maker Charles Smith in Walla Walla, Washington. It is marketed as a “serious wine made by not so serious people.” The wine has a pale pink color and aromas of fresh berries with lively citric notes on the tongue. This is a light wine that can be paired with soft cheeses or enjoyed by itself on a warm afternoon.

19 Crimes 2019 Red Wine (priced at $11.99 at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets) appears at first to be a novelty. Each bottle in the miniature four-pack is 187 ml, or a six-ounce serving. Produced in Australia by Treasury Wine Estates, it is a blend of mostly shiraz, with traces of other grapes. This is a bold red wine with a dark red color, dark cherries to the nose carrying through to the tongue, with firm tannins on the mid-palate. The packaging is novel, as it identifies the 19 crimes punishable by transportation from the U.K. to 19th-century Australia. Several criminals and their crimes are identified on the packaging!

The packaging and marketing of wine have indeed evolved with our changing world of marketing. Try some of these alternatives.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Stay in the loop!

Get FREE weekly briefs on local food, music,

arts, and more across southern New Hampshire!