Category: Food

The Weekly Dish 23/06/29

News from the local food scene

• Get your Greek fix: Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (68 N. State St., Concord) will hold its next boxed Greek dinner to go, a drive-thru event happening on Sunday, July 9, from noon to 1 p.m. Now through Wednesday, July 5, orders are being accepted for mezedakia, a Greek appetizer sampler plate featuring tzatziki, pita bread, tiropita, Greek meatballs, loukanikos (Greek sausages), feta cheese, Greek olives and a dessert, for $20 per meal. The event is drive-thru and takeout only — email [email protected] or call 953-3051 to place your order. More takeout and pickup meals are expected at the church in the coming months. Visit holytrinitynh.org.

• Showing some spirit: A new craft distillery is coming to The Factory on Willow (284 Willow St., Manchester). Manchester Distillery is slate to open its doors for tours and tastings this August, according to a press release, and will feature industry veteran Bill Tambussi as its master distiller. Small-batch test spirits of Manchester Distillery’s first official gin and vodka are in the works right now, while malt and bourbon whiskeys will also likely be available down the line, the release said. Visit manchesterdistillery.com.

• Brews on the Hill: Save the date for A Brew with a View, the craft beer and food festival returning to Steele Hill Resorts (516 Steele Hill Road, Sanbornton) for an eighth year on Saturday, July 8, with VIP admission from 4 to 5 p.m. and general admission from 5 to 7 p.m. With views overlooking Lake Winnisquam, Lake Winnipesaukee and the Belknap Mountain Range, the festival will feature a variety of beers, meats, wines and spirits available for sampling, along with food, door prizes, games, music and more. Festivities begin with a VIP hour, followed by a general tasting session. Door prize drawings will take place at 5:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at abrewwithaview.com and are $50 general admission and $65 VIP admission. Special Brew with a View “getaway” packages are also available, featuring two VIP tickets and 10 percent off accommodations of your choice — see steelehillresorts.com/packages/brew-view-getaway.

Strawberry rhubarb collins

You know how you can be in a large crowd, almost overwhelmed by the dozens of conversations going on around you, but if someone 30 feet away says your name, it grabs your attention immediately? I have the same reaction if someone is discussing pizza or tells a knock-knock joke.

Knock-knock.

Who’s there?

From.

From who?

From “WHOM”! Jeesh, I can’t take you anywhere.

Have you ever wondered why that never happens when you’re watching a crowd scene in a movie? It’s because the background extras have been instructed to say a particular word to each other, over and over — one that is unlikely to grab anyone’s attention. If they just said, “blah, blah,” it wouldn’t sound right, but if they said actual sentences, it would run the risk of distracting from the lead actors’ lines.

The industry term for this is rhubarbing, because the mantra-like word they are instructed to say is often “rhubarb.”

So now you know that.

Strawberry rhubarb collins

  • 2 ounces vodka – I’ve been using Tito’s lately, and I’ve been pretty pleased with it.
  • 2 frozen strawberries (about 1 ounce)
  • ½ ounce orange curaçao
  • ¾ ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • ¾ ounce rhubarb syrup (see below)
  • 4 to 5 ounces tonic water

Blend the frozen strawberries and vodka thoroughly. If you have a miniature blender for making smoothies, this is an ideal use for it. Otherwise, mash the berries up with the vodka in the bottom of a glass with a pestle or a wooden spoon.

Strain the berry vodka through a fine-meshed strainer, into the bottom of an ice-filled Collins glass. Add the curaçao, lemon juice, and rhubarb syrup. Stir thoroughly.

Top with tonic water, then stir again. Add a straw, and drink somewhere relaxing.

Obviously, strawberries and rhubarb are a natural combination; the sweetness of the berries plays off the tartness of the rhubarb. Once in a while you will find a strawberry pie in the wild, or possibly a rhubarb pie, but strawberry-rhubarb is a reliable standby. They work well in this drink but get a little more backbone from the citrusy curaçao. The lemon juice keeps everything from getting too sweet, and the slight bitterness of the tonic levels everything out while bringing fizziness to the table.

Early summer brings a lot of rites of passage — weddings, graduations, anniversaries. This is a good drink to sit and think. Not to brood — this isn’t Irish whiskey — but to take a minute and think about where your life is headed. It is an optimistic drink.

Rhubarb syrup

Clean several stalks of rhubarb, then chop it into smallish pieces, about 1-inch dice.

Freeze the chopped rhubarb for several hours, maybe overnight. This will allow large ice crystals to perforate all the cells and allow a lot of weeping (on the part of the rhubarb, hopefully not yours) when you cook it.

Combine the frozen rhubarb and an equal amount of sugar (by weight) in a small saucepan.

Cook over medium heat. As the rhubarb melts, the sugar will draw out its juice. You will be surprised at how much juice there is. About halfway through the cooking process you might want to help the process along with a potato masher or the bottom of a beer bottle.

When the rhubarb juice comes to a boil, stir it for a few seconds to make sure all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat, and squeeze a small amount of lemon juice into it. Let it cool, then strain it and store the syrup in a bottle. It will keep for a month or more in your refrigerator.

Save the rhubarb pulp. It looks like it has come out on the losing end of a fight, but it is actually a super-delicious compote that is excellent on toast or ice cream.

Featured photo: Photo by John Fladd.

In the kitchen with Ben Normandeau

Ben Normandeau of Concord is the owner of 603 Bar-B-Q ([email protected], find them on Facebook and Instagram @603bbq), a food trailer specializing in Central Texas-style barbecue that launched Memorial Day weekend. A Concord native and electrician by trade, Normandeau became interested in barbecue while working at Zavala’s, a renowned spot in the Dallas-Fort Worth-area city of Grand Prairie, Texas. Find him next at Lithermans Limited Brewery (126B Hall St., Concord) on Sunday, June 25, from 1 p.m. until he sells out — offerings include brisket, turkey breast, pulled pork sandwiches, St. Louis-cut ribs, potato salad, coleslaw, macaroni and cheese and banana pudding.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

I think, for me, it would definitely be my smoker. It’s a 500-gallon oil tank that a company down in Georgia made for me.

What would you have for your last meal?

A turkey dinner is definitely my favorite meal by far. We don’t eat it often enough at all.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

If it’s southern New Hampshire, it’s The Red Blazer, which is right next to me here in Concord. I go there all the time. … Up north, it’s the Italian Farmhouse.

What celebrity would you like to see ordering from your trailer?

I’m a big Dead Head, so Jerry Garcia would have been awesome.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

Honestly, it would probably have to be the brisket. … You can get it as a sandwich, but traditionally, with Central Texas-style, it’s a meat marketing ordering system, so you would just get it on a tray. We serve it on a tray with butcher paper and it comes with bread or a sandwich, whatever you’d like, and then pickled onions and pickles on the side.

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

Outdoor dining, I feel like, is a big thing right now, and also [having that] family-friendly atmosphere. … I mean, it was obviously a thing before Covid, but I think a lot more people just want to sit outside more now.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

I like mac and cheese. It’s definitely my favorite dish to make. … Homemade mac and cheese is awesome, but it can be Kraft in a box too.

603 Bar-B-Q basic bird brine
From the kitchen of Ben Normandeau of 603 Bar-B-Q (makes about two quarts)

8 cups water
⅓ cup kosher salt
⅓ cup sugar
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 Tablespoon dried thyme
1 Tablespoon ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons honey

Whisk salt and sugar with water until dissolved. Combine all of the other ingredients. Submerge poultry in brine and cover, refrigerated, for a minimum of four hours and a maximum of 24 hours (overnight is best).


Featured photo: Ben Normandeau, owner of 603 Bar-B-Q. Courtesy photo.

Scrumptious strawberries

Hollis Strawberry Festival returns for 76th year

By Maya Puma

[email protected]

A celebration of strawberry crops and farming in New Hampshire more than 75 years strong, the Hollis Strawberry Festival is back, taking place on Sunday, June 25, on the Hollis Town Common. Traditionally held on the last Sunday in June, the festival attracts hundreds of people who will come together to enjoy homemade strawberry shortcakes featuring local strawberries, with added choices of local ice cream and hand-whipped cream. The event had a successful comeback year in 2022, the first festival to be held since the pandemic hit.

“It is hugely popular and people come from Mass. and southern New Hampshire. Strawberry lovers from all around come,” said Cathy Gast, publicity chairwoman of the Hollis Woman’s Club.

According to Gast, the festival began in 1946 as a fundraiser for the Town Band, which would perform its spring concert. The Woman’s Club, she said, joined in on the festivities in the ’60s to sell strawberries and strawberry desserts. Today the festival is a joint fundraiser for both the band and the Woman’s Club, which gives out three scholarships per year, two of which — each for $1,000 — are awarded to graduating seniors of Hollis-Brookline High School.

“Last year we grossed over $12,000, so that’s a lot of strawberry shortcakes,” Gast said.

The strawberries themselves, she said, come from local farms in town. Two days before the festival, community volunteers will pick up the berries and hull, wash and prepare them by slicing and putting them into bowls to be sugared. In total, there are 250 quarts of strawberries to go through. The ice cream is homemade and is from Dr. Davis Ice Cream in Pepperell, Mass.

On the day of the festival, the Woman’s Club organizes an assembly line to build shortcakes. People have the opportunity to build their shortcake with a combination of any of the ingredients.

“Everything is homemade — the ice cream, the shortcake, the whipping cream — and they give a really generous portion.” Gast said. “We have a row of people whipping through this whole process and our shortcake is a special secret recipe.”

The family-friendly event will also feature local craft vendors, face-painting, a live performance by the Hollis Town Band, and children’s games, including a Midwestern tradition known as “pocket lady,” in which a lady will be wearing an apron of pockets filled with toys and trinkets. In exchange for 25 cents kids can pull a toy out of one of the pockets at random.

Hollis Strawberry Festival
When: Sunday, June 25, 2 to 4 p.m.
Where: Hollis Town Common, Monument Square, Hollis (in the event of rain, the festival will be held inside Hollis-Brookline Middle School, at 25 Main St. in Hollis)
Cost: Free admission and parking; all strawberry treats are priced per item
Visit: holliswomansclub.org

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

The Weekly Dish 23/06/22

News from the local food scene

• Farm-a-Q to return: A family-friendly event featuring local food, drinks and entertainment, Farm-a-Q returns to Tuckaway Farm (36 Captain Smith Emerson Road, Lee) on Sunday, June 25, from noon to 5 p.m. Tickets are $35 per person, $15 for adult drink bracelets, $25 for students and seniors and free for kids under the age of 5. Proceeds support the Heritage Harvest Project, whose mission is to promote regional heritage foods and agricultural diversity among farmers, chefs and local communities. See “Farm-a-Q” on Eventbrite to purchase tickets.

• Brews in Kingston: The Kingston Fire Association’s fourth annual Brewfest takes place on Saturday, June 24, from 2 to 6 p.m. on the Plains in downtown Kingston (148 Main St.). More than 60 different beers, ciders and hard lemonade from at least 30 pourers will be available to sample at the festival, which will also include food trucks and music. Tickets are $40 per person for full access (event is 21+ only) and $10 for designated drivers, and are available online now. Donations are also being accepted to the Kingston Fire Association. See “Kingston Brew Fest” on Facebook.

• Coolers: LaBelle Winery will hold a special release party at its Amherst facility (345 Route 101) on Wednesday, June 28, at 6 p.m., for its new limited-edition Mel & Ayme’s Premium Wine Coolers. According to a press release, the low-alcohol coolers are 8 percent ABV and are available in four flavors: chardonnay with blueberry, moscato with raspberry, riesling with pear and seyval blanc with citrus and were ceated by LaBelle winemaker and co-owner Amy LaBelle and assistant winemaker Melaney Shepard Tickets cost $35 per person. The coolers are available for purchase exclusively at LaBelle’s wine and gift shops in Amherst and Derry. Visit labellewinery.com.

• Eat sustainably: A report from the New England State Food System Planners Partnership, a collaboration among the New Hampshire Food Alliance, five other state-level organizations and Food Solutions New England, says that, by the year 2030, 30 percent of the food consumed in New England can be regionally produced. The report, A Regional Approach to Food System Resilience, was released June 5 (see it at nefoodsystemplanners.org), according to a press release, and outlines all the roles New Englanders can play in making the region’s food system stronger and more self-reliant.

Extra-crunchy okra the healthy way

Okra isn’t an item you find all that often on menus in New Hampshire. That is why I’m advocating for you to cook it at home. This recipe will show you just how amazing it can be as a side dish or appetizer.

There are two key components to extra crunchy okra: an air fryer and panko bread crumbs. The air fryer almost goes without saying. It’s hard to get extra-crunchy veggies that are healthy without an air fryer. Panko is also essential to the consistency of the okra. Regular bread crumbs don’t add enough texture.

When you are cooking the okra it is important not to crowd the slices. My air fryer has shelves, so I divide the okra slices among two racks. I also rotate the racks halfway through cooking to give exposure to both top and bottom. If you are cooking in an air fryer that has a basket, it may take two rounds of cooking.

For serving, I highly recommend you make the dipping sauce. Ketchup is a fine alternative, but the barbecue dipping sauce just adds that little something extra. Either way, keep an eye out for okra when you shop; it could be the veggie you didn’t know you love!

Extra-crunchy okra the healthy way
Serves 4

12 ounces okra
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 cup panko
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Dipping sauce
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
2½ Tablespoons barbecue sauce

Clean okra, and remove stem and tip ends; set on paper towels to dry slightly.
In a shallow bowl, whisk egg white and ½ teaspoon garlic powder.
In a second shallow bowl, combine panko, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and salt.
Cut okra into 1-inch segments.
Place ¼ of okra into egg white mix.
Use a fork to toss and fully coat okra pieces.
Remove okra from egg white, using the fork, shaking to remove excess egg.
Transfer to panko mixture.
Toss until all pieces of okra are well-coated.
Spray air fryer racks with nonstick cooking spray.
Place coated okra pieces on rack.
Repeat with remaining okra.
Do not crowd the okra on the rack; use multiple racks as needed.
Heat air fryer to 375 degrees.
Place rack(s) in oven and air fry for 6 minutes.
If using more than one rack, rotate positions, and air fry for 6 more minutes.
While okra cooks, combine yogurt and barbecue sauce in a small bowl, stirring well.
Remove okra from air fryer and serve immediately with dipping sauce.

Featured photo: Extra crunchy okra. Photo by Michele Pesula Kuegler.

Stay in the loop!

Get FREE weekly briefs on local food, music,

arts, and more across southern New Hampshire!