Category: Food

In the kitchen with Alan Milne

Alan Milne is the head chef of the new full-service kitchen at Spyglass Brewing Co. (306 Innovative Way, Nashua, 546-2965, spyglassbrewingco.com), which relocated across Nashua to its current spot in January. Originally opening at 2 Townsend West in the Gate City in October 2018, Spyglass is known for its hazy IPAs and saisons, many of which feature tropical fruit or citrus flavors. The new food menu, created by Milne and his sous chef, features creative takes on options like smash burgers, sandwiches, tacos, salads and appetizers. Prior to joining Spyglass, Milne worked as a chef at Stones Social in Nashua, and he also has experience working in restaurants in Portland, Oregon, and overseas in Italy.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

A chef’s knife and a pair of tongs. With those two things, I can pretty much achieve anything I need to get done.

What would you have for your last meal?

I’d start with a spicy tuna roll for an appetizer, and then a nice rib-eye steak cooked over fire with some mushrooms and Gorgonzola mashed potatoes. Then for dessert, some Krispy Kreme doughnuts and an espresso.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

I’ve got to give it up to Surf. Most of my adult life, they’ve been putting out really good food, and I’m a sucker for a raw bar.

What celebrity would you like to see eating at the brewery?

My first thought was Tom Brady, but then I realized that he doesn’t eat food [laughs], so let’s get Scott Zolak up here to Spyglass!

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

The falafel gyro is my favorite thing. I love the burgers and I’m a burger guy, but I love the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors. That’s kind of where my palate gravitates to. … We take dried chickpeas, we soak them overnight until they are soft, and then we grind them with fresh herbs, onions and garlic, and then we form them into balls and fry them. … Then that goes on a pita with arugula, some marinated tomatoes, spiced cucumbers, pickled red onions and then a tahini sauce and a smoked hot sauce.

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

I think you’re seeing more and more vegetarian options. … I also think affordability is a big one.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

I work a lot and I get paid to cook, so I don’t really cook much for myself. But when I do, it’s usually cheap braised meats. I love throwing something in a pot or in the slow cooker and then gobbling it up on top of some mashed potatoes or some pasta.

Spyglass burger sauce
From the kitchen of head chef Alan Milne of Spyglass Brewing Co. in Nashua (makes 1 quart)

2½ cups mayonnaise
1 cup ketchup
¼ cup pickle juice (preferably bread and butter)
¼ cup capers, chopped
½ Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons mustard
1 teaspoon sambal (chili garlic paste)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder

Combine all ingredients together with a whisk until thoroughly combined.


Featured photo: Alan Milne, head chef of Spyglass Brewing Co. in Nashua. Courtesy photo.

Local flavors

Tasty eats, drinks at annual Made in New Hampshire Expo

Artisan chocolates, scratch-baked goods and craft barbecue and hot sauces are just a few examples of the many types of local goods foodies can discover during the annual Made in New Hampshire Expo. Now in its 26th year, the three-day “try it and buy it” event returns to the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown from Friday, April 14, through Sunday, April 16.

Dozens of vendors from across New Hampshire will be showcasing their products and services, which will also include personal care products, artwork and an onsite “libation station.”

Organized by Granite Media Group, which produces Business NH magazine and runs EventsNH, this is the first Made in New Hampshire Expo to take place since the company’s acquisitions from Millyard Communications in September. Two of Granite Media Group’s three co-founders were longtime employees of the magazine, including Christine Carignan, a 16-year veteran.

“We’ve been with the expo for a very long time … so we’re very familiar with the show,” Carignan said. “So it is under new management this year, but it will still be what people know.”

Admittance to the expo had previously only been at the door via cash or checks. But this year, tickets are also available in advance online. Credit cards will also now be accepted.

Last year’s expo marked the first time it took place since the onset of the pandemic — as it followed two years of cancellations, this meant a greater number than normal of new vendors. A majority of the event’s food and beverage vendors will be offering samples of their products.

“I do feel like this year I am seeing new ones that I don’t recall from previous years, so it’s nice to see some new folks coming in,” Carignan said of this year’s expo. “We always have our people that come in year after year, too, which we love to see, because people will come to the show just to see them.”

Maggie’s Munchies is among this year’s newcomers — Carignan said they’ll be at the show offering whoopie pies, cookies and other baked goodies. The Big Dog Sauce Co., a producer of all-natural barbecue sauces that launched earlier this spring, will also be there. The company offers a product lineup of green chile, maple, blackberry and mango habanero barbecue sauces, and plans to roll out a new offering, its Dog House seasoning blend.

A designated area in the last aisle near the back of the expo center is devoted to the libation station. Those ages 21 and over with photo identification will get to sample locally produced beer, wine, mead and, for the first time this year, distilled spirits. Each attendee is given a bracelet upon entry to the libation station, as well as a set number of tickets per sample.

“That’s one of the new elements this year, is that spirits get to come into the libation station,” Carignan said. “So we’re very excited about that. We have a handful of distilleries signed up for that this year.”

In addition to specialty foods and drinks, companies will be selling everything from jewelry, perfume and candles to wildlife photography, various home decor and services. Live entertainment is also planned for all three days.

Carignan said the expo is a great opportunity for attendees to support local businesses and discover what they might not have realized was in their backyard.

26th annual Made in New Hampshire Expo
When: Friday, April 14, 1 to 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 15, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, April 16, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown (Expo Center), 700 Elm St., Manchester
Cost: $10 for adults, $9 for seniors ages 65 and over, $3 for kids ages 2 to 12 and free for kids under 2. Tickets are available online or at the door. Cash, checks and credit cards are all accepted. Foods, drinks and other featured goods are priced per item.
More info: Visit madeinnhexpo.com or follow them on Facebook @madeinnhexpo

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Spring into deliciousness

Great New England specialty food and artisan show returns

More than 150 exhibitors will gather inside the Hampshire Dome in Milford for the Great New England Spring Specialty Food & Artisan Show — now in its sixth year, the two-day event is a prime destination for food lovers, with all kinds of products available for sale and sampling. It’s happening on Saturday, April 15, and Sunday, April 16, and will also feature live music, food trucks outside, children’s activities, door prize-winning opportunities and more.

A wide variety of sweet and savory items will be available for attendees to try, from honeys, maple products, jams and drink infusions to hot sauces, chocolates, toffees, spice blends, seasonings, salad dressings and much more.
“We really do try to stick to our model of ‘Never the same show twice, but always just as nice,’ and it’s the truth,” show organizer Jody Donohue of GNE Events said. “We’re always changing it up for people, so that every time they come, there’s a variety of different items.”

With Donohue’s recent expansion of the company’s annual events to the Seacoast, she said she has been able to reach a wider range of participating exhibitors. As a result, many of those area artisans and specialty food makers will be coming to Milford for the first time.

“It will be really nice for them to get a new audience, as well as those that attend to see new exhibitors,” she said.

Queen of Whoopies, a multiple first-prize award winner at the annual Maine Whoopie Pie Festival, is expected to attend.

“Her recipe is like how the old Devil Dogs were,” Donohue said. “They are huge whoopie pies, bigger than the palm of your hand.”

The Chocolate Butcher, meanwhile, will be there with its chopped chocolates and truffles.

“They sell more chunks or pieces of chocolate, so you can melt them down for baking purposes as well as just eating them right from the bag,” Donohue said. “We also have the Mill Fudge Factory coming, and then we have Seacoast Pretzel Co., so you can get boxed pretzel nuggets or you can get the regular braided soft pretzel, which is also larger than life.”

This is also the first year 603 Charcuterie will be participating; Donohue said their team will be there offering samples of New Hampshire products as seen on their featured boards, and will provide a demonstration on how to put a board together.

Craft beer and wine will be available for sampling in addition to the food, and a number of other booths will be there, selling home decor, soaps, candles, personal care products and more.

While most of the vendors will be indoors, Donohue said a couple of food trucks and other purveyors will be parked outside the Hampshire Dome, including a coffee truck and a barbecue truck. Live local music will also be featured, both inside and outside.

Attendees will have a chance to win a $100 cash door prize, while $200 worth of scratch tickets — two packages of $100 each — will also be raffled off.

New to this year’s show will be a coloring crayon station for kids, while Donohue said there will also be face painting and cookie decorating.

“We’re keeping it fun, giving the artisans new audiences and giving everybody something to do to get out of the house,” Donohue said.

Sixth annual Great New England Spring Specialty Food & Artisan Show
When: Saturday, April 15, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, April 16, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: The Hampshire Dome, 34 Emerson Road, Milford
Cost: General admission tickets are $5 per person, valid for both days. Tickets are available in advance online or at the door (free for attendees ages 14 and under). Foods are priced per item.
Visit: gnecraftartisanshows.com/april-spring-show to purchase tickets

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

The Weekly Dish 23/04/13

News from the local food scene

• Cheers! The final days of this year’s New Hampshire Craft Beer Week are ahead, as the state’s Brewers Association’s campaign wraps up on Saturday, April 15. There’s still time to participate in several Association-sponsored events, like the inaugural downtown Nashua craft beer tour. Participants can visit each of the Gate City’s six downtown craft breweries through Sunday, April 16, for access to special food and beverage deals, available with a special stamp book. Tickets are $30 per person and also include commemorative pint glasses — see downtownnashua.org/beertour. Visit nhbrewers.org for more Craft Beer Week details, and be sure to save the date for the Brewers Association’s annual Keep NH Brewing Fest, which returns to the Everett Arena Waterfront Park in Concord on Saturday, July 8.

• Cooking for a cause: Join the Nashua Center for its 20th annual Taste of the Towns, a food and wine tasting and benefit auction happening on Thursday, April 20, at 6 p.m. at LaBelle Winery Derry (14 Route 111). The evening will feature options from a variety of local restaurants coming together for a good cause, as well as several special items to be auctioned off. Single tickets start at $75 per person, with proceeds benefiting the Nashua Center, now in its 50th year of providing services to local children and adults with disabilities or acquired brain disorders. Purchase tickets online at nashuacenter.org.

• Get on board: Saturday, April 15, is the last day the 603 Charcuterie shop inside The Factory on Willow (252 Willow St., Manchester) will be open, as the company undergoes a transfer of ownership. A 75 percent off “everything must go” sale applies to all remaining in-store products from Thursday, April 13, through Saturday, April 15, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., which include many of the local cheeses, meats and other accoutrements commonly seen at the company’s charcuterie board-building classes at area breweries and wineries. On March 22, 603 Charcuterie announced in a social media post that the business will be taken over by Leah and Tom Bellemore, who own Vine 32 Wine + Graze Bar in Bedford. Classes, according to the post, will resume at the end of May under the new ownership, with future available dates to be posted within the next couple of weeks. See 603charcuterie.com or follow them on Facebook and Instagram for updates.

• From Nashua to Africa: Save the date for the next Taste of Africa event happening at Mola Foods (9 Simon St., Nashua) on Friday, April 21, at 6:30 p.m. Guests will be taken on a culinary tour of African nations like Cameroon, Somalia and Senegal, and featured dishes will be paired with wine from Brookline’s Averill House Vineyard. Vegan and gluten-free options are also available to those with dietary restrictions upon request, and there will be live music from singer-songwriter Ruby Shabazz. A native of Cameroon, Mola Foods owner and founder LaFortune Jeannette Djabea debuted her Taste of Africa lunch and dinner series last year to consistent success, with events continuously selling out at her Nashua shop. Tickets are $60 per person and there is a semi-formal dress code. Purchase them online at molafoods.com.

• Wine and a show: Head to Lake Park at Tuscan Village (9 Via Toscana, Salem) for an outdoor spring wine fest on Friday, April 21, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The event will feature more than 30 different types of wine available to taste, alongside appetizer samples from Tuscan Market, live music and more. Tickets are $45 per person (event is 21+ only) — purchase them online at tuscanbrands.com.

Fig and cheese tarts smothered with bacon

Since this recipe starts with figs, I know some people may look away. However, I am hoping the phrase “smothered with bacon” keeps most of you reading. Figs may not always sound appealing, but in this recipe I am pretty sure they are going to be a hit.

Although I am a fan of all figs, dried or fresh, I think what makes this recipe such a success is that the fig used in this recipe is actually fig preserves. You may wonder what you will do with the remainder of the jar after making this recipe, but the answers are many. First, you could make multiple batches of this recipe. Second, you could serve it as a condiment with a charcuterie tray. Third, it makes a great topping for toast, biscuits and more.

Now that I have you assured on your purchase of fig preserves, the other ingredients are pretty straightforward. I do have to let you know that it did take some searching to find the phyllo cups. My regular grocery store doesn’t seem to carry them anymore, but another one did. For those of you new to phyllo cups, you will find them in the dessert portion of the freezer area.

For the bacon in this recipe, I used regular sliced, as I wanted it to be extra crispy. However, if you prefer your bacon to be heartier, a thick-sliced version will work as well.

These tarts can be served straight from the oven. (Just don’t burn the roof of your mouth!) They also work well either at room temperature or cold. If you won’t be serving them immediately, be sure to store them in your refrigerator in a covered container.

Fig and cheese tarts smothered with bacon
Makes 15

5 strips bacon
15 phyllo cups
4 ounces goat cheese
4 1/2 Tablespoons fig preserves

An hour before cooking, place goat cheese on the counter to soften.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Heat a large frying pan over medium heat.
Add bacon, cooking until crispy (about 5 minutes).
Transfer bacon to a paper-towel lined plate.
Place unfilled phyllo cups in a mini muffin pan or on a baking sheet, and bake for 2 minutes.
While they bake, combine goat cheese and fig preserves in a small bowl, stirring until well distributed.
Remove cups from the oven.
Divide cheese mixture evenly among the cups.
Return the cups to the oven, and bake for 5 minutes.
While cups bake, dice bacon.
Remove tarts from the oven, and top with bacon.

Featured photo: Fig and cheese tarts smothered with bacon. Photo by Michele Pesula Kuegler.

In the kitchen with Kevin Anctil

Kevin Anctil of Litchfield is the owner and pitmaster of Smokin’ Spank’s Barbecue (smokinspanks.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @smokinspank), a 22-foot food trailer he launched last fall. Anctil, who is affectionately known in his college friend circle as “Spank,” describes his concept as traditional Southern barbecue, but with some New England roots. His brisket, for instance, is smoked Texas-style with salt and pepper in tribute to his own travels, while other items include maple baby back ribs that are finished with maple syrup as a glaze. Anctil grew up on family-owned farmland in Lewiston, Maine, where his late grandfather was revered in the community for his barbecued chicken. He even pays homage to his family’s roots on the trailer, using the same original basting sauce and finishing sauce recipes for his own barbecue chicken, as well as a custom-built pit that implements the same type of sandwich grating techniques his grandfather once employed. Find Smokin’ Spank’s in the parking lot of New England Small Tube Corp. (480 Charles Bancroft Hwy., Litchfield) most Sundays, from 1 to 5 p.m. Online pre-orders are often also available.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

I guess I’d have to say my smokers. That’s really where the magic happens. If I didn’t have my smokers, I’m just another kitchen.

What would you have for your last meal?

A homegrown tomato sandwich. If you’re feeling fancy, you might do it on toast or with a little olive oil, some basil or something like that.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

I want to shout out the entire Litchfield food scene here. There’s a lot of stuff going on locally in town. … We’ve got Tammaro’s Cucina, which is a new Italian place, and Romano’s Pizza who has been around longer. We’ve got Day of the Dead doing fantastic Mexican, and then the Bittersweet Bake Shoppe does some fantastic desserts.

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

I’m going to date myself a bit, but Ray Bourque. He was the legendary captain of the Boston Bruins when I was growing up. … He was just the pinnacle of an athlete to me, both within his sport and just being a gentleman and a classy guy and role model. … I know he’s a foodie too … so it would be pretty cool to be able to serve him some barbecue.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

That would be my brisket. … The only things that go on my brisket are salt, pepper and smoke, and I serve it to you sliced fresh to order. You do get some Texas table sauce along with your order, if you choose to use it or not.

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

Poutine seems to be making a comeback, and I’m here for it!

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

If I’m cooking for myself, then a ridiculously big steakhouse-style steak dinner, [with a] baked potato, a big, thick steak and spinach — the works. If I’m cooking for the family, chicken soup. I do a chicken soup that takes me like two days to cook. It’s phenomenal.

Texas table sauce
From the kitchen of Kevin Anctil of Smokin’ Spank’s Barbecue in Litchfield

2 cups ketchup
1 cup white vinegar
1 lemon (juice and zest of)
½ cup white onions, grated

Combine all of the ingredients in a sauce pan and heat over medium heat, until it just begins to boil around the edges. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. For a smoother sauce, use an immersion blender, or allow to cool and transfer to a blender. For the best results, allow it to sit overnight in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Serve at the table, allowing your guests to add to a smoked meat for a tangy counterpunch.


Featured photo: Kevin Anctil, owner and pitmaster of Smokin’ Spank’s Barbecue. Courtesy photo.

Stay in the loop!

Get FREE weekly briefs on local food, music,

arts, and more across southern New Hampshire!