Category: Food

A taste of Somalia

Batulo’s Kitchen coming to Concord’s Bank of New Hampshire Stage

At the Concord Multicultural Festival, Batulo Mahamed has gained a reputation over the last decade as one of the event’s most popular food vendors, building a following for her sambusa, or Somali meat pies. You’ll soon be able to enjoy her pies all year round, thanks to the launch of a new culinary artist-in-residence program with Concord’s Capitol Center for the Arts.

Batulo’s Kitchen, set to open Feb. 1 at the Bank of New Hampshire Stage, is the first participant of the new program, which aims to give new Americans an opportunity to start their own food businesses in a low-risk, low-cost setting.

“This is something that I’ve been trying for years to get done through the Multicultural Festival,” said Jessica Livingston, who joined the Capitol Center’s staff in March as community outreach coordinator. “We have several food vendors who are interested in starting a business … and the community obviously wants more access to these delicious foods.”

Livingston met with Sal Prizio, who took over as the Capitol Center’s executive director in late 2021, to discuss the establishment of the program.

“He said that there was a commercial kitchen just sitting there being unused and he wanted to do like a ghost kitchen program,” she said, “and I was like, ‘Wait, what? Are you serious? I’ve been trying to do something like this forever.’ … It’s a way to give back to the community and support local people and their food business endeavors, but it’s also a win-win for us because we can offer something different to the patrons who come here, rather than your typical concessions.”

Mahamed relocated to the United States with her family in 2004 from Somalia. In addition to being a regular vendor at the Multicultural Festival, she operates her own farm and sells her own fresh produce at local farmers markets through Fresh Start Farms.

“I was so excited to talk to Batulo about it because this has been a huge goal of hers, and I’ve always kind of promised that I would help her make it happen,” Livingston said.

Mahamed’s sambusa, known across the Multicultural Festival circuit as simply “Batulo’s meat pies,” are small triangular-shaped pastries that can be stuffed with one’s choice of ground beef, chicken breast or veggies. All are additionally prepared with bell peppers, onions, potatoes, salt, garlic, cilantro and curry powder.

Other than the sambusa, Batulo’s Kitchen’s menu will feature rice and vegetable meals, like basmati rice, stir-fried in onions and seasoned with veggie bouillon, cilantro, cumin and garlic.

“She’s keeping it pretty simple right now to what she knows,” Livingston said. “Her ultimate goal is to build up enough of a customer base and [have] enough income to be able to purchase a food truck when her residency is through with us. … She’ll be here all through 2023.”

Batulo’s Kitchen will soon be accepting orders for lunch pickup, as well as delivery through third-party services like GrubHub and DoorDash. Livingston added that she does expect Mahamed to also continue participating in the Multicultural Festival, due to return to Keach Park in Concord this fall.

“It’s strictly going to be a family business with her kids working with her, and I think that’s really kind of special,” she said. “It’s really all about preserving their culture, but doing it as a family and sharing the food that they love with people here.”

Batulo’s Kitchen
Opening Wednesday, Feb. 1
Where: Bank of New Hampshire Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord
Anticipated hours: Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
More info: Visit batuloskitchen.com, find them on Facebook and Instagram @batuloskitchen or call 848-2204

Featured photo: Batulo Mahamed, owner of Batulo’s Kitchen in Concord. Courtesy photo.

The Weekly Dish 23/01/26

News from the local food scene

• Celebrate Mardi Gras: Get your tickets now to the Franco-American Centre’s annual Mardi Gras celebration, happening on Saturday, Feb. 4, at 6 p.m. at the Alpine Club (175 Putnam St., Manchester). The event will feature a variety of Cajun and comfort items served buffet style, along with king cake and a cash bar. Activities will include karaoke, dancing, a costume contest, 50/50 raffles, door prizes and more. The cost is $25 for non-FAC members, $20 for members and $15 for 2022 volunteers. Pre-register online by Feb. 1 at facnh.com — non-members will receive one free raffle ticket and members will receive three tickets for a chance to win the door prizes, and additional tickets will also be available for purchase for more chances to win.

• From Venice to Bedford: Join the Bedford Village Inn (2 Olde Bedford Way, Bedford) for its own take on the Carnevale di Venezia, a three-day ice festival happening Thursday, Feb. 2, through Saturday, Feb. 4, from 6 to 10 p.m. each evening. Attendees will be fully immersed in Venetian culture, enjoying the sites of ice sculptures and ice bars designed to pay homage to one of Italy’s most famous annual celebrations. Activities will include live music, martini bars with specialty cocktails, a whiskey bar, a beer and wine bar and lots of ice. The Inn’s Great Hall will be offering snacks and desserts available for purchase with tokens, which will be sold at the door. Food items each evening will include Italian sausage subs, Carnevale lasagna soup, Sicilian-style pizza, vegetable minestrone soup, Cape Cod oysters, Jumbo cocktail shrimp, traditional or double chocolate cannolis and tiramisu cheesecake. Ice bar tokens are to be used to purchase all food and beverages at the ice bar — cash and credit cards will not be accepted. Tokens will be sold on site in bundles of five, 10 and 20 via credit card only — they are not cash refundable but can be used at any of the Inn’s dining outlets from Feb. 2 through March 31 for the face value of $3.50 apiece. Tickets are $40 per person (event is 21+ only). Visit bedfordvillageinn.com.

• QC Cupcakes completes move: Manchester’s Queen City Cupcakes has completed the move of its operations a few doors down, joining forces with its sister gift shop, Pop of Color, according to a recent announcement from its email newsletter. You can find the adjoining businesses, now known as Queen City Cupcakes & Gift Shop, between Market Square Jewelers and Granite State Candy Shoppe at 816 Elm St. Queen City Cupcakes has been open since 2011, offering freshly baked small-batch cupcakes daily in a rotating menu of flavors. Visit qccupcakes.com to see their most up-to-date cupcake menus.

• A bittersweet farewell: On Saturday, Jan. 21, Blake’s Creamery closed its 353 S. Main St. restaurant. “We have had the pleasure of serving this Manchester neighborhood with great pride for nearly 60 years,” reads a recent announcement posted to Blake’s website. “We are deeply appreciative to our loyal customers, employees and vendors who have supported us throughout the years. We will miss all of them.” The announcement goes on to say that Blake’s wholesale ice cream business will continue production and distribution to its many wholesale customers across New England. Visit blakesicecream.com to read the full statement.

Squeeze & punch

How to squeeze a lime

(Or a lemon, or an orange, or a tangerine, but limes lend themselves to being squeezed; they have the fewest inhibitions of any citrus fruit.)

Method 1 – Pure brute strength

Wash your hands.

Carefully place the lime on a cutting board in front of you. Carefully cut the lime in half.

Center your thoughts, then pick up half a lime, hold it over a bowl, and crush it.

The key here is rage. Naked, blind fury, if you can manage it. If you are a sports enthusiast, or a middle child, this should be fairly easy for you. The pain from previously unknown cuts on your hand will only make you angrier, eliciting even more juice.

Method 2 – An improvised reamer

A fork works well for this. So does a pair of kitchen tongs.

Cut the fruit in half, as before, but this time retain your composure. Insert the business end of the fork or tongs into half a lime, then twist it around, while squeezing with the hand that’s holding the lime. Tell the lime, “You might feel a little discomfort.”

You should be pleased with the result.

Method 3 – A hand-held juicer

Sometimes called a hand-juicer — though that implies that it actually juices hands — this looks something like the love child of a pair of pliers and a tea-strainer. It’s usually yellow or green — depending on the size of the fruit you intend to squeeze — and some models have a second squeezing cup, so you can tackle lemons and limes. It seems very gadget-y and might not fill you with confidence at first glance. It does a shockingly good job of squeezing citrus, though, and has become my juice extractor of choice.

A note on fresh orange juice

If you only need a few ounces of orange juice for a cocktail, a very good option is squeezing a couple of clementines. They have a fresher, zingier taste than orange juice from a carton, and they are roughly the same diameter as a lemon, so they are relatively easy to squeeze. I have found that after I have juiced both halves of a clementine, if I stack the spent carcasses of the two halves in the larger bowl of my hand-held juicer and squeeze them again I can extract a little more juice and theoretically a little citrus oil, which will intensify the flavor of the juice.

A very juicy cocktail

This is an adaptation of something called a Tangipahoa Planter’s Punch that I found in an extremely distressed copy of 1937’s Famous New Orleans Drinks and how to mix ‘em:

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces pineapple/mango juice. Could you use plain pineapple juice? The Fruit Police, or possibly the Tangipahoa Parish Liquor Commission, would probably not come crashing through the window, if you did.
  • 2 ounces fresh squeezed lime juice (see above)
  • 2 ounces fresh squeezed clementine juice. Could you just use Tropicana? That’s between you and your conscience.
  • 3 ounces white rum
  • ½ ounce raspberry syrup (see below). Could you use grenadine instead? I suppose so, if you were a COWARD!
  • 5 to 6 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker, and shake until the ice starts making “I can’t hold it together much longer, Captain” sounds.

Pour into a pint glass and garnish as you see fit.

A lot of tropical drinks have a sort-of generic, yeah-there’s-some-fruit-in-here background flavor. The nice thing about squeezing your own juices into this one is that you can taste each individual ingredient. The lime, clementine and raspberry all step forward and raise a hand if you look for them. The rum stands in the back with hands in pockets, humming to itself.

You know those miserable winter days when all you want to do is sit by a fire, read a book and eat soup? Alternate that with drinking this and lying on the couch and watching game shows. You’ll feel 12 percent more optimistic about life.

Raspberry syrup

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

Cook over medium heat. The ice crystals in the berries have already punctured the cell walls, and you will be surprised at how much liquid they give off.

Bring to a boil, to make sure that all the sugar has dissolved, then remove from the heat.

Strain through a fine-meshed strainer, and store in your refrigerator for about a month.

Feature photo: Tangipahoa Planter’s Punch. Photo by John Fladd.

In the kitchen with Rivka Rowe

Rivka Rowe is the owner and founder of Home Made by Rivka (homemadebyrivka.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @homemadebyrivka), a producer of homemade small-batch jams, jellies and spreads available in nearly two dozen flavors throughout the year. She started canning in 2011 and had turned her passion into a business by 2015. Among her most popular products are the wild Maine blueberry spread, the strawberry rhubarb jam, the carrot cake jam and the bananas Foster spread. Flavors like the pomegranate spread and the lemon honey jelly, Rowe said, go great with goat cheeses on crackers mixed into yogurt. The spiced pear spread is also a perfect glaze for pork or chicken, she added, and any of them can be mixed into softened vanilla ice cream and refrozen in single-serve cups for a quick treat. Locally, you can find Home Made by Rivka products in eight-ounce jars at Pop of Color (816 Elm St., Manchester) and at the Manchester Craft Market inside the Mall of New Hampshire (1500 S. Willow St.). Rowe also participates in farmers markets in Candia and Wolfeboro during the summer months.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

From a practical standpoint, my spoonula. It’s a spoon and spatula hybrid, and it’s perfect for stirring jam, mixing big batches and things like that. … From a less practical standpoint, I would say my audiobooks.

What would you have for your last meal?

There’s a restaurant … called Khaophums in Dover. Very specifically, it would be their vegetable pad Thai and vegetable spring rolls.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

My favorite restaurant overall would be El Camino Cafe in Plaistow. They have the best empanadas, and any of the rices are amazing.

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

It would be a toss-up between Sean Brock and Vivian Howard. Both of them are chefs that have a huge passion for the slow food movement … and heritage styles of cooking, and I really appreciate that, both personally and in business.

What is your personal favorite product that you offer?

I’d have to say the bananas Foster spread. I made that one for myself when I was coming up with flavors. I spread it in warm crepes and fold them up with vanilla ice cream on top.

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

I don’t know if it’s a trend, per se, but the interest in globally inspired cuisine is something that I’m seeing more and more.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

I make a lot of quick stir-frys. I really like Asian cuisine.

Hamantaschen (Jewish jam cookies)
From the kitchen of Rivka Rowe

For the dough:
¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
⅔ cup white sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2¼ cups all purpose flour
1 to 5 teaspoons water, as needed
1 eight-ounce jar Home Made by Rivka jam, at room temperature

Sift together the flour and salt and set aside. Cream together the butter and sugar with a hand or stand mixer until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla to the sugar mixture and combine. Add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients in two batches, making sure to combine completely. If the dough is a little stiff, add the water, one teaspoon at a time, until the dough resembles a thick sugar cookie-type consistency (you may not need any water, or you may need to add the full 5 teaspoons). Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let it rest in the refrigerator for one hour.

Once the dough is rested, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Flour your work space and rolling pin. Roll the dough out to 1/8 inch in thickness and cut circles out using a cookie cutter, drinking glass or ring twist from a canning jar. Spoon 1 teaspoon of the jam into the center of the circle and prepare to fold it into a triangle shape — the cookie should be a triangle shape with the jam center showing. Fold over the left side of the circle at an angle, followed by the right side, overlapping at the top to form a point. Resist the desire to pinch the dough corner together. Fold the bottom of the circle up to form the two bottom points of the triangle — there should be a jam center, also in the shape of a triangle, if it’s folded correctly. Press down slightly on the corners to bond; pinching will come undone during baking.

Place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for eight to 11 minutes, depending on your oven. The cookies will not spread, although the jam may leak slightly. The cookies should still be very light in color with just a hint of golden brown at the corners (if 1 teaspoon of jam is too much for the size of your cutter, feel free to adjust accordingly). Allow the hamantaschen to cool slightly on a baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack, as the jam will be very hot. Cool completely before eating.


Featured photo: Rivka Rowe. Courtesy photo.

Taste of Bedford returns

Fourth annual fundraiser to feature local samples, raffles

After a couple of years off, Bedford-area restaurateurs, bakers and caterers will once again gather inside the town high school’s cafeteria for Taste of Bedford, set to return on Tuesday, Jan. 24.

The tasting is the flagship fundraiser for Bedford High School’s Distributive Education Clubs of America. Attendees will have access to samples of a wide array of local food offerings.

“We try to promote it to families as a great alternative for a Tuesday night dinner,” said Betsy Doyle, DECA advisor and a science teacher at the high school.

Because Taste of Bedford has not taken place the last two years due to pandemic concerns, Doyle noted that there is a greater than normal number of new participants this year. It’s also going to be the largest lineup of restaurants to date in the event’s history. Among them are Rig A Tony’s Italian Takeout & Catering, which opened a new storefront in town back in June 2021; and Wicked Good Butchah, which relocated to a larger space inside the former Harvest Market in late February that same year. Simply Delicious Baking Co., known for its scratch-baked goods like scones and cookies; and The Inside Scoop, a Bedford ice cream shop, will also be there.

The most recent Taste of Bedford, in January 2020, was the first time it expanded to restaurants in some neighboring communities, and Doyle said that will continue. El Rincon Zacatecano Taqueria, a Mexican restaurant in downtown Manchester, is participating this year, as is Playa Bowls, a fast casual concept specializing in acai bowls, poke bowls, smoothies and other health-focused options; and Sweet Ginger, a Thai restaurant in Merrimack.

“We have a student leader who is different every year, usually a junior,” Doyle said. “They’ll visit as many local restaurants as possible and basically ask that they come and participate, [and] sample whatever part of their menu they would like the community to try. We try to do as much advertising as possible for these businesses.”

She added that a few additional businesses — Tucker’s, which opened its sixth location in Bedford in October 2021, and Great New Hampshire Restaurants, the parent company of T-Bones Great American Eatery and the Copper Door Restaurant — have donated gift cards.

“They weren’t able to donate food and time to personnel, so instead, they offered us gift cards to raffle off to our attendees in lieu of food,” she said.

Proceeds from Taste of Bedford help to reduce overall travel expenses for DECA students, who participate in business competitions in New Hampshire and across the country.

“The students themselves sell tickets to the event, and the money they collect … goes directly under their name for the purposes of travel through the club, so for competition fees, travel fees and things like that,” Doyle said.

Participating establishments
• The Bagg Lunch (bagglunch.com)
• Ben & Jerry’s (benjerry.com)
• El Rincon Zacatecano Taqueria (elrinconnh.com)
• Great New Hampshire Restaurants (greatnhrestaurants.com; gift card raffle only)
• Hannaford Supermarkets (hannaford.com)
• The Inside Scoop (theinsidescoopnh.com)
• Playa Bowls (playabowls.com)
• Rig A Tony’s Italian Takeout & Catering (rigatonysitalian.com)
• Simply Delicious Baking Co. (simplydeliciousbakingco.com)
• Sunshine Baking (sunshineshortbread.com)
• Sweet Ginger Thai Cuisine (sweetgingerthai.com)
• Taipei & Tokyo (taipeiandtokyo.com)
• Taj India (tajindia.co)
• The Thirsty Moose Taphouse (thirstymoosetaphouse.com)
• Tucker’s (tuckersnh.com; gift card raffle only)
• Wicked Good Butchah (wickedgoodbutchahnh.com)
• Yianni’s Pizza (yiannispizzanh.com)

Taste of Bedford
When: Tuesday, Jan. 24, 6 to 8 p.m.
Where: Bedford High School, 47B Nashua Road, Bedford
Cost: Online tickets are $10 per person, $30 per family of four or $40 per family of five (families must include at least one parent)
Visit: tasteofbedford.org

Featured photo: Taste of Bedford. Courtesy photo.

Familiar but elevated

Riverside Grille coming to New Boston

Goffstown couple Shawn and Kristen Roy both have several years of experience working in New Hampshire restaurants — she most recently an assistant general manager of The Homestead in Merrimack, and he a former chef at O’Brien’s Sports Bar in Nashua and The Coach Stop in Londonderry, among others. Now, the Roys are getting ready to launch their own concept in the nearby town of New Boston, featuring an eclectic modern-American menu alongside a full bar in a family-friendly casual setting.

Known as the Riverside Grille, the eatery will also be offering a variety of gluten-free options. It’s housed in the River Road building near the Goffstown and New Boston town line that most recently was home to The Chef, which closed back in August.

“It’s familiar food that, if we go out to eat, is what we would want,” Shawn Roy said of the eatery’s concept. “Being in New Boston, in the woods, it’s not Manchester where you’re going to have a huge diverse crowd, so you’re going to want to give them the burgers and the steaks.”

Since their initial announcement on social media, Roy said, there has been a tremendous amount of interest and anticipation among those in town who have frequented the space over the years. The week before Christmas they sold $4,000 worth of gift cards in the span of just five days, despite not yet being open. Several former waitstaff and bartenders of The Chef have also come back to join the Riverside Grille’s team.

plate contained 3 egg triangular egg rolls filled with beef, one cut in half to see inside, small dish of dipping sauce
Reuben egg rolls with a side of Thousand Island dressing for dipping. Photo by Matt Ingersoll.

To oversee kitchen operations, the Roys have hired Jonathan Paradise as their executive chef.

Paradise most recently worked at The Thirsty Moose Taphouse in Merrimack but also has culinary stints with Michael Timothy’s Dining Group and The Common Man Roadside Market.

Riverside Grille’s menu is made up of plated entrees like steak tips, baby back ribs and barbecue grilled salmon, in addition to a lineup of burgers, wraps, sandwiches and flatbread pizzas. More unique offerings include zucchini fritters with Parmesan cheese and marinara sauce, and a Mediterranean sampler served with fresh hummus, tzatziki, salsa and a toasted flatbread.

“I have this cucumber salsa recipe for the Mediterranean sampler that, I mean, is just really good. You can’t really explain it. You just have to have it,” Shawn Roy said. “So it’s mostly stuff like that that, again, is familiar but just a little bit different.”

Kristen Roy added that the couple’s plan is to roll out some seasonal menus, likely starting with one in the spring. There’s also a full bar with craft beers, wine and cocktails, and a menu of sweets and desserts in which they hope to incorporate some local bakeries. Even the children’s menu will include some options that Shawn Roy said you don’t see all the time, such as the ability to swap items in order to build your own meal.

“We’re really very focused on the food,” Kristen Roy said. “That’s really where we want to do a good job, because if we deliver on what we’re promising, they are going to come back.”

Riverside Grille
An opening date is expected soon. Visit their website or follow them on social media for updates.
Where: 737 River Road, New Boston
Anticipated hours: Tuesday through Friday, 4 to 9 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
More info: Visit riversidegrillenh.com, find them on Facebook and Instagram or call 384-2149

Featured photo: Buffalo chicken wrap. Photo by Matt Ingersoll.

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