Category: Food

Flavors of Egypt

Egyptian food festival returns to Nashua

By Matt Ingersoll

[email protected]

Following its cancellation in 2020 and a successful comeback year in 2021, this year’s Egyptian food festival will be bigger than ever. The event returns for a fifth year to St. Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church in Nashua — formerly known as St. Francis Xavier Church — over three days, from Friday, Sept. 16, through Sunday, Sept. 18. A full menu of authentic Egyptian entrees, sides and desserts will be available for sale on the church grounds.

“We are excited to hold it again,” Father Kyrillos Gobran of the church said. “[We have] bigger tents to accommodate more people, as the number has been increasing year over year. … I was surprised at the number of people that came down last year, but it actually went very well.”

The menu, Gobran said, is largely the same as in previous festival years with the addition of a few items. A variety of main course options will be available to choose from, including beef or chicken shish kebab platters that feature one skewer of meat per order with onions and green peppers. You can also get platters of kofta (skewered and grilled ground beef with chopped onions and parsley) and kebba (ground beef deep-fried in vegetable oil, with onions, bulgur, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, salt and pepper). All platters come with rice pilaf and your choice of a garden salad, tabbouleh or hummus, or you can order the skewers individually.

A few sandwiches are on the menu as well, including beef or chicken shawarma with Mediterranean spices, onions, tomatoes and tahini; kibda, or beef liver strips seasoned with garlic, cumin, salt and pepper; Egyptian beef sausage; and vegetarian falafel, featuring fried patties made of ground chickpeas with cilantro, parsley, dill, onion and garlic. Another available vegetarian option will be koshary, widely considered to be the national dish of Egypt. It features rice mixed with brown lentils, pasta, chickpeas, cumin-flavored tomato sauce and crispy onions.

On the dessert side, attendees will have the opportunity to try all kinds of specialty sweets and pastries, including baklava, zalabya (fried dough), rice pudding, and katayef, or a pancake-like batter filled with almonds, coconut flakes and raisins and covered in a light syrup. Other options will include items called konafa and feteer meshaltet, both available in two serving sizes.

“Konafa is a shredded phyllo dough type of dessert,” Gobran said. “Feteer meshaltet is a dough that’s pressed really thin and made into layers … and it goes into the oven [with] lots of butter in between. It’s very fluffy and it has a great taste to it. … That’s an authentic Egyptian dish.”

New to this year’s festival is a coffee and espresso station, while Gobran said a gift bazaar with various pharaonic souvenirs and other items is also planned. A children’s corner will offer activities like face painting and balloon art, as well as kid-friendly foods like ice cream, popcorn and cotton candy, he added. Themed gift baskets will be raffled off, and there will also be opportunities to tour the historic church during each of the festival’s three days.

5th annual Egyptian Food Festival
When: Friday, Sept. 16, 4 to 9 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 17, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 18, noon to 6 p.m.
Where: St. Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church, 39 Chandler St., Nashua
Cost: Free admission; food and drinks are priced per item
Visit: stmarycoptsnh.org
Event is rain or shine. Parking is available nearby at BAE Systems (95 Canal St.)

Featured photo: Courtesy photos.

Weekend of lamb and spanakopita

Glendi offers three days of Greek eats

By Jack Walsh

[email protected]

Glendi, the three-day food festival celebrating Greek culture with all kinds of authentic homemade items, is scheduled to return from Friday, Sept. 16, through Sunday, Sept. 18, at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Manchester. The festival has been running since 1980 and — aside from 2020 — has occurred in its traditional format every year since.

“We can call this our 43rd annual Glendi, because even during Covid we found a way to pivot and have what we called ‘A Taste of Glendi’ drive-thru,” said George Skaperdas, president of St. George Church’s board of directors and Glendi co-chairman.

Over the course of each of the three days, Skaperdas expects the church to serve roughly 10,000 meals, including 2,300 pounds of lamb shanks, 1,500 pounds of barbecued lamb and 3,000 meatballs.

“The numbers are astonishing,” he said.

Skaperdas gives gratitude to members of the church’s Ladies Society, as well as parishioners and close friends, all of whom have been cooking items for the event since way back in June.

“The planning for each festival begins at the end of February and the beginning of March,” Skaperdas said. “The cooking starts at the beginning of June for a lot of the baked goods and desserts.”

Translated into English, “Glendi” means “celebration,” or “good times.” Prior to 1980 the festival was originally known as the Harvest Bazaar, a small three-day fundraising event for the church and community center. Soon renamed Glendi, the celebration has gained a lot of traction and continues to help spread Greek culture throughout the southern New Hampshire community.

“It’s a chance for us to share our culture and our heritage with people who may not be familiar with our Greek traditions and ways of life,” Skaperdas said. “We’re excited to share our food, and our joy for life. We plan to make sure that everybody feels welcomed.”

The kitchen begins preparation at 5:30 a.m. on each of the three days, ready and in position for the hundreds of people who often show up right as the event begins. There will be up to 150 or so volunteers per day, Skaperdas said.

In addition to the many Greek items such as spanakopita, a famous spinach pie pastry; and pastichio, a baked pasta dish consisting of ground meat and layers of macaroni in a creamy cheese sauce, there will also be different meats. Dinners include barbecue lamb, baked lamb shanks, marinated and baked chicken, Greek meatballs and stuffed peppers — all of the meals come with rice pilaf, a salad and a roll, or you can order each meat separately a la carte. A variety of Greek pastries and cookies will also be available, as well as booths full of imported Greek jewelry, Greek coffee, beer, wine, and even Greek dancing.

Skaperdas and the church understands that there is still some hesitation among potential attendees regarding Covid.

“We have hand-washing stations and plenty of sanitizer around for everybody, and we’re just making sure to try to do the right thing,” he said.

As with last year’s comeback event, Skaperdas said he has hopes for the church to deliver on bringing back the community atmosphere so many returning attendees over the years have come to expect.

“This isn’t just a Manchester thing. This becomes a huge win for southern New Hampshire,” he said. “There was pent up demand last year, and I can only hope that there’s going to be more pent up demand for this year.”

Glendi
When: Friday, Sept. 16, and Saturday, Sept. 17, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (with food services ending at 9 p.m.), and Sunday Sept. 18, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 650 Hanover St., Manchester
Cost: Free admission: foods are priced per item
Visit: stgeorgenh.org/activities/glendi, or find them on Facebook @glendinh
Free parking is available at Derryfield Park (Bridge Street) and at the McDonough Elementary School (550 Lowell St.), with shuttle services to the church that will be available throughout the day on Friday and Saturday.

Featured photo: Glendi. Courtesy photos.

The Weekly Dish 22/09/15

News from the local food scene

• Pancakes in Pelham: Pelham’s Old Home Day, returning to the grounds of the First Congregational Church of Pelham (3 Main St.) on Saturday, Sept. 17, will include a special pancake breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. inside the church’s Fellowship Hall. A full breakfast of pancakes — plain or blueberry — along with bacon, sausage, coffee and orange juice will be served. The cost is $6 for adults and $3 for kids ages 8 and under. The breakfast kicks off an entire day’s worth of festivities in town that will include a parade, food trucks, live performances, a penny sale, a cornhole tournament and more. Visit pelhamoldhomeday.org to view the full schedule.

• Soup’s on: The Collins Brothers Chowder Co. (59 Temple St., Nashua), which offers homemade hot soups and chowders in addition to prepared meals, reopened for the season on Sept. 14. The takeout-only eatery usually features several soups and chowders that are available daily, in addition to different specials that will run depending on the day. Homemade comfort meals to go have also been available, like shepherd’s pie, chicken pot pie and American chop suey. The Collins Brothers Chowder Co.’s current hours are Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., usually through the winter and early spring. Visit collinsbrotherschowder.com or follow them on Facebook @collinsbrotherschowder.

• Easy as pie: Join the New Hampshire Farm Museum (1305 White Mountain Hwy., Milton) for the return of its annual Great NH Pie Festival on Saturday, Sept. 17, from noon to 4 p.m. Attendees will be able to sample all kinds of pies from participating local bakers, who will be vying for the palates of a panel of judges. Apple, non-apple fruit, non-fruit and savory are this year’s adult categories, while there will also be a kids’ division for pie bakers up to 12 years of age. Other features of the festival include tractor rides, pie crust rolling demonstrations, visits with the farm animals, live music, a raffle and a silent auction. Admission is $15 per person (free for all pie makers) and $5 for kids ages 12 and under. Visit nhfarmmuseum.org.

• Historical brews: The American Independence Museum is bringing back its Beer for History series inside the Folsom Tavern (164 Water St., Exeter) on Thursday, Sept. 22, from 6 to 8 p.m., with pourings from Londonderry’s Pipe Dream Brewing. According to a press release, the series will continue with guest appearances from Earth Eagle Brewings of Portsmouth on Thursday, Oct. 20, and the University of New Hampshire’s Brewing Lab on Thursday, Nov. 3. In addition to featuring pourings from a different local brewery during each event, Beer for History often features various colonial-inspired games and, occasionally, live music. Tickets are $10 for museum members and $15 for non-members. Kids and teens under 21 receive free admission. Visit independencemuseum.org.

• NHLC recognized: For the third consecutive year, the New Hampshire Liquor Commission has been named one of the Top 10 retailers in the country by Beverage Dynamics magazine. According to a press release, the national publication recognizes a new list of Top 100 Retailer Awards, featuring various off-premise retailers such as liquor stores or supermarket chains “demonstrating innovation, excellent customer service and superior industry knowledge.” NHLC, which placed seventh in this year’s awards, currently operates 66 Liquor & Wine Outlet stores statewide, according to the release. Visit liquorandwineoutlets.com.

For food cooked over fire

Zinfandel can accompany your meal from the grill

Barbecue, the quintessential way to entertain, to dine, to enjoy family and friends, can extend well into September and October. The fare is important, second only to your choice of company. In this season of sunny days and cool nights, it is a treat to set up the patio for a late afternoon repast, followed by a gathering at the firepit (always monitored in these dry conditions). The food can be chicken, bathed in a rich sweet and sour sauce; sausages, ribs or simply hamburgers, all prepared with appropriate sides, but let’s not forget the wine, the perfect wine to span this array of flavors: zinfandel.

Zinfandel can be described as American. It certainly has a long history on the American landscape. Those of us “of a certain age” remember the big bottles of Gallo, but the history of zinfandel in Europe and America goes deeper than Gallo. The grape appears to have its origins in Croatia and was introduced to the United States in the 1820s, as “Black Zinfardel of Hungary.” The grapes made their way to California in the 1850s, and by the end of the 19th century it was the most widespread variety in California. The Great Depression hit the wine industry hard, and the grape slowly crawled out of obscurity by the middle of the 20th century, with some variants, such as the rose-colored, slightly sweet white zinfandel. Thankfully that variant went the way of big hair and gold chains! Today California is planted in almost 40,000 acres from Paso Robles in San Luis Obispo County to Napa and Sonoma counties, to San Joaquin County and Mendocino County. Each of these regions produces its own signature zinfandel, owing to their different climates, soils, elevations — their respective terroirs.

There are many zinfandels to choose from, but I live by the axiom “life is too short to drink mediocre wine” so am very selective. The beauty of zinfandel is that there are many bottles to select from that are well within reach, or under $30 a bottle. I have selected two for this column.

Our first zinfandel is a 2019 Bedrock Wine Co. Old Vine Zinfandel (available at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets, originally priced at $25.99, and reduced to $23.99). Bedrock Wine Company is in Sonoma, and this wine is a creation of Morgan Twain-Peterson. The production of this wine is small, just 4,000 cases. The vines are at least 80 years old, coming from Sonoma, Alexander Valley, and the San Joaquin Valley. The color is a deep ruby red. To the nose there are blackberries and plum. These carry through to the tongue with additional notes of vanilla, with some tobacco. It has a slightly more than medium finish to it, benefiting from some aeration. It is not as bold as a cabernet sauvignon; it isn’t supposed to be. However, this bottle can be set aside for another five to 10 years to be enjoyed in future September evenings!

Our second zinfandel is a 2019 Neal Family Vineyards Rutherford Dust Vineyards Zinfandel (also available at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets, originally priced at $32.99, and reduced to $29.99). This wine hails from the Rutherford District of the Napa Valley floor. With only 500 cases produced, it is a blend of organically grown zinfandel grapes, with some petite syrah added. 2019 was an excellent year for this wine, with this vintage rating better than any other year. The color is a deep ruby red. To the nose there are cherries, pomegranate and raspberries. These continue to the tongue along with nutmeg and white chocolate adding surprisingly complex layers of taste. This wine has the sophistication of a cabernet sauvignon, in part because it is aged in 40 percent new Hungarian oak. It is to be savored because, unfortunately, the fires of 2020 resulted in Neal’s not having a harvest, but the next vintage, 2021, will be available in March 2023.

These are two exquisite zinfandels, coming from different locations but sharing much in their very low production and high quality. They are to be enjoyed over that casual barbecue, and perhaps finished over the firepit. Enjoy the season, the warm days and cool nights; enjoy the barbecue with some excellent zinfandels.

Featured photo. Courtesy photo.

Oven-broiled ‘fried’ pickles

Air fryers have been all the rage for several years, but maybe, like me, you have resisted buying one. The recipes do look delicious and healthy, but I also wonder if I need another sizable kitchen appliance that may not be used all that often. While I delay purchasing an air fryer, I have been thinking about ways to make crispy healthy foods.

That brings us to this recipe, which features nicely crunchy “fried” pickles that are made without a single bit of oil. You may wonder how they possibly could have the correct texture, and the answer is all in the process. The first thing you need to do is let your pickle slices rest on paper towels to remove excess moisture. Don’t skimp on the time allocated for that. Second, you need to use all three coatings. The flour is key to getting the egg to adhere, and the egg is the reason you can get lots of crushed cornflakes to stick.

Outside of following the directions, the other important item is using the cooling rack. If you set the pickles directly on a baking sheet, the bottom side will become mushy. The cooling rack allows air to circulate, which gives the “fried” pickle all of its texture.

Give this recipe a try for some of the crunchiest, healthiest “fried” pickles you can make at home!

Oven-broiled fried pickles
Serves 4

4 whole dill pickles
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
⅓ cup cornflakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt

Slice pickles into ¾-inch rounds.
Place on paper towels; cover with another paper towel. Press gently.
Allow to sit for at least an hour.
Preheat broiler and move oven rack to top row.
Place a metal cooling rack inside a rimmed baking sheet.
Coat cooling rack thoroughly with nonstick cooking spray.
Place flour in a small bowl.
Beat egg in a second small bowl.
Puree flakes until the size of cornmeal; place in a third small bowl.
Add garlic powder to cornflakes and mix to combine.
Coat each pickle slice in flour, then in egg, then in cornflakes.
Place coated pickle slice on cooling rack; repeat with remaining slices.
Sprinkle all of the slices with salt.
Place pan on top oven rack; broil for 1 to 2 minutes.
Flip and broil the other side for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
Serve with ketchup or ranch dressing.

Featured Photo: Oven-broiled ‘fried’ pickles. Photo by Michele Pesula Kuegler.

In the kitchen with Abby Reed

Abby Reed of Bradford is the owner of Abby’s Cafe (17 Bridge St., Henniker, 428-4455, find them on Facebook @abbyscafe), which opened in January 2020. A stone’s throw away from the center of New England College’s campus, Abby’s Cafe offers a variety of breakfast and lunch sandwich options, as well as a selection of house pastries, including fresh doughnuts on Saturday mornings in a variety of flavors. Hot and iced coffees and espresso drinks are also available, sourced from White Mountain Gourmet Coffee. A Henniker native, Reed had on-and-off been a longtime employee of the cafe — then known as St. George’s — since 2011 before taking over the space as owner.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

I would probably say a good whisk. I really love my whisk … and it’s definitely important when we do doughnuts, and when I make frostings for any of the baked things.

What would you have for your last meal?

Definitely a big stack of blueberry pancakes, with real maple syrup.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

The Appleseed Restaurant in Bradford. … I grew up in Henniker but I live in Bradford now, and the Appleseed has always been our favorite go-to spot for breakfast on Sundays and dinner [on] other nights of the week. … They have a burger that features local beef from Eccardt Farm that is always really good.

What celebrity would you like to see eating in your cafe?

I guess I would probably say Rachael Ray, just because I grew up watching her cooking show and I’ve always been a big fan of hers, so it’d be kind of cool to see her eating at my cafe.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

It’s a special, so it’s not something that’s on the menu every single day, but my favorite thing is the burrito. … It’s such a simple thing, but it’s so much more like a home-cooked meal to me than any of our other sandwiches. … [They have] black beans and Spanish rice, and then you can add chicken or beef to them.

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

Over the past few years, I’ve seen a trend in vegan foods, even with people who aren’t vegan. … It seems like people are trending more toward vegetable- and plant-based foods. There’s more popularity [with] plant-based milk options, like oat milk and almond milk, and then also just some of the dairy-free cheeses and stuff.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

I like to make bread. It’s very therapeutic, and the end product is always delicious. … I don’t do anything too fancy — just a white bread and a cinnamon bread.

Blueberry lemon buckle
From the kitchen of Abby Reed of Abby’s Cafe in Henniker

1½ cups white sugar
½ cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons lemon extract
3 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 Tablespoon flour
3 cups fresh blueberries

For the topping:
½ cup butter, plus 1 Tablespoon
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
⅔ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-by-8-inch pan. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar, butter, eggs and lemon extract until fluffy. In a separate bowl, combine the 3 cups of flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the sugar mixture, alternating with the milk and mixing until just combined. Toss blueberries with 1 tablespoon of flour. Fold into the batter and spread in a prepared pan. Combine all of the topping ingredients in a small bowl until crumbly. Sprinkle over the batter and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Featured photo: Abby Reed, owner of Abby’s Cafe in Henniker. Courtesy photo.

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