Category: Q&A

Granite State stories

Mystery Stone and more at the NH Historical Society

Elizabeth Dubrulle is the Director of Education and Public Programs at the New Hampshire Historical Society as well as the editor of their publication, Historical New Hampshire. She talked about the importance of New Hampshire history and its mysteries that have yet to be uncracked. Visit nhhistory.org.

What does the Historical Society do?

We have a library and archive, which is probably one of the best, if not the best, collection of material related to the state of New Hampshire and its history. We have a museum with exhibits about different aspects of New Hampshire history, and we have a collection of over 35,000 objects related to New Hampshire and its past…. We are also the Presidential Library for Franklin Pierce. We hold manuscript collections for many well-known New Hampshire people, like David Souter and Daniel Webster. We offer field trips for kids — about 10,000 school kids a year come to the New Hampshire Historical Society in Concord. … We offer the statewide social studies curriculum called “Moose on the Loose,” … We support local historical societies and their work. We offer public programs, lectures, tours, workshops on how to do genealogy…. We do a lot of different things.

What is ‘Moose on the Loose’?

It’s an online resource and curriculum about state history, civics, geography and economics. It was created for kids, originally in grades 3 to 6, but we’re expanding it to encompass kindergarten all the way up through 8th grade. It’s a free resource and it’s an open access website. …. It has a lot of content and information but it also has all these images and videos and audio clips and activities and games and things that people can do to learn about New Hampshire history. It’s got lesson plans for educators, virtual field trips and projects…. The URL is moose.nhhistory.org.

What exactly is a presidential library?

We’re kind of the de facto presidential library. Franklin Pierce doesn’t have an official presidential library; modern presidents really have those. Essentially, we hold a huge collection of Franklin Pierce material documenting his political life, his personal life, his family life, his legal practice, all the activities he was involved in, so we have a lot of his possessions. He was a very active member here in the 19th century and he donated objects from his family like his father’s uniform from the American Revolution. We have Franklin Pierce’s sword from the Mexican American war, we have the pen with which he signed the Kansas-Nebraska Act…. His books from his personal library… .

Do you have a favorite historical fact about the Granite State?

Since we’re coming up on the anniversary of the American Revolution, I’ll throw this one out: New Hampshire, they wrote their own state constitution in January of 1776. … What was unique about their Constitution was that they didn’t mention any royal authority, so in a sense they were essentially the first state to declare independence six months before the rest of the colonies issued the Declaration of Independence.

Why is it important for people to learn the history of New Hampshire?

One is just there’s an awful lot to be interested in about New Hampshire and its history and to be proud of its history. It’s done a lot of great things … I also think in general people need to know history because it gives them a sense of perspective. .

What’s another fascinating or fun aspect of New Hampshire history?

One of the items we have in our collection is this thing called the Mystery Stone. It’s like an egg-shaped stone with carvings in it. It’s made out of a kind of rock that doesn’t exist in New Hampshire but it was found in New Hampshire. Nobody knows how it got here. The carvings look like they might be Native American, but they’re not, really. … It’s an out of place object that nobody can figure out how it got here and it was found in 1872 … We have it on display here. It’s been featured in documentaries and people come from all over the country to see the mystery stone. There are all sorts of wild theories about what it is, if it was made by aliens or if it got spewed out of a volcano somewhere else in the world and dropped here in New Hampshire or if it’s a hoax. … The Smithsonian tried to buy it and we refused. We kept it for ourselves. There’s just all sorts of fun and quirky things that you can always find in history. —Zachary Lewis

Featured image: Mystery Stone. Photo courtesy of the NH Historical Society.

In the kitchen with Jason Duffy

Bistro 603 (345 Amherst St., Suite 1, Nashua, 722-6362, bistro603nashua.com)

Jason Duffy is the executive chef of Bistro 603. Born in Brighton, Mass., and raised on Cape Cod, Duffy got his start in the industry at the age of 14 as a dishwasher at the Chart Room restaurant before moving up the ranks there over the course of a decade. He and owner Jeff Abellard are also part of a close-knit restaurant team that has run Bistro 781 on Moody Street in downtown Waltham, Mass., since 2015. Like its predecessor, Bistro 603 features an eclectic menu of items out of a scratch kitchen, ranging from small shareable plates to larger meals with optional wine pairings.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

Dry towel folded in my pocket, tongs on hand and at the ready, and always a notebook and pen. With all the moving parts, I need to be able to grab and handle whatever’s needed with the tongs and towel, and keep track of priorities and fleeting thoughts with pen and paper.

What would you have for your last meal?

Whole roasted duck, tight scored and rendered for crispy skin tender meat. Herbs, potatoes, vegetables, demi glace or some kind of fruity compote…. For the flavor of it all and also to appreciate the perfection of it.

What is your favorite local eatery?

Unwined on Milford [Oval] in Milford. Opened recently by some friends of mine, great bar and food menu, great atmosphere, and I enjoy and applaud the people who made their vision become a reality.

Who is a celebrity you would like to see eating your food?

I’m a sci-fi geek. Maybe Patrick Stewart? Been on a Star Trek kick of late and been doing a full re-watch. Make it so.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

I’m a big fan of our Buddha Bowl. Not the flashiest item on the menu, but delicious and healthy in its own right. More delicious/less healthy if you pair it with a piece of our braised short rib to pull apart it as you dig into it.

What is the biggest food trend you’re seeing in New Hampshire right now?

Not sure if this is exactly answering the question, but I always look for the oddball items and order that. Something that was clearly someone’s passion project, a fusion of styles and intentions, something I probably wouldn’t have thought of. I like to try people’s creations and expand my horizons.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

Soups. Sounds simple, but I love building them out of whatever I’ve got to work with on hand and there’s always leftovers to go back to. I could be into any kind of soup with a crust of bread, but given a choice I make a killer chili. —John Fladd

Red Pepper Pesto Cream Sauce

4 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced shallot
1 Tablespoon flour (or GF flour)
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup roasted red bell peppers
1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
4 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon grated black pepper

Pre-roast your peppers, then cover and set aside to steam. When cooled, remove the skin and seeds.
Saute the garlic and shallot in the butter until soft, then add the flour and mix on low heat for a minute to create a roux.
Stir in the rest of the ingredients, bring to a simmer for a few minutes, then run it through a blender.
We use this on our scallop dish, but it’s a great sauce for any protein or even pasta.

Featured Photo: Chef Jason Duffy. Courtesy photo.

On The Job – Hannah Cole Dahar

Multi-disciplinary Artist and Art Teacher

Explain your job and what it entails.

My day job is as a high school art teacher. I teach advanced placement, honors, drawing, painting and jewelry. As an artist [coledahar.com] I have a practice where I create wearable sculptures and paint women wearing them as historical and mythological figures that are reimagined through a feminist lens.

How long have you had this job?

I’ve been an artist pretty much all my life; an art teacher, I’ve been doing that for about 25 years. I’ve taught 3-year-olds and my oldest student was 96 years old.

What led you to this career field and your current job?

I graduated from art school in the ’90s with a fashion degree and I found out quickly that I really wasn’t crazy about that field. I bopped around for a little while and a friend offered me a job teaching and I found I loved it, everything about it. At the same time I promised myself that if I was going to go back to school and get a teaching degree, that I would always maintain an art practice. I think that’s very valuable for students to see, that a teacher not only can talk the talk but walk the walk….

What kind of education or training did you need?

As an artist, I have a BFA, a bachelor of fine arts in apparel design, an MFA in drawing and painting, and I have an MAT, a master of arts in teaching, for my teaching license. There’s been a lot of training. I also make it a point to seek out artists that I want to learn from, teaching artists as well. I study under different masters, both jewelry and painting.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

Generally things that I can put through the laundry, because art is a messy business.

What is the most challenging thing about your work, and how do you deal with it?

Time and having enough of it. I wish that we had 30-hour days so I could really get into things. It’s a balance having those two careers … trying to devote enough time to my own practice…

What do you wish you had known at the beginning of your career?

Basically, how to network within the arts community, how to find a group of artists to run critiques with…. I didn’t know how much I didn’t know until I stumbled upon it, so I try to give my students a heads up…

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

That it is highly rewarding but it is a lot of work. You work really hard and then when the opportunity comes around you’re able to take advantage of that opportunity….

What was your first job?

I started busing tables for my grandmother’s restaurant when I was 12 years old. Before that I babysat.

What is the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?

Don’t wait for inspiration to come to you. … If you’re unsure of starting a piece, work in your sketchbook. If you’re stuck on one, you can move to the next. It’s important to try to create every day. —Zachary Lewis

Five favorites
Favorite book: I am a sucker for the original Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
Favorite movie: Pan’s Labyrinth
Favorite music: It’s usually like indie, goth, a little bit of swing.
Favorite food: If I’m going out, I’d have to say I love Vietnamese food.
Favorite thing about NH: You can be immersed in nature one part of the day and in a really urban setting the next.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

History on paper

Find antique books, out-of-print gems and more

The 47th Northern New England Book Fair will be held at the Everett Arena in Concord on Sunday, June 2, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Collections of books include fantasy and science fiction, classic fiction, modern novels, historical books, leather-bound books and ephemera from the 1600s to the 21st century. Organizer Richard Mori discusses the fair. See moribooks.com.

What led you to believe that young people are still into books?

Kids are 60 percent of my business today. Under 30, 60 percent of my business. I’m constantly being told by old people, which I’m one of, that kids don’t read anymore, kids don’t like books, and I’ve always said that that’s not true. Young people are into books…. Not so much a discovery, it’s an observation. I do 40 shows a year around the country. …Kids are buying books. When I say kids, I mean under 30.

Where do you find all of your books?

My general answer to that is I find books wherever I go. I’ve been buying books since I was 12. The obvious places are library sales, at bookstores, flea markets. They’re everyplace. Certainly you’ll find books at thrift stores, yard sales. I’ve found books in restaurants, to be honest. There are restaurants with book themes or library themes. Every once in a while in those kinds of places you can find a good book that’s accidentally been put in the collection. But I don’t buy just any book. I’m looking for books of interest, books that people want for their collection.

What makes a book technically an antique?

In general, an antique is something that’s 100 years old. In the book world, it’s not so much about age as subject matter and collectability. To give you the very obvious example: Harry Potter. Harry Potter was first published in 1997 or 1998, so that’s a fairly recent phenomenon. I would love to find the very first printing of the London edition of the first book because there are only 500 copies and that book today is worth over $50,000.

What is the oldest book you have to sell?

I have books from the 1600s. Generally those tend to be religious in nature. But actually there are many books published in the 1600s that were not religious in nature. The earliest books often are religious in nature and I have probably one or two of those sitting around. It’s very common to find books from the 1700s, 1800s, early 1800s. I bought in Akron, Ohio, Thomas Jefferson’s book published in 1813 … Parliamentary Procedure for the United States Senate. … I bought it in Akron in April and just sold it in May.

Why do older books get that special, unique smell that only older books have?

It’s the paper. What most people don’t understand, early paper, and that’s where people have this love for the odor of books, is handmade. Paper before 1830, for the most part, is made from old rag, actually. Rag was pulverized and liquified and then made into paper. That, I think, is where that odor comes from.

Is there a book that you’ve been looking for that you have not come across yet?

Actually, there is. I’ve been a collector of Boy Scout history, specifically books, since I was 12 years old. I actually sold my Boy Scout handbook collection to a gentleman in California and I was missing one key element to that collection which was called the ‘fortnightlies.’ Those are the original six-part pamphlets that were … by Baden-Powell in England back in 1907. Two years after I sold that collection, I found the ‘fortnightlies,’ the originals, but I had only found five. So I’m still looking for the sixth issue, or one of the six issues … to complete that collection. It’s not so rare that I’ll never find it, but they were published in England so very few of them came to the United States, so they’re very very hard to find here in this country.

What drives you to hold all these different book fairs and events?

Part of it is the love of books. Two, is to continue the opportunity for the public and people to find the books they’re looking for. The nice thing about a book show is that booksellers from all over come together to show what they have and to offer it for sale to the public. In the book community, we have this wonderful social activity. Books bring people together from all different walks of life. — Zachary Lewis

Featured image: Courtesy photo.

In the kitchen with Andy Day

Andy Day, Chef and owner of Cask & Vine (1 E. Broadway in Derry, 965-3454, caskandvine.com)

Andy Day is the co-owner of Cask & Vine along with his wife, Alana. Cask & Vine is a craft beer bar they opened in 2013. Day is also a brewer and owner of Daydreaming Brewing Co. in historic downtown Derry. For more than 14 years he has taken a vested interest in promoting New Hampshire’s craft brewers through collaborations, beer-centric events, and cross-promotions. Day has recently taken on a young apprentice at Cask & Vine, sharing the knowledge and experience of food and cooking learned over the last several years.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

Tongs, quickly followed by a simple clean kitchen rag. Watching and learning from the chef that opened our restaurant, I found it fascinating how versatile a pair of tongs is from pulling pans to plating food … when I don’t have them it’s painful.

What would you have for your last meal?

Grilled rib-eye with a blue cheese butter, rosemary Parmesan truffle-sauteed fingerlings and sauteed asparagus and mushrooms. Probably a slice of New York-style cheesecake for dessert. It’s all pretty simple stuff, and that’s what I love about it.

What is your favorite local eatery?

That’s tough, but I’d have to say Amphora Restaurant.The dishes are always so well-prepared and flavorful — not to mention there are usually a handful of specials that often include lamb, and I love someone else doing the work of preparing lamb, and doing it well.

Who is a celebrity you would like to see eating your food?

Patrick Stewart. I think he’d be a great person to sit at a table with, or just listen to feedback.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

The Falafel sandwich. It includes heirloom tomatoes, bib lettuce, green goddess dressing, house pickles, and we make the falafel old-school, with fresh herbs. It’s a simple sandwich that has a lot going on.

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

Scaling back. It’s been weird in the restaurant world for a while, and everyone seems to be trying to deliver the most bang for your dollar, or doubling down on fresh, local at a higher price. Two very different approaches.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

Pizza.It’s one of those things that you can just open up the cabinets and fridge and throw any number of ingredients on to create different flavors every time. It’s one of the things the kids always want me to cook when they visit, so that might have something to do with it.

Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms
From Andy Day

1 pound sweet sausage (no casing)
1 pound cream cheese
2 dozen medium mushrooms, stems removed
6 pieces garlic
truffle oil (garnish)

Cook sausage in oven at 350°F for 30 minutes, making sure nothing is left pink.
Cook garlic in oven separate from sausage but for the same amount of time.
Drain sausage fat, allow to cool, and combine with garlic and cream cheese in a blender and blend until thoroughly mixed.
Stuff mushrooms with filling and place in oven at 350°F for 20 minutes or until mushrooms are softened and sausage is browning. Plate and top with truffle oil.

Featured Photo: Andy Day, Chef and owner of Cask & Vine. Courtesy photo.

On The Job – Hunter Glass

Owner of Tight Bite Tackle

Hunter Glass handcrafts unique fishing lures in Concord at his business Tight Bite Tackle (tightbitetackle.com).

Explain your job and what it entails.

I hand-make custom tackle for all sorts of fishing, pretty much from the ground up all the way to a finished product, right here in New Hampshire.

How long have you had this job?

This will be my fourth year going on to it as an actual business.

What led you to this career field and your current job?

I went to school for environmental science. I’ve always been an outdoorsman and a fisherman … I bought some quote unquote ‘homemade lures’ and the quality wasn’t where I wanted it to be so I decided, ‘Hey, I can do this,’ and I fish all the time so let’s make a superior product that I can bring to everybody….

What kind of education or training did you need?

Overall, it was experience, so fishing, growing up and as an adult, I kind of know what I want for tackle. You can’t find some stuff at the stores … and they’re very cheaply made. I started with an airbrush. I had no real idea what I was doing and I kind of slowly learn every single day and my process and quality improves every single time. It’s all self-taught.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

I’m dealing with painting and sharp objects. I kind of just wear anything that doesn’t mind to get dirty. I do also wear protective equipment when I have to do soft lures and/or am working with chemicals.

What is the most challenging thing about your work, and how do you deal with it?

Quality and designer’s block. So I’ll get an idea or somebody will say, ‘Make me something and wow me, this is what I want to catch.’ Everything I make is custom so I want to make something that nobody’s seen.

What do you wish you had known at the beginning of your career?

It’s a niche market but the need is there.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

I wish people could see more behind-the-scenes on how much work it takes…. I wish people would appreciate the craftsmanship behind it, which some people do and some people don’t…. It takes a lot of time because you’ve got to make sure the quality is all there.

What was your first job?

Coming out of high school I was working for Sears Auto Center.

What is the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?

Basically, I’d say the best advice [is] if you’re not enjoying it, it’s a job at that point. For Tight Bite Tackle, I don’t feel like it’s a job at all. I enjoy it 100 percent, so that’s a nice thing. I’m passionate about it. I want to see people catch fish with it and that’s what drives me. —Zachary Lewis

Five favorites
Favorite book: I read Field and Stream a lot.
Favorite movie: Without a Paddle
Favorite music: I like country and rock. Classic rock.
Favorite food: Venison tacos
Favorite thing about NH: I would say the landscape and the overall wilderness aspect.

Featured photo: Hunter Glass. Courtesy photo.

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