It is summer and we remain in an extended heat wave. This is the season of “summer whites”— those lightweight clothes of whiter-than-white to reflect the heat of the summer sun. It is also the season of light meals — salads, sandwiches, cool entrées and desserts! And it is the season to pair light, white wines, the color of a sun-shading straw hat, with those meals.
We are always looking for something off the beaten track, wines other than chardonnays and sauvignon blancs, so we headed to the Loire Valley in France and, surprisingly, Napa Valley, to try a few whites made with other varietals.
Our first wine, the Domaine Bourillon Dorleans Premium Vouvray Brut (available at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets, priced at $64.99, reduced to $23.99), is a delightful take on a crémant, which is sparkling wine not produced in Champagne and sometimes made with grapes other than chardonnay and pinot noir. It has a pale gold color; the bubbles are tiny and persistent. To the nose, there are citric notes with just a touch of yeast. To the tongue this bubbly is ripe with apple and honey while remaining crisp with acidity. The wine is made from 100 percent chenin blanc grapes from 30-year-old vines. It is made by the method Champenoise, with sur lie for 16 months, before being disgorged and re-corked. While crisp, this wine has a very subtle creaminess to it. Chilled, it is a perfect wine to be sipped, or joined to soft cheeses or a light meal.
Our second wine, the 2021 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc + Viognier (priced at $17.99 but reduced to $15.99 at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets), is a blend of 80 percent chenin blanc and 20 percent viognier. This wine is interesting in that I tend to think of chenin blanc as coming from the Loire Valley, which has a climate decidedly cooler than that of California. Because of the terroir and heat of the Valley, this wine is more expressive with notes of rich honeysuckle, orange blossoms and citric. These carry through to the tongue. In the glass, the wine has the palest of a light straw, almost silver, color. The inherent creaminess of the chenin blanc is emboldened in this wine, making it a great accompaniment to a frittata or a seafood tostada. It is indeed interesting seeing this wine come from a winery such as Pine Ridge, located in Stag’s Leap, Napa Valley, producing iconic cabernet sauvignons. This is a blend one would never see in France. The grapes for this wine come from the Sacramento River Delta, where 90-degree days are met with cool nights, producing a wine with lush flavors.
Our third wine, the 2019 Domaine Long-Depaquit Chablis (priced at $29.99, reduced to $27.99 and available at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets), is a Burgundian chardonnay. This is a perfect wine to pair with grilled pork, salmon or tuna, shellfish, or mild cheeses if you cannot stand the prospect of cooking anything. The color is a pale greenish yellow. To the nose and tongue we find green apples, along with citric notes of lemon and lime with a slight trace of almonds, and that flinty earthiness that permeates the wines of Chablis. Chablis is the northernmost wine-growing region in Burgundy. The ancient soils of this region give its wines a distinctive minerality. This is a crisp, light wine that can make the summer heat tolerable.
Our fourth wine, a 2020 Joseph Drouhin Pouilly-Fuissé (priced at $31.99, reduced to $29.99 at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets), is another chardonnay, but coming from vineyards in the villages of Pouilly and Fuissé, in the Mâconnaise subregion of Bourgogne, where the only grape variety grown is chardonnay. This wine is different from the others in that there is some barrel aging, six to eight months in the case of this wine, giving the wine a more “full-mouth-feel.” The color is golden, along with a slight green tinge. To the nose, green grapes and almonds abound; this is then carried through to the tongue. These are pleasant notes, not to be considered heavy, but instead ethereal, and with a long finish.
These are four wines that can satisfy every palate and yet are decidedly different from the mainstream everyday whites of chardonnay or pinot grigio. So, live dangerously! Try one of these alternative whites to pair with your summer evening meal. You will welcome the adventure!
Last week we were baking; this week we are going to enjoy a cool kitchen. Take your protein outside to the grill, top it with this easy salsa, and serve it with a fresh loaf of bread from the bakery!
This salsa is perfect for pairing with almost any protein I have considered. Whether you are grilling fish, chicken, pork, steaks, or even tofu, this is the topping you need. It is slightly sweet, very crunchy, and has a little bit of acidity and bite. What better way to excite your palate?!
There are a few notes on the ingredients. For the bell pepper, you want sweet. If the red peppers don’t look good, go with orange or yellow. I like the color contrast of red, but flavor is more important. For the jalapeno, if you like heat, feel free to leave the seeds and/or ribs. I like a little less spice. For the cilantro, fresh is optimal, but you also can use dried. If you will use dried cilantro, add only one teaspoon.
This simple recipe only requires peeling, dicing, juicing and mixing. It will take maybe 10 minutes. If you want the salsa to be at peak crispness, serve it immediately. If you want the flavors more commingled, give it an hour or two in the refrigerator before serving.
Mango salsa Serves 4
1 mango 1/2 red pepper 1/2 jalapeno, seeds & ribs removed Juice of 1 lime 1 Tablespoon honey 2 Tablespoons diced, fresh cilantro salt & pepper
Peel mango and cut into small cubes. Dice red pepper. Finely dice jalapeno. Combine mango and peppers in a medium bowl. Add cilantro and season with salt and pepper; stir. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice and honey. Pour lime juice mixture over salsa; toss. Can be served immediately, or covered and refrigerated.
Featured Photo: Mango salsa. Photo courtesy of Michele Pesula Kuegler.
Justin Hoang of Nashua is the executive chef and co-owner of Luk’s Bar and Grill (142 Lowell Road, Hudson, 889-9900, luksbarandgrill.com) and Bellissimo Italian Steakhouse (194 Main St., Nashua, 718-8378, bellissimoitalian.com), the latter of which opened in the former Fratello’s space back on March 31. Born and raised in Nashua, Hoang worked his way up the culinary ranks at Luk’s, starting as a dishwasher before getting an opportunity to work as the chef and create menus for the restaurant. He followed suit at Bellissimo when that eatery opened earlier this year, bringing a number of signature dishes to the space that include filet oscar, saffron lobster risotto and steak tip Gorgonzola alfredo, as well as brick-oven pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, appetizers and more. Both Luk’s and Bellissimo are part of a restaurant group that also includes Joey’s Diner and The Black Forest Cafe & Bakery, both in Amherst.
What is your must-have kitchen item?
It’s a toss-up between a chef’s knife and a pair of tongs. I really don’t know which one I need more, but those are the two things that I absolutely need to be able to function in the kitchen.
What would you have for your last meal?
That would be Irish eggs Benedict.
What is your favorite local restaurant?
The New Taj India in Nashua. … I get the makhani chicken, which is basically a butter chicken, and then garlic naan and white rice. The sauce they have in that chicken is just unbelievable.
What celebrity would you like to see eating at Luk’s or Bellissimo?
Gordon Ramsay, because I watch just about every show that he’s on. … As intimidating as he comes off as in those shows, I think he’s a phenomenal chef.
What is your favorite thing on any of your menus?
That’s a tough one. I love the steak Gorgonzola alfredo. It’s on both menus, but it started at Luk’s. I made that dish because I’ve had different interpretations of it at other restaurants and I kind of meshed together what I found I enjoyed, and now it’s one of our most popular dishes. … At Bellissimo, my favorite is probably the truffle risotto with scallops. It hits different palates and there’s so much depth in that dish.
What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?
I think we’re in a transitional phase right now, but one trend that has just passed was definitely the sweet and spicy combination, and then the chicken sandwich [trend] has also come in really hard. … One of the most popular ones we have is a hot honey chicken sandwich. It’s a panko-crusted chicken breast and I make a hot honey sauce that takes me like three hours. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and spicy.
What is your favorite thing to cook at home?
Basically anything that I don’t have to cook. I cook all day long, so I’m a huge advocate for DoorDash when I get home.
Bacon jam From the kitchen of Justin Hoang of Luk’s Bar and Grill and Bellissimo Italian Steakhouse
1 cup caramelized Vidalia onions 1 cup cooked bacon, chopped ¾ cup dark brown sugar ½ cup fresh black coffee 1 cup water 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Add the onions, bacon and brown sugar to a saucepan and simmer until the sugar is melted and incorporated. Add the water and coffee and reduce to a jam-like consistency. Take off the heat and stir in the balsamic vinegar. Season with salt to taste.
Featured photo: Justin Hoang, executive chef and co-owner of Luk’s Bar and Grill in Hudson, and Bellissimo Italian Steakhouse in Nashua. Courtesy photo.
A 3,000-year-old root indigenous to the South Pacific islands, kava is used in tea-like herbal beverages consumed socially at establishments known as kava bars. Around 200 such bars exist across the United States — and a new one has just arrived in New Hampshire.
Root Awakening, now open on Main Street in Nashua, is being touted as “New England’s first kava bar” by owner Greg Gately. Kava, he said, is lauded for its relaxing effects on the body and mind, and it’s also a popular natural remedy for anxiety and muscle and joint pain.
“What I like to say is that it slows down that 9-to-5 tick. It calmly relaxes you,” Gately said. “It’s definitely something that you want to finish off in two or three big gulps, like a shot … [and] instead of saying ‘Cheers,’ in the islands we say ‘Bula.’ It’s the celebration of life.”
Gately, whose mother is from the South Pacific, was born and raised in California’s Bay Area before moving east to New England for college. He said he first became introduced to the Fijian root and its properties through a friend, who owns several kava bars out on the West Coast.
A fresh kava drink with a pineapple chaser. Photo by Matt Ingersoll.
“I really started drinking it heavily when I started going for my MBA program,” he said. “It helped me focus whenever I had a big milestone and had to put my head down and hit the books for four or five hours. … Kava really allows you to kind of focus in a really good, natural way.”
Inspired by his kava bar-owning friend and looking for his next move in life in the wake of the pandemic, Gately began looking for spaces last year to launch his own kava concept.
Root Awakening, he said, was built on the foundation of providing visitors with a “non-alcoholic alternative social experience” to traditional bars, using kava beverages as its vessel.
Three kava root varieties — sourced from the Fijian, Vanuatu and Tongan Islands of the South Pacific — are currently available at Root Awakening. Premium raw kava drinks come in a single-serve 10-ounce “kava shell,” or a plastic cup made to resemble half of a coconut shell. You can also get them in larger serving bowls called tanoas — small and large-sized tanoas are respectively 80 and 120 ounces, serving two to three and four to six kava drinkers.
“We chop down the roots, dry them out and then we grind them into a fine powder,” Gately said. “It’s going to then be brewed up almost like a tea. It gets rinsed in a giant tea bag, and then I squeeze out the active ingredient, which is called the kavalactones.”
The result produces “an earthy and pungent” drink that Gately likes to top off with a customer’s choice of a pineapple or strawberry as a chaser. He also serves single-serve mango-flavored kava shots that can be mixed with any beverage of your choice, as well as a total of five flavors of Leilo, a ready-to-drink canned kava product available in 12-ounce cans.
So far, Gately has reported “literally 95 percent” of his patrons to be first-time kava drinkers.
“I almost have an elevator pitch now about what kava is and what to expect,” he said. “A lot of folks are nervous about their first drink. They’ll look at the person they’re with and they’ll say to each other, ‘Are you ready? On three.’ … Usually my first-timers will drink two to three shells.”
As an alternative to kava, Gately does also offer multiple flavors of East Coast kombucha on tap. He also carries drinks like cold brew coffee, ginger beer, coconut water and orange cream soda, and hopes to soon expand his menu to include small perishable food options. Community events like trivia nights, open mic nights and comedy shows are also being planned for the space.
Root Awakening Kava Bar Where: 300 Main St., Unit 603, Nashua Hours: Monday through Saturday, noon to midnight, and Sunday, noon to 10 p.m. More info: Visit rootawakeningkava.com, or find them on Facebook and Instagram @rootawakeningkava Root Awakening requires customers to be at least 18 years of age or older to consume kava beverages. Drinks should not be taken with alcohol or prescription medications.
Featured photo: Greg Gately of Root Awakening Kava Bar in Nashua prepares ground kava root for two single-serve premium raw kava drinks. Photo by Matt Ingersoll.
• Culture and community: A citywide celebration of cultural diversity through local food and music, the Lowell Folk Festival is returning in person for its 35th year, from Friday, July 29, through Sunday, July 31, across multiple areas of downtown Lowell, Mass. According to a press release, this year’s festival will feature 18 ethnic food stands operated by area nonprofits and community groups — each will offer a different traditional cuisine that showcases their heritage. Booths will be set up near three of the festival’s four stages, featuring everything from Greek, Filipino, Jamaican and Indian foods to Middle Eastern, African, Brazilian, Polish and Armenian options. There will also be two days of cooking demonstrations and discussions, taking place on Saturday and Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m., at Lucy Larcom Park. According to the release, these will include moderated presentations with home cooks showing various comfort foods from their cultures, like Polish pierogi, Greek potato fries, Lithuanian vegetable and chicken stews, Vietnamese spring rolls and more. A full schedule of live music and dance performances hailing from all around the world are also planned across each of the festival’s four stages, while local art and craft demonstrations will take place in the courtyard between the National Historical Park Visitor Center and the Brush Art Gallery. Admission is free. Visit lowellfolkfestival.org.
• Fresh food fast: The Common Man Roadside just opened its newest restaurant and cafe inside the Tru by Hilton Manchester Downtown hotel building in the city’s Millyard (451 Commercial St.), Bill Boynton, director of public relations and community engagement for Granite State Hospitality, which owns each store, confirmed. Similar to its sister locations in Hooksett, Plymouth and across town on South Willow Street, The Common Man Roadside features various made-to-order and grab-and-go items, with an emphasis on takeout and mobile and online ordering. All feature eclectic menus of appetizers, sandwiches, burgers, pizzas, salads, pasta, pastries, ice cream and various hand-crafted coffees and other drinks. Among the already popular new offerings, Boynton said, are crispy cod and Nashville hot chicken sandwiches. The interior look of the eatery features an open kitchen with an homage to the past that includes reclaimed wood from New Hampshire barns and brick salvaged from the former Concord rail station. Extensive inside and outside seating is available, as well as a “live edge” wood bar. The Common Man Roadside Market & Deli’s Plymouth location, a restaurant within a convenience store, opened in October 2019, and the South Willow Street location arrived the following summer. Current hours on Commercial Street are Monday through Saturday, from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit thecmanroadside.com or follow the company’s newest spot on Facebook @thecmanroadsidenhmillyard.
• Can it: Flag Hill Distillery & Winery (297 N. River Road, Lee) recently announced the release of Incognito, the company’s first canned wine. According to a press release, Incognito is a “wine disguised as summer,” featuring a blend of Flag Hill’s raspberry and Cayuga white wines that’s lightly carbonated, with one can equalling two-and-a-half glasses of wine. Cans are currently available at Flag Hill’s store and tasting room, and distribution to other stores is also expected. Visit flaghill.com or follow the Incognito pages on Facebook and Instagram @incognitocanwine for updates.
A look at the spicy world of New Hampshire’s craft hot sauces
Growing up in an ethnically diverse community in northern New Jersey, Gabe DiSaverio was introduced to spicy foods at a young age.
“A lot of my friends growing up were Asian and Indian … and I was eating hot food before I was even 10 years old. I remember always going to a fast food place in New York City that was called Curry in a Hurry,” he said. “Even as teenagers in high school, my friend group and I were doing all these eating challenges, like who could eat the hottest, spiciest, most unique foods.”
New England Hot Sauce Festival Where: Smuttynose Brewing Co., 105 Towle Farm Road, Hampton When: Saturday, July 30, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost: $10 in advance online and $15 at the door; kids ages 10 and under are free Visit: newenglandhotsaucefest.com
DiSaverio originally started making his own hot sauces “kind of casually” before eventually, with the help of his culinary-minded sister, Adriana, deciding to jumpstart his passion into a business. Today he owns The Spicy Shark, a line of products that includes seven craft hot sauces, a wing sauce, a Sriracha, a hot honey and two hot maple syrups using all natural ingredients. A self-described “Jaws fanatic” since the age of 8, DiSaverio said the “shark” part of the business comes from combining spicy foods with his other lifelong passion, shark conservation.
Photo courtesy of Pogo’s Peppers.
Since selling its first bottle in early 2019, the Portsmouth-based company has gone on to win multiple national awards for its sauces, and DiSaverio and his team have participated in various hot sauce festivals and expos all over the country. But all the while, these experiences led him to a pivotal question: Why wasn’t there such an event anywhere in New England?
“These festivals are awesome, and I kind of said to myself that since I’ve heard nothing of someone putting one on around here anytime soon, then the heck with it. I’ll do it,” he said.
The inaugural New England Hot Sauce Festival, happening on Saturday, July 30, at Smuttynose Brewing Co. in Hampton, has already generated substantial buzz among its participating vendors. Nearly 30 New England and Northeast-area hot sauce companies will be there, and that doesn’t include the more than 20 others that had to be placed on a waiting list. Food challenges, including hot pepper and hot wing eating contests — and a world record attempt by Canadian competitive eater Mike Jack — are planned throughout the day, along with live music, food trucks and more.
DiSaverio is a regular proponent of Save the Sharks and several other nonprofits that focus on shark conservation and education. In keeping with his passion, proceeds from the festival will benefit the Blue Ocean Society in Portsmouth and the Seacoast Science Center in Rye.
For DiSaverio, the festival’s immense anticipation is a testament to a growing culture.
“I think it’s an understatement to say that New England is not exactly known as a ‘spicy’ region, and that’s fair, up until the last five years or so,” he said. “But as I’ve gotten more entrenched in the hot sauce community, the amount of new hot sauce companies that have popped up in New England is unbelievable. … I think a lot of it has to do with the ethnic diversity that continues to grow within our country … and there’s this growth of more people seeking out those cultures.”
With New England’s first hot sauce festival right around the corner, we took a deeper dive into New Hampshire’s growing hot sauce scene. Here’s a look at how some companies turn up the heat and enhance the flavor of their products, as well as what their top suggestions are for how you should use them.
Smokey Tom pineapple pulled pork Courtesy of Dandido Sauce, dandidosauce.com
4 to 5 pounds pork butt ⅕ of a bottle of hot or medium Dandido Smokey Tom hot sauce 1 can pineapple chunks 1 sweet onion, thinly sliced 1 Tablespoon cumin
Combine ingredients in a slow cooker and set on high for 7 hours.
Coming in hot
DiSaverio, who worked for Boston Beer Co. for 17 years prior to founding The Spicy Shark, said the surging interest in craft hot sauces is not unlike that of the local craft beer scene.
“You go into any beer store now and there’s craft beer that’s falling off the shelf onto your head,” he said. “Where we were around 10 to 15 years ago with craft beer [is] where I feel like we are now with craft hot sauces. You’re starting to see this huge explosion.”
Phil Pelletier of Manchester, for instance, got into making his own sauces in 2017 when his wife, Melissa, bought him a ghost pepper plant. Her goal? She wanted to see if her husband, an avid lover of spicy foods, could handle the intense heat of the peppers.
Photo courtesy of Naked Hot Sauces.
“Every time we’d go out to eat … she’d always try to get me to get the spiciest thing to try,” Pelletier said. “So when I got that plant, I had to figure out what the heck I was going to do with all those peppers, because each plant will produce up to 200-plus ghost peppers, easily.”
The Pelletiers are now the husband-and-wife team behind Smokin’ Tin Roof, a specialty sauce company also offering items like a hot pepper jelly, a bacon stout mustard and a spiced pumpkin butter. All of their products, Pelletier said, are created using ghost peppers that are dehydrated and pulverized into a powder. He adds them in different amounts to control the heat level.
Smokin’ Tin Roof’s sauces include the Smoky Peppah, made with roasted red bell peppers; Grow a Pear, a sweeter pear-based sauce; and Burnin’ Raspberry, a raspberry-based sauce.
“The way I developed all of them was by creating a flavor first … and then I would add the ghost pepper powder to give it the amount of heat that I wanted to have,” Pelletier said. “We don’t want the flavor to get destroyed with the amount of heat that we add to it, which is key for us.”
Marshall Irving of the aptly named Hots Hoss, a small-batch producer of countless flavors of craft hot sauces, similarly began dabbling in his own unique flavors late last year.
“I’ve always been the spicy guy, even as a kid,” he said. “Last October, my mother came up from Florida and went to the Concord Farmers Market. I work in Concord, and so she visited me and handed me a bag of some ghost peppers she got from the farmers market. … Then literally that night, I went home and I looked up probably 10 or 20 different hot sauce recipes online.”
Photo courtesy of The Spicy Shark.
Since then, Irving has gravitated toward all types of other peppers, experimenting with other ingredients to create his own flavor profiles. He’s done everything from a strawberry carrot habanero hot sauce to a black truffle sauce with Fresno and habanero peppers. New flavors are regularly posted to Hots Hoss’s social media channels and when they’re gone they’re gone.
“I haven’t repeated a batch yet,” Irving said. “I’ve been working on making a bunch of different new recipes and just kind of seeing what sticks and what the crowd favorites are.”
According to DiSaverio, most of the bigger mass-market hot sauce brands — think Tabasco, TexasPete or Frank’s — are considered Louisiana-style and are known for their simplicity.
“They [contain] vinegar, mostly cayenne or tabasco peppers, and salt. That’s it, three ingredients,” he said. “They’re very vinegar-y, [but] that’s what Louisiana-style is.”
Chef Adam Parker, who founded NH Hot Sauce nearly 15 years ago, said he set out to make his own products after growing disenchanted with what was available on the market at the time. For each of his four sauces, he likes to individually roast and concentrate the peppers that are used.
Photo courtesy of Smokin’ Tin Roof.
“What that does … is it really starts to bring out the natural flavors that are in those peppers, as opposed to [the sauce] just being something spicy that you put on your food,” said Parker, who has most recently served as the owner of The Utopian, a cozy scratch-cooked bistro in Amherst.
Kevin Taillon, another chef by trade with his own craft hot sauce company on the side, bottled the first of what would become Naked Hot Sauces in 2015 — a green chile pepper-based sauce called Garden Variety. The sauce received such a positive reaction that it inspired Taillon, who co-owns Fire and Spice Bistro in Newfields with his wife, to make more. Eventually, he began experimenting with other types of sauces and started to sell them at local farmers markets.
Scale of spiciness
In 1912 a pharmacist named Wilbur Scoville created what he called the Scoville Organoleptic Test. Now more commonly referred to as the Scoville Scale, it’s used as a measurement method to determine the pungency of different types of peppers, with each being assigned a range of numbers, or Scoville Heat Units (SHU). The more units assigned, the hotter the pepper is.
“The Scoville Scale goes from zero to 16 million. It’s the scale of the amount of capsaicin, which is the portion of the pepper that causes the heat,” DiSaverio said. “So you’ve got this scale of 16 million, which is pure capsaicin, and even the hottest peppers are in the 1 to 2 million range. … That’s a measure of the pepper itself, and basically what it means is how many drops of water it would take to dilute that drop of capsaicin so that you wouldn’t be able to feel the heat.”
Even bell peppers without a trace of heat in them, Irving said, are technically on the Scoville Scale, but at zero units. As you move your way up the scale, you encounter different types of peppers assigned to different tiers based on their Scoville units — a jalapeno, for instance, sits at a range of about 2,500 to 8,000 units, while a much hotter habanero pepper is about 100,000 to 350,000 units. Ghost peppers are even higher, from 855,000 to just over 1 million units.
The hottest pepper on the Scoville Scale, ranked at about 1.4 million to 2.2 million Scoville units, is known as the Carolina Reaper. In fact, in 2017 Guinness World Records declared it the hottest pepper in the word, citing tests that were conducted by Winthrop University in South Carolina.
Ed Currie — a.k.a. “Smokin’ Ed” — of the PuckerButt Pepper Co. in Fort Mill, South Carolina, is the creator of the pepper. He also happens to be a friend of DiSaverio’s and will be supplying Carolina Reaper peppers for the New England Hot Sauce Festival’s pepper eating contest.
“There are so many more different peppers available now in the United States to buy because of the demand … and now you’re seeing people like Ed who are cross-pollinating and cross-breeding to make new peppers … and experimenting, just like with beer,” DiSaverio said.
The Carolina Reaper is used as a base pepper in several of Taillon’s sauces, like the Reaper Madness, and the Red Reaper, which blends them with red Fresno peppers. Dandido Sauce, based in Manchester, also offers its “extremely hot” Dandido Black — its newest product, according to sales consultant Jennifer Renaud. The sauce blends Carolina Reaper peppers with wasabi, hot cinnamon and ginger, among other fresh ingredients.
Can you take the heat?
Here’s a snapshot of various peppers most commonly used in New Hampshire’s craft hot sauces. Peppers are ranked using a method known as the Scoville Scale; each is assigned a range of numbers, or Scoville Heat Units (SHU), based on the amount of capsaicin, the active ingredient in the pepper. The more units assigned, the hotter the pepper is.
Nurse Shark, Thresher Shark or smoked maple Sriracha breakfast egg bake Courtesy of The Spicy Shark, thespicyshark.com
12 eggs ½ of a bottle of Nurse Shark (jalapeno hot sauce), Thresher Shark (chipotle hot sauce) or smoked maple Sriracha 5 ounces baby kale 5 ounces baby arugula 1 small Vidalia onion, thinly sliced 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (optional) 2 three-finger pinches each of salt and pepper Extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of a large skillet)
Preheat the oven to bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat eggs in a large bowl and set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Saute onions for a few minutes, or until translucent. Add salt, pepper, kale and arugula to the onions. Mix and cook for a few more minutes, or until the kale and arugula are wilted. Remove from heat. Coat a 9-by-12-inch baking pan with olive oil, nonstick spray, ghee or butter. Evenly spread the mixture from the saute pan into the baking pan. Sprinkle mozzarella over the mixture. Pour the eggs over the mozzarella. Gently move everything in the baking pan slightly with a fork, so the eggs can reach the bottom. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let it cool for a few minutes before cutting.
Universal flavor
When it comes to hot sauce, local makers say their usage opportunities are consistently endless.
“The interesting thing is … you can have it [with] your breakfast, lunch or dinner and it can still be amazing in every way, shape and form,” Parker said. “I like using it on eggs. … Sometimes I’ll mix some into a sour cream or even some yogurt and use that as a dipping sauce.”
Depending on the flavor, Pelletier said, his sauces are great for everything, from ingredients in tacos and nachos to their use as salad dressings or chicken or pork marinades. A regular client even purchases his raspberry sauce by the half-gallon to use as an ice cream topping.
“We get more ideas as people talk to us and come back to buy more when they see us at a show,” he said. “They’ll go, ‘Oh, yeah, I put this sauce on this and, boy, did that make a difference!’”
Most of Dandido’s sauces are also great when incorporated into your cooking — or even as ingredients in shrimp cocktail sauces, co-owner Ed Baroody said.
“It’s not just something to put on top,” Renaud said. “You can build a chili off of it, [or] you can add it to your baked potato in your sour cream. … I’ve even scrambled it into my eggs.”
Irving’s best friend, Rylan Hill, is the head chef of New Hampshire Pizza Co. in Concord — the eatery has incorporated Hots Hoss into its specials, notably using a blackberry hot sauce Irving made for a Delmonico steak pizza special that was topped with chimichurri, pickled red cabbage, leeks, mozzarella and Gouda.
“I put my hot sauce on everything,” Irving said. “That’s the thing about hot sauce. It’s a topping, it’s a condiment, it’s a dipping sauce. … You can do anything with it.”
Scovie Awards Dubbed the “Oscars of hot sauce” by Gabe DiSaverio of The Spicy Shark in Portsmouth, the annual Scovie Awards recognize the most acclaimed fiery foods and spicy products from around the world. The awards ceremony is held every year at the Sandia Resort & Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico, usually the first weekend in March — a panel of judges rates all applicable submissions in various categories like appearance, aroma, texture, originality, flavor and overall impression.
To date, The Spicy Shark has taken home a total of 11 Scovie awards in either first, second or third place categories for its products. DiSaverio said he is most proud of two of those awards in particular: winning first place last year for his Hammah Gatah 7 Pot Primo pepper sauce, and winning Best in Show, the grand prize award, in 2020 for his hot maple syrup. Manchester’s Smokin’ Tin Roof has a Scovie Award of its own — its Smoky Peppah sauce, made from ground ghost pepper and some pineapple and sweet red bell peppers, was awarded second place in 2021.
New Hampshire-made craft hot sauces
Here’s a list of some of the Granite State’s spiciest hot sauce companies — visit their websites directly or follow them on social media to find out how to order them or where to pick them up.
Dandido Sauce dandidosauce.com, @dandidosauce Try this sauce: The Dandido Black This “extremely hot” sauce, the company’s newest product, blends Carolina Reaper peppers with wasabi, hot cinnamon and ginger, among other fresh ingredients.
Effin Sauces Co. effinsauces.com, @effinsauces Try this sauce: Sweet Lava This apple cider-based vinegar hot sauce is made with bell and habanero peppers, offering a unique balance of sweetness and heat.
Hots Hoss [email protected], @hots.hoss Try this sauce: Strawberry carrot habanero One of the more recent offerings from Marshall Irving of Hots Hoss, a one-man operation of small-batch craft hot sauces in Manchester, this sauce combines habanero peppers with strawberry and carrot flavors.
Naked Hot Sauces nakedhotsauces.net, @nakedhotsauces Try this sauce: Reaper Madness One of several Carolina Reaper-based offerings from chef Kevin Taillon of Naked Hot Sauces, who also owns Fire and Spice Bistro in Newfields, the Reaper Madness is best recommended for use on tacos or cheesesteaks.
NH Hot Sauce nhhotsauce.com, @nhhotsauce Try this sauce: Pull Fire Pull Fire, made with red Fresno peppers and fresh garlic, is one of four products from NH Hot Sauce, brought to you by longtime local chef Adam Parker.
Philbur’s Hot Sauce philburs.com, @philburs Try this sauce: Philbur’s No. 21 Hot The hottest offering from Philbur’s of Portsmouth, this sauce starts with sweet roasted peppers, jalapeno and habanero, along with extra ghost and scorpion peppers and a fresh herb finish.
Pogo’s Peppers pogospeppers.com, @pogospeppers Try this sauce: Jalapeno lime Pogo’s Peppers of Rye creates this sauce using roasted jalapenos and bright lime flavors, making it a versatile addition to just about any dish.
Rubin’s Hot Sauce rubinshotsauce.com, @rubinshotsauce Try this sauce: Inferno This sauce features a unique proprietary blend of twice the normal amount of home-grown Carolina Reaper peppers that’s then infused with a citrus-based blend of tropical fruits.
Smokin’ Tin Roof smokintinroof.com, @smokintinroof Try this sauce: Smoky Peppah A 2021 Scovie Award winner, taking home second place in the national competition, Smokin’ Tin Roof’s Smoky Peppah sauce is made from ground ghost pepper and some pineapple and sweet red bell peppers.
The Spicy Shark thespicyshark.com, @thespicyshark Try this sauce: Megalodon Named after the largest shark that ever lived, this craft sauce is brought to you by The Spicy Shark of Portsmouth, featuring “a sweet cherry start with the blazing finish of the Carolina Reaper pepper.”
Volcanic Ash Hot Sauce volcanicashhotsauce.com, @volcanicashhotsauce Try this sauce: O.G. Volcanic Ash This small-batch sauce features a blend of fresh habanero peppers with slowly caramelized onions, garlic, premium olive oil and a touch of sea salt.
Waldo Pepper’s Hot Sauce waldopeppershotsauce.com, @waldopeppershotsauce Try this sauce: Chipotle Ghost Featuring a blend of chipotle and ghost peppers with other ingredients like cider vinegar, carrots, onions, ground garlic, ginger and lime juice, this sauce is great for spicing up your eggs, burgers or chicken.
