Tag: 230126

Vegetable vegetarian soup

I love aligning my cooking with the weather. When it’s January and the days are cold, I enjoy a hot meal at the end of the day. Even better than a hot meal is one that has been simmering all day long. After a day of work, it is nice to know that a warm dish awaits me.

Except for peeling the carrots and dicing the fresh veggies, this is pretty much a measure-and-combine recipe. Everything can be prepped and assembled in 15 minutes or less, which probably means it can be completed before your workday begins. Set your slow cooker on low, and you’ll return to a home that smells amazing!

The ingredients for this recipe are pretty simple, but I do have a few notes. I used unsalted broth and tomatoes, so before serving I tasted and added a tiny pinch of salt. If you use regular broth and tomatoes, the soup most likely won’t need salt. As for all of the veggies, you are welcome to add and delete based on your preferences. Broccoli, spinach and potato would make fine additions.

This recipe utilizes a slow cooker for the simmering. However, it can be cooked on the stove, and in much less than 4 hours. Once the fresh veggies have been added, bring the soup to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes. Add the frozen veggies, cook for 5 minutes, and serve.

No matter how you cook it, this soup is a healthy way to warm and fuel up at the end of the day.

Vegetable vegetarian Soup
Serves 6

4 cups vegetable broth
1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced green beans
1 Tablespoon dried basil
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
½ Tablespoon dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas

Combine broth and tomatoes in a 5-quart slow cooker.
Add carrots, celery, green beans and seasoning.
Stir well, and cover.
Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
Add frozen corn and peas.
Heat for 15 minutes, and serve.

Featured Photo: Vegetable vegetarian soup. Photo by Michele Pesula Kuegler.

In the kitchen with Gerald Oriol

Gerald Oriol is the owner and executive chef of Caribbean Breeze (233 Main St., Nashua, 883-4340, find them on Facebook and Instagram @caribbeanbreezerestaurant), a one-stop culinary destination for authentic Caribbean eats, featuring Haitian, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Jamaican and Dominican items all under the same roof. Arriving in the former Norton’s Classic Cafe storefront on the corner of Main and West Hollis streets in Nashua in late 2021, Caribbean Breeze also features a menu of many familiar breakfast items the space has long been known for. Oriol is originally from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and has amassed more than three decades of experience as a chef. For 19 years he served as an executive chef for Sodexo, and before that he worked for the DoubleTree Hotel in Cambridge, Mass. A certified executive chef through the American Culinary Federation, Oriol is also the recipient of several awards, including Sodexo’s Rookie of the Year award in 2001 and a silver medal in the ACF’s Hot Food Competition in 2004.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

A knife.

What would you have for your last meal?

I have so many choices. It would be whatever’s available to me, because as a chef, doing what I’ve been doing for so many years, I learn … to love and appreciate any food.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

I used to like to go to Chicken N Chips [in Nashua], but unfortunately now they are closed. … I used to travel a lot, so I’ve tried many places, but I don’t have enough time to eat out because of the business I have now.

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

Guy Fieri, because he knows and understands food … and I think his critique would be very well-received.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

Whatever the customer tries, because that’s the food that I will make them … to please them and make them happy. Everything on the menu that I have from the islands [is] all very authentic.

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

To be honest with you … I feel like Caribbean food is a trend, because people will feel like it’s not something they can find anywhere else. … And you don’t need to travel to the Caribbean or go down to Boston. You don’t need to leave New Hampshire.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

Unfortunately, when I get home, I get home late. … So if I have time, I will cook whatever my family wants to eat. … Usually I like to grill.

Haitian potato salad
From the kitchen of Chef Gerald Oriol of Caribbean Breeze in Nashua

4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 carrot, peeled and minced
2¼ teaspoons salt
1 small beet
2 eggs
½ cup sweet peas
½ onion, minced
⅓ cup red bell pepper, diced
⅓ cup green bell pepper, diced
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Boil the potatoes and the carrot in water with one teaspoon of salt for 10 minutes, or until tender. Boil the beet separately in water with one teaspoon of salt until tender, then peel and mince. Boil the eggs separately in water with 1/4 teaspoon of salt until hard. In a bowl, place the cubed potatoes, minced beet, sweet peas, carrot, onion, red and green bell peppers and mix with the mayonnaise. Add the black pepper.


Featured photo: Gerald Oriol, owner and executive chef of Caribbean Breeze in Nashua. Courtesy photo.

Brews by the Oval

Ogie Brewing now open in Milford

Nearly four full years after Bill Ogert signed a lease to open his own nano brewery in Milford, his vision is now a reality. Ogie Brewing, a stone’s throw from the town Oval, celebrated its grand opening Jan. 6 with a lineup of 10 beers on tap, following many months of delays.

“I’ve loved how many people have come in on our days open and said, ‘We’ve been watching you for years, we’ve been so eager, we’re so glad it finally happened.’ That’s encouraging,” he said. “You stop and look around [and] … you suddenly see the reward for all the hardships.”

It was February 2019 when Ogert, a former aerospace engineer who originally became interested in homebrewing through his brother, found the former Bravo Pizza storefront on South Street. Eighteen months of litigation would follow, stemming from a neighbor’s complaint over a zoning exception and eventually reaching the state Superior Court. The pandemic hit right in the middle of the legal proceedings, Ogert pointed out, further delaying the process.

By September 2020 the two parties were able to settle in mediation, clearing Ogie Brewing to begin its construction phase. But with Ogert’s lease up for renewal the following February, he quickly found himself at a crossroads.

“I just had to make up my mind, like, you’re in or you’re out,” he said. “And my wife convinced me to just keep doing it. We renewed the lease. … I was still working my day job through all of this, and pretty much every penny I made went into keeping this place going.”

By May of last year Ogert decided to quit his day job in favor of getting the brewery open. Just before Christmas, Ogie Brewing held a “super soft” opening, pouring pints of one beer — an easy-drinking lighter version of a Norwegian farmhouse ale Ogert called “Soft Serve” — with the plan to hold a grand opening two weeks later with a full array of beers on tap.

“When you’re trying to pick one beer to please a broad audience, it has to be a little lighter and a little easy to drink. Not super-hoppy, not super-yeasty,” Ogert said. “We named it ‘Soft Serve’ because it was the only beer we served for the soft opening. People come in and they’re like, ‘Is that some kind of an ice cream IPA?’ I’m like, no, it’s just a play on words.”

As for the rest of his beer lineup, Ogert said his intention has always been to have a total of 10 that rotate out. His offerings out of the gate include a Belgian-style witbier made with Maine wild blueberries, a single-grain, single-hop American pale ale, a sour flavored with California figs, a German-style hefeweizen, and a hazy IPA with tropical aromas and flavors, among others.

“People ask me what I specialize in, and my honest answer is that I specialize in variety,” Ogert said. “I decided I’d start off with a menu that would hopefully have something for everyone and also expose people to styles they may not have ever tried. … And, I mean, I’ve spent so much time … getting each recipe to where it is now. The ones I didn’t like either got reinvented to [what] they are on the menu or they were discarded completely.”

Ogert also has plans to implement a food menu — he’s thinking simple items that pair well with beer. While he said he isn’t focused too much on distribution outside of the brewery, he is implementing a “crowler” system for his beers — similar to growlers, only in cans.

“They would usually fill it like a growler and then can it at that time,” he said. “It gives us the ability to just pour off taps without pre-canning stuff. If you’ve tried a flight and you’re like ‘Wow, I really like this beer, do you have any to go?’ We just pour them off the tap like it was [for] a glass, set it on the canner, attach the lid and out you go.”

Ogie Brewing
Where: 12 South St., Milford
Hours: Currently vary; see their Facebook page for the most up-to-date details on their hours of operation each week.
More info: Find them on Facebook @ogiebrewing or call 249-5513

Featured photo: Ogie Brewing’s starting lineup of beers. Courtesy photo.

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.

On The Job – Shelly A. Mead

Justice of the Peace

Shelly A. Mead is a justice of the peace who officiates weddings throughout southern New Hampshire.

Explain your job and what it entails.

My job is to write and officiate wedding ceremonies for any mutually consenting couple in New Hampshire. I am able to perform quick legal ceremonies, but I specialize in creating love story ceremonies for couples. This involves really getting to know a couple and having them open up about what makes their relationship work, what they love about each other and their favorite memories together. I translate those details into a ceremony that I perform on their wedding day. My ultimate goals are to make the ceremony planning process feel simple and straightforward for couples, and to create a relationship that allows them to feel as calm and confident as humanly possible when standing up in front of their family and friends on their wedding day.

How long have you had this job?

Six years.

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

I officiated for the first time in 2017 for my brother-in-law with the intention of never officiating again. As it turned out, creating and officiating ceremonies is extremely joyful and rewarding work. Since then, I have officiated over 350 ceremonies, and 2023 will be my sixth wedding season.

What kind of education or training did you need?

To become a justice of the peace in New Hampshire, one must take an oath and then be certified by the governor. Much of my training was through extensive online research, and then on the job. I love learning from other officiants and have great local mentors. I get really excited when a couple brings up a new idea or tradition to research that can be incorporated into their ceremony.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

I typically wear a black or navy dress or suit, depending on the couple’s wedding colors.

How has your job changed over the course of the pandemic?

This past wedding season was incredibly busy as so many couples had to put off their big wedding from 2020 to 2022. I often officiate for couples who want to have a quick legal ceremony and then plan to celebrate with a formal wedding when there are fewer Covid restrictions or more open wedding dates. I think for a justice of the peace it is not that common to have repeat customers. With couples having a private elopement and then a big ceremony later, I sometimes get the honor of sharing their happiness twice.

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

It is so important to set boundaries with clients. Having a detailed contract to establish ground rules is key.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

Something that not many people realize is that planning a beautiful and meaningful ceremony takes time — a lot of time. If you go to a wedding and the ceremony is executed flawlessly, with the couple and their guests sharing laughter, joy and maybe even some happy tears, know that years of experience and hours of time went into making that 15 to 30 minutes so completely perfect.

What was the first job you ever had?

I worked as a page at the Manchester Public Library in Manchester, Connecticut.

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

Always take a deep breath and smile at the beginning of a ceremony. It helps the couple to relax.

Five favorites

Favorite book: Beartown series by Fredrik Backman
Favorite movie: Stranger Than Fiction
Favorite music: I always sing in the car to get warmed up for a ceremony. Currently, Lizzo and Adele are my top choices.
Favorite food: Cherries
Favorite thing about NH: I love that we can be in a city, the beach or the mountains all in just an hour. New Hampshire has it all.

Featured photo: Shelly A. Mead. Courtesy photo.

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