Tag: 230223

Chicken Parm meatballs

Sometimes you want chicken Parmesan — a hearty, filling meal that makes you think a nap is a good idea. Other times you want all the flavors of that meal but want to feel a little less weighted. This recipe is here to do just that.

These chicken parm meatballs deliver all of the cheesy, herby flavors of their namesake but are baked, not fried. Even better, as they are meatballs, they could be served on their own as an appetizer, or they could be made into an entrée, either atop a bowl of pasta or nestled in a sub roll.

This recipe is pretty straightforward in its ingredients and directions. For the ground chicken I used a blend of dark and white meat. If you want to make it even healthier, ground chicken breast would work well. For the bread crumbs, panko is essential. It provides more texture than a typical bread crumb would. For the mixing, I highly recommend using your hands. That will allow better distribution of herbs and cheese throughout the mix. Using a spoon most likely won’t provide the same effect.

Say goodbye (or see you later, anyway) to fried chicken parm, and hello to chicken parm meatballs.

Chicken Parm meatballs
Makes 20

1 pound ground chicken
1/2 cup panko
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 large egg
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 cups marinara
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray or a thin layer of olive oil.
In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, panko, Parmesan, egg, garlic, salt, oregano, basil, and black pepper.
Mix well. (I prefer to use my hands to make sure it is thoroughly combined.)
Form mixture into balls the size of walnuts.
Place on the prepared baking sheet, an inch or two apart.
Bake for 12 minutes.
Cover the bottom of a medium-sized casserole dish with marinara.
Add meatballs and top with additional marinara.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven, and sprinkle with mozzarella.
Bake for 15 additional minutes or until the mozzarella is fully melted.

Featured Photo: Chicken Parm meatballs. Photo by Michele Pesula Kuegler.

In the kitchen with Sue Poulin

Sue Poulin is the co-owner of Bouillon Bistro (123 Union Square, Milford, 718-3305, bouillonbistro.com), known for its rotating menu of scratch-made artisan soups, chowders and stews. Poulin left her corporate career to purchase Wicked Pissah Chowdah, at the time located on South Street just off the Milford Oval, from founder Ellen Muckstadt in June 2020. She and business partner Lisa Gamache have also since opened a second location in Townsend, Mass. Last October, Bouillon Bistro of Milford reopened in its current spot on the opposite end of the Oval — the restaurant is unique for featuring a different lineup of six home-cooked options every single day.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

One thing that I never thought I would ever have … is this big paddle. It’s probably eight inches wide and 24 inches long, and it’s great because it scrapes the bottom of the pot as you’re making your mirepoix in the beginning and all the butter and the vegetables. It grabs all of that before any burning happens. … This paddle has really become the be-all, end-all tool in the kitchen. A spoon never really does the job.

What would you have for your last meal?

Prime rib, medium rare, with au jus, a baked potato with all the fixings, and a side of any kind of vegetable.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

I think that Buckley’s does such a phenomenal job. … I like to use their Hollis bakery, and I’m really impressed by what they do there.

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

I do love myself a good John Mayer song. … So I think if he came in, had some soup and played some acoustic music for us, then that would be a great day.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

For soup, the beef barley is my ultimate favorite. There’s just so much flavor in that one, and it’s so hearty. … Then for non-soup, it’s the braised beef Ragu, which is chuck roast meat in a tomato sauce, and it’s processed over a long period of time and all that juice is then poured into the pot. It’s so good.

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

We get so many requests daily [to] offer more gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options. … Whereas those options were things that only a handful of people used to request in the past, now the tides have turned where that’s the majority.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

I find that because I blend so many things together in the pots at work, that when I cook at home I like to keep it very simple. So I’ll typically do something like a chicken, rice and vegetable dinner, or a filet mignon with a potato side or a vegetable side.

Lemon chicken orzo (broth finish)
From the kitchen of Sue Poulin of Bouillon Bistro in Milford

½ stick butter
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 bay leaves
3 cups chopped onions
3 cups chopped celery
3 cups chopped carrots
10 cups chicken stock
Dry chicken bouillon to taste
3 cups cooked cubed chicken
3 cups baby spinach
Zest of 1 whole lemon
Juice of 1 lemon

In a pot, combine the butter, black pepper, bay leaves, onions, celery and carrots and saute until softened. Add the chicken, chicken stock, chicken bouillon, spinach, lemon zest and lemon juice. Simmer on low until the temperature reaches 165 degrees. Serve with orzo noodles.


Featured photo: Sue Poulin of Bouillon Bistro in Milford. Courtesy photo.

Burgers, bacon and beyond

The Hidden Pig opens in downtown Nashua

New life has been breathed into a Nashua restaurant building that has sat dormant for more than three years. The Hidden Pig opened Feb. 9 in the former Riverside Barbeque Co. storefront on Main Street, bringing with it a thoughtfully crafted menu of gourmet burgers, sandwiches, rice bowls, doughnuts and even bacon boards — yes, boards filled with juicy slabs of candied bacon.

The eatery may be new to the Granite State, but it’s actually the second Hidden Pig location for owner Phil Bentham II, a native of Methuen, Mass., who opened the first one in downtown Haverhill in 2018. Bentham, who’s been working in the industry practically his entire life, got his start at Salvatore’s Italian Restaurant in Lawrence, which was also where he would meet future Hidden Pig head chef Brandon Allardice.

Unexpected and consistent success in Haverhill would soon open the doors for Bentham — along with his wife, Ashley, who mostly handles operations and marketing — to look into the possibility of a second spot. Through a Realtor friend, he learned of an available restaurant space overlooking the Nashua River. It had last been occupied by the Riverside Barbeque Co., which closed in December 2019 after a nearly decade-long run.

wooden restaurant platter displaying assortment of doughnuts
Doughnut board. Courtesy photo.

At nearly 4,000 square feet, The Hidden Pig’s Nashua restaurant more than doubles the size of its Massachusetts counterpart, with completely renovated interior dining and bar areas.

“The ‘hidden’ part of the name is a play coming from the idea of being a hidden gem north of Boston,” Bentham said, “and then we started incorporating little bits of bacon in all of our food, kind of like they are ‘hidden,’ almost.”

While some barbecue-inspired items like burnt ends and pulled pork are offered, Bentham said The Hidden Pig is not a barbecue restaurant; rather, he categorized the concept as more of a gastropub with particular focuses on burgers and local craft beer — and, of course, bacon. Lots of bacon. Look no further for it than the bacon board, which comes with a homemade bacon shallot jam and baguette crostinis; or any one of the burgers, most of which are topped with bacon or pork belly, or have a bacon-infused aioli or jam.

“We try to be a bacon- and a gourmet burger-focused restaurant, for sure,” Bentham said. “We try not to get too weird with the burgers, but we do do some funky stuff. … Our most popular burger … is called the Big Bad Wolf. It’s got a blueberry jam spread on there, mixed with a maple bacon aioli, and then it’s got a piece of pork belly and cheddar cheese.”

The Hidden Pig is also known for its Sunday brunches — those menu items are available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with highlights including Fruity Pebbles chicken and waffles, and Reese’s “overload” buttermilk pancakes. Doughnuts are a huge deal too, from maple bacon glazed to Oreo and Reese’s flavors, and even a “Dunkaroonut” with animal crackers and sprinkles.

“We do a doughnut board with a big handle … and we decorate it with four, five, six doughnuts on there,” Bentham said. “We put it right in the center and people just go to town on it.”

The craft beer side is where Bentham said The Hidden Pig’s Nashua restaurant will mostly differ from Haverhill, and that’s because he is looking to incorporate more New Hampshire brews on tap. For the past few years, he has worked with Ali and Rob Leleszi of Rockingham Brewing Co. in Derry to brew a house New England-style double IPA that also comes canned.

The restaurant is open six nights a week, with the bar usually staying open an hour later than the kitchen, depending on the night.

“If there’s a good crowd, we’ll continue to stay open,” Bentham said. “There’s not really much up here, I feel, as far as on a Sunday evening, so hopefully we can change that.”

The Hidden Pig
Where: 53 Main St., Nashua
Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday, 5 to 11 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (brunch only) and 3 to 9 p.m. (dinner only)
More info: Visit thehiddenpig.com, find them on Facebook and Instagram or call 402-9640

Featured photo: Bacon board. Courtesy photo.

On The Job – Jen O’Brien

Medical aesthetics provider

Jen O’Brien is an advanced practice nurse who provides aesthetic injections and skin treatments from her medspa Relevé Medical Aesthetics (Salzburg Square, 292 Route 101, Amherst, 460-5706, relevemedicalaesthetics.com).

Explain your job and what it entails.

People enter my office seeking subtle, natural aesthetic treatments to help reclaim their confidence and feel great. I perform minimally invasive aesthetic treatments like Botox, filler, chemical peels, and platelet-rich plasma procedures. Our consultation process is relaxed and thorough, and most procedures have minimal pain or downtime.

How long have you had this job?

I opened my practice in the fall of 2021. I’ve been a nurse for 17 years and a certified registered nurse anesthetist for 11 years. Before Relevé, I provided anesthesia services at Catholic Medical Center.

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

As many women and men have experienced, I lost my sense of self when my kids were little. Learning to love and honor myself has been a challenging yet incredibly rewarding journey. How we feel about what we see in the mirror is only a piece of the puzzle, but I have found great purpose in helping women and men feel confident about their appearance so they can go out and live their most full life.

What kind of education or training did you need?

I received a bachelor of science in nursing degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and a master of science in nursing degree from Boston College. I then sought training in aesthetics at Beautiphi Academy in Michigan and have since continued my education in advanced aesthetics and facial anatomy. Last year I traveled to Switzerland to learn from world-class clinicians in the field.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

Sometimes I wear scrubs, but usually black pants and a fun T-shirt. I love wearing graphic T-shirts that show my personality.

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

Helping my clients develop reasonable expectations for their results can be really delicate. The treatments I offer are generally the least expensive, least downtime and lowest risk, but they will also give the most subtle results at first.

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

At first I worried that performing aesthetic procedures would be at odds with my personal values of building others up and loving our imperfect selves, but what I have found is that when we feel good about what we see in the mirror, we bring our best selves to the world around us. I’m a better mom for Botox, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

Just because some people [receive treatments that are] overdone doesn’t mean all treatments will give you bad results. Many, many people receive treatments with Botox and fillers and have beautiful, subtle results.

What was the first job you ever had?

I was a veterinary technician when I was 14. This mostly involved cleaning areas of the office that had never been cleaned before and caring for the daily needs of the pets.

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

“Your vibe attracts your tribe.” Be your most authentic self, and the right clients will find you… What you see on my Facebook and Instagram accounts is the real me, so if you’re curious about treatments, check them out to see if I’m a good fit.

Five favorites

Favorite book: Persuasion by Jane Austen
Favorite movie: Love Actually
Favorite music: I’m eclectic — pop, rock, indie.
Favorite food: Oreo ice cream
Favorite thing about NH: The outdoors — mountains, lakes, beaches.

Featured photo: Jen O’Brien. Courtesy photo.

Treasure Hunt 23/02/23

Hi Donna,

My question is about this carriage clock. I think it is French and is in top shape. Any ideas? Thank you.

Scott

Dear Scott,

Your carriage clock does look to be in good shape.

Although the clocks used for traveling were originally French, they soon were made in many other countries. They can be very valuable in the antiques and horological (clock and watch) market. This would be for specific makers, movements, jewels and elaborate cases and so on.

There were so many made, some common and mass-produced. The value on one such as yours would be in the $100 range. To be sure, you could bring it to a jeweler and they would evaluate the movement for you.

Donna

Kiddie Pool 23/02/23

Family fun for the weekend

Vacation at the museum

• The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive in Concord; starhop.com, 271-7827) will be open daily through Sunday, March 5, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with planetarium shows every hour from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets cost $12 for adults, $9 for children ages 3 to 12, $11 for seniors ages 62 and older and for students ages 13 through college. Planetarium shows cost an additional $6 for everyone older than 3.

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org, 742-2002) recommends purchasing tickets in advance during winter vacation, when the museum will be open Tuesdays through Saturdays, with sessions from 9 a.m. to noon or 1 to 4 p.m., and Sundays 9 a.m. to noon. There will be additional drop-in activities focusing on arts, STEM and stories included in the play session, according to a press release. Admission costs $12.50 for everyone over 12 months, $10.50 for 65+.

• The SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; see-sciencecenter.org, 669-0400) has updated its hours for school vacation. The center will be open Monday, Feb. 27, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in addition to being open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Last admission on weekdays is at 3 p.m., on weekends is at 4 p.m. Tickets cost $12 for visitors ages 3 and older. SEE’s website also recommends making advance reservations.

• Spend more time at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; aviationmuseumofnh.org, 669-4820) with its extended vacation hours. On Tuesday, Feb. 28; Wednesday, March 1, and Thursday March 2, the museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in addition to its usual hours of Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. In addition to the extended hours, the museum will have activities including a story time on Wednesday, March 1, at 10 a.m. and a flight simulator for kids 12 and up on Tuesday, Feb. 28, and Thursday, March 2, from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission for children under the age of 6 is free, kids ages 6 to 12 and veterans and their families are $5. Standard admission for visitors age 13 and older is $10.

Movie theater fun

• Sugar up at Theater Candy Bingo at Chunky’s Nashua location (151 Coliseum Ave.) on Thursday, Feb. 23, at 6 p.m. The live hosted bingo night will have candy and a few Chunky’s giveaways as well as prizes at the end of each round. It costs $10 to reserve a seat (with an included $5 food voucher) and a box of candy to go into the pot. Only one bingo per customer. Visit chunkys.com to reserve a spot.

• Get dazzled by Ben Pratt at his family-friendly magic show at Chunky’s in Manchester (707 Huse Road) on Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 6:30 p.m. Pratt, who has won many awards for his illusions, is a Granite State native who has performed across New England and in Las Vegas. Tickets for his high-energy magic-meets-standup comedy show cost $15 and can be bought at chunkys.com.

Winter festivities

The 31st annual Winter Carnival is on Saturday, Feb. 25, at Wasserman Park in Merrimack. The carnival will have a special appearance by Mack, the Police Department’s comfort dog, as well as the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. The event will get the family out frolicking in the cold winter air (and hopefully snow) to celebrate the season. There will be warm food and drinks to keep the chill away. The event starts at noon. For more information visit merrimackparksandrec.org/winter-carnival.

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