In the kitchen with Gaby Maroun

Gaby Maroun is the head chef of Sevmar Mediterranean Bistro (401 Main St., Unit 108, Salem, 870-0018, sevmarbistronh.com), which opened inside the town’s 97 Shops Plaza in January. Co-owned by Maroun’s daughter, Jocelyn, Sevmar gets its name by combining the family’s last name with that of Kelvin Severino, owner of the national demolition company ADEP Group and Jocelyn Maroun’s business partner. The restaurant features traditional Mediterranean appetizers, entrees, salads and other items with a modernized twist, along with a full bar, a Sunday brunch menu, catering options and more. Maroun immigrated to the United States from Lebanon in the 1980s and has been involved in cooking authentic Lebanese cuisine ever since. In addition to Sevmar, his recipes have set the tone for other successful eateries in town, like Jocelyn’s Mediterranean Restaurant & Martini Lounge on Route 28, as well as Salem Kabob and Cedar’s Mediterranean Food.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

An infrared grill. I even put one in my house.

What would you have for your last meal?

I like a good lasagna.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Trattoria Amalfi [in Salem].

What celebrity would you like to see eating at Sevmar Mediterranean Bistro?

Elvis!

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

The marinated grilled chicken.

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

People like to eat fresh food and real ingredients. Every restaurant has hummus now.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

I like to cook any food from my garden, [like] green beans, cucumber tomato salads, eggplant and grape leaves.

Taboule
From the kitchen of Gaby Maroun of Sevmar Mediterranean Bistro in Salem

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup extra fine bulgur wheat
2 bunches parsley (about 2 cups, chopped)
2 firm chopped tomatoes
1 chopped red onion
2 ounces freshly chopped mint (or ½ teaspoon dry mint)
Pinch of salt, pepper and allspice

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well combined.


Featured photo: Gaby Maroun, head chef of Sevmar Mediterranean Bistro in Salem. Courtesy photo.

Mexican eats downtown

Alas de Frida now open in Manchester

Since 2015, Maricela Cortes and her husband, Isaac Sacramento, have been serving up authentic Mexican cuisine atEl RincónZacatecano Taquería in Manchester. A new restaurant now open just a few blocks north on Elm Street is serving as the couple’s sister establishment, introducing an eclectic menu of items not available atEl Rincón, in addition to a larger bar space.

It’s called Alas de Frida Mexican Restaurant & Bar, and it’s the newest dining spot to debut downtown. The eatery and bar has taken over the old space of The Birch on Elm, as that restaurant continues renovations in its new home in the former Noodz storefront across the street.

Alas de Frida gets its name from the famous late Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. Artwork and quotes from Kahlo are displayed throughout the restaurant and bar’s interior.

“I read a lot about her and [she’s] my inspiration,” Cortes said.

The menu features options that are all fresh and authentic, but it’s nearly completely different from what you’ll find at El Rincón. Perhaps one of the more notable changes is the addition of birria, an item Cortes said she is frequently asked about by customers.

“Over there [at El Rincón], a lot of people are always asking, ‘Do you have birria,’ and I say ‘No,’ and so I wanted to have birria because it’s very popular,” she said.

In fact, the menu includes almost an entire page dedicated to birria dishes. Although traditionally served in Mexico as a goat meat-based stew, Alas de Frida’s birria features slow-simmered barbacoa beef, with onion, cilantro and a cup of consommé, or the stewed broth, for dipping. You can get them as tacos, or try birria-inspired dishes like birria plates with rice and beans, loaded birria nachos or even noodle bowls of birria.

Cortes, who comes from the east-central Mexican state of Puebla, has also added several native dishes to the menu. The mole poblano, for instance, features grilled chicken covered in a mole sauce and roasted sesame seeds and served with a side of rice and corn tortillas. There’s also an appetizer called the Mexican wings, which are tossed in a spicy house sauce made with charcoal-grilled serrano peppers, tomatoes and garlic.

Alas de Frida is open six days a week for lunch and dinner — its lunch specials run the gamut from huevos rancheros and scrambled egg burritos to flautas (filled flour tortillas), quesadillas, enchiladas and fajitas.

Tacos, meanwhile, are served with blue corn tortillas, another new feature Cortes said is exclusive to Alas de Frida. Ground beef, shredded beef or chicken tacos are available a la carte, while other options served three per order include al pastor (marinated pork and grilled pineapple pieces), carnitas (slow-cooked seasoned pork) and vegetarian, with grilled mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, zucchini and squash. Cortes is also working toward soon adding trompo tacos al pastor, featuring meat that’s shaved off a rotating vertical spit.

Alas de Frida’s bar is much larger than its sister restaurant, enabling Cortes to offer an expanded menu of specialty cocktails. There’s a selection of more than a dozen house margaritas, in addition to domestic and imported beers, and pages’ worth of tequilas to choose from. Scratch-made horchatas are also available, as well as a few creative takes on mocktails.

Alas de Frida Mexican Restaurant & Bar
Where: 931 Elm St., Manchester
Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, noon to 11 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 9 p.m. Closed on Mondays.
More info: See “Alas de Frida Mexican Restaurant & Bar” on Facebook, find them on Instagram @alasdefrida_nh or call 518-7172

Featured photo: Photos courtesy of Alas de Frida Mexican Restaurant & Bar in Manchester.

Pies, greens and submarines

The Ricochet opens in Derry

Derry native Joey McCarran fondly remembers Romano’s Pizzeria, a town institution for nearly two decades. After several years spent on the West Coast post-college, McCarran and his wife, Lauren, are now back in his hometown — they’re known as “Jo and Lo,” and they’ve just opened a new restaurant together in the same storefront he used to frequent growing up.

The couple’s own experiences traveling across the country and returning home, McCarran said, inspired the name of their new eatery: The Ricochet. Gourmet pizza pies, calzones and hot subs are among the stars of the menu, which also features appetizers, salads, craft beers and cocktails.

“We like to say that the whole thing about this place and what we tried to do here is that it’s a feeling,” he said. “You’re going to ricochet off the walls here but at the end of the day you’ll end up where you’re supposed to, and that’s kind of what we were thinking we did. … We were here, there and everywhere. We hadn’t really planned on moving back to New Hampshire, but I grew up here, my family is still around, and I wanted our daughters to be able to come back.”

The couple took over the space last July and have been hard at work ever since on renovations and menu development. Ricky Alback, who McCarran said had been an employee at Romano’s at the time of the ownership change, has stayed on to serve as The Ricochet’s head chef.

“Ricky and I, we’ve been working tirelessly over here, just to make sure that we have something that we really like and that we can share with everybody,” he said. “It’s been fun to hear all of the feedback. Some days everybody orders all of our sandwiches, and we’re like, ‘Wow, I guess we were a sub shop today!’ … Then we might have a pizza day, and all of the pizzas will be gone.”

McCarran also recently started a company called Little Wild, which aims to provide locally grown hydroponic produce for area restaurants and other wholesale customers.

“I’ve got an investment down at a farm in Haverhill, Massachusetts, that’s going to [have] 30,000 square feet of hydroponic produce production,” he said. “All that produce will be coming to The Ricochet. … The idea is that … a restaurant like ours can really benefit from a local supplier that is consistent and can keep delivering, so customers will want to come back.”

The Ricochet boasts a unique aesthetic McCarran likened to a zen garden, with low lighting and plenty of vibrant plants. While it has been somewhat heavy on the takeout clientele at least to start, he said he has steadily noticed a surge in the volume of dine-in customers as of late.

Pizzas, McCarran said, feature a thin crust reminiscent of a southeastern Connecticut style.

“My wife is actually from the Mystic area, and so we really like that style of pizza,” he said. “We do a small and a large, and then any of our pizzas can also be a calzone.”

Among the several fan favorite pies out of the gate have been the El Jefe, featuring local pulled pork, barbecue sauce, red onions, pineapple and bacon; the Reaper, a spicier pizza with ghost pepper cheese, chorizo and hot honey; and the Figgy P, which has fig jam, Gorgonzola cheese, fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced prosciutto and a balsamic drizzle.

Subs feature rolls McCarran picks up fresh every day at Tripoli Bakery, just over the state line in northern Massachusetts. Many of the tried and true classics are represented, from a house meatball sub with marinara and provolone cheese, to a BLT, a chicken Parm and a steak bomb.

Salads, meanwhile, start with a garden or romaine base before they can be built in all kinds of different ways with proteins, toppings and dressings. There’s also a modest selection of made-to-order appetizers, like onion rings, crispy cut fries, chicken tenders and wings.

The Ricochet is also fast becoming known for its beverage program, which includes a rotating lineup of craft beers and creative cocktails. McCarran has even partnered Ali and Rob Leleszi of Rockingham Brewing Co. to brew a house Mexican-style cerveza, which he calls “the perfect pizza beer.” It’s available on tap now and will soon come canned when the second batch is ready.

“The beer is called Cerveza de Lechuza, and Lechuza was the beach [where] we would be pretty much every day when we lived out in Malibu,” McCarran said. “It directly translates to ‘owl beer,’ and so that’s how we always talk about it. Like, ‘Hey, come sit with us and have an owl.’”

Despite its small space, The Ricochet features a small stage in the corner of its lounge space for live performances. McCarran is also working on adding outdoor seating at the end of the plaza.

The Ricochet
Where: 35 Manchester Road, Suite 10, Derry
Hours: Tuesday, 4 to 8 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday, noon to 8 p.m., Friday, noon to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.
More info: Visit ricochet.pizza, find them on Facebook @thericochetderry and on Instagram @lovethericochet, or call 434-6500

Featured photo: Photos by Annie Hardester, on Instagram @annie.the.baker

The Weekly Dish 23/04/20

News from the local food scene

Gyros to go: Join St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral (650 Hanover St., Manchester) for A Taste of Glendi, a gyro drive-thru event happening on Saturday, April 22, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For $10, you can get a bagged meal featuring a ground lamb gyro with herbs and spices, a bag of chips, a soda and water. Orders are drive-up and cash only. Glendi, the three-day Greek food festival and 40+ year tradition at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral, is due to return in mid-September. See stgeorgenh.org for more details.

A fruitful discussion: Learn how to grow a healthy fruit crop during a free outdoor workshop at King Street Vineyards (25 King St., Milford) on Wednesday, April 26, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Topics to be covered will include establishing goals and setting expectations for your fruit harvest this season, as well as proper feeding and watering requirements and how to identify and address pests that may threaten your crop. As the event takes place outdoors, bringing your own lawn chairs is recommended. Opening day at the nursery, meanwhile, is slated for Saturday, April 29, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. — according to its website, families visiting with children on opening day can take home two New England strawberry plants per child. Space is limited for the April 26 workshop so register early online at kingstreetvineyards.com.

Get ready for ribs: Tickets are on sale now to this year’s Great American Ribfest & Food Truck Festival, a three-day event slated to return to Anheuser-Busch Brewery (221 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack) from Friday, July 21, through Sunday, July 23. In addition to eats from a wide array of barbecuers and food trucks, the outdoor festival boasts a full schedule of live performances throughout the weekend. New this year will be an expanded children’s area and a People’s Choice rib sampler. The event will kick off with a concert on Friday night, followed by two days of festivities, all to take place rain or shine. Advance admission is $32.50 for adults and $14.50 for kids ages 10 to 16 for the Friday night concert; and $12 for adults and $10 for seniors over 60 and military service members for Saturday and Sunday (kids ages 16 and under get in free per paid adult). Free entry for all attendees is available on Saturday, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., and on Sunday, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. See greatamericanribfest.com to purchase tickets.

Meals on Wheels purchases old Blake’s: Local nonprofit Meals on Wheels of Hillsborough County has purchased the former Blake’s Restaurant & Creamery storefront at 353 S. Main St. in Manchester, which closed in January. “This is part of a larger plan to increase our capacity to produce meals for our Meals on Wheels and Community Dining programs,” reads an announcement in its April newsletter. “The new building will enable us to improve efficiencies and offset the rising costs of food and gas.” The announcement goes on to say that the nonprofit’s long-term plans include reopening the building as part of its Dine Out Club program, which provides donation-based meals for people ages 60 and over. On April 3, Meals on Wheels of Hillsborough County hosted its first open house in the new location, which was attended by several of its board and staff members. Updates on the building’s renovations are expected soon. Visit hcmow.org or follow them on Facebook @hcmow or Instagram @hcmealsonwheels.

On The Job – Chris Conroy

Video production creative director

Chris Conroy is president and creative director of Heartwood Media, a video production company in Manchester.

Explain your job and what it entails. 

My official title isCreative Director at Heartwood Media, a video production company. But I’m really a storyteller. I help businesses reach new customers and attract new employees, help organizations raise money for good causes, and I help brands improve their visibility, all through the magic of video. Heartwood handles all aspects of video production from planning to delivery. In pre-production, I work directly with clients, their staff and customers to visualize and plan a project. Great visuals are essential to a successful video, so during production I direct the crew, work with talent and conduct interviews. In post-production … I work with our team — editors, graphics artists, animators — to put the finishing touches on our production.

How long have you had this job? 

Twenty-seven years. I started when I was 10.

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

I’ve always been involved in creative activities. I was in band, chorus and drama club in school. I signed up for a radio and TV course in college. I enjoyed it, and I was good at it. It seemed like a natural fit.

What kind of education or training did you need?

New York Institute of Technology, my college, had a daily news program where students filled the roles of reporters, camerapeople and editors. … It was great training for the real world. I started working in news right after graduation for an all-news station on Long Island. Shooting one-and-a-half-minute stories daily really helped to hone my skills. I worked at CNN for a while as an editor and cameraman. Then I moved into syndicated TV before moving to New Hampshire. As I moved on and up, I wore a lot of different hats — camera, sound, editor, grip, PA, producer — I’ve been there, done that, andI have the T-shirt for just about every role on a production. I even do a little makeup on our shoots.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire? 

Typical director wear — jodhpurs, riding crop and monocle. Kidding! Usually khakis or jeans and a button-down shirt.

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

Staying on top of changes and working with our clients to find the best fit for them. For example, during the pandemic we outfitted some clients with tripods and ring lights and trained them so they could record good-looking video. In some instances it makes sense for our clients to film things themselves and use our expertise in storytelling to edit a final video.

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

I will always be learning.

What do you wish other people knew about your job? 

How interesting it is. I have to understand a client’s story, product or service before I can tell it for them in a video. … Through my work, I know a little bit about so many different things.

What was the first job you ever had?

I delivered papers for Newsday.

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

Sometimes understanding what not to do is more important than learning what to do.

Five favorites

Favorite book:
Stop That Pickle!
Favorite movie: It’s impossible to pick just one film.
Favorite music: Anything by They Might Be Giants
Favorite food: Tough one! Pizza, bagel or knish.
Favorite thing about NH: Being able to enjoy all 10 seasons.

Featured photo: Chris Conroy. Photo by Rosemary Conroy.

Things to try — or not!

One option: grow a lot of something you love

Are you in a rut? Spring is here, but most of us cannot plant anything outdoors due to cold nights or wet ground. Yes, you can plant seeds indoors and baby them until early summer, but that requires a place to grow them and lights to keep them happy. So maybe you should put on your thinking cap and decide what you want to do later on, and do some research.

For starters, you could join a plant society, of which there are many. If you love daylilies, join the American Hemerocallis Society. You will find people who love daylilies, too, but have much more knowledge than you ever will. You will learn how to collect seeds and to hybridize daylilies of new colors.

Or what about the International Aroid Society? The Arum genus has a diverse collection of plants from skunk cabbage to philodendrons to Colocasia yams. The Plumeria Society of America is focused solely on the 11 species of plumeria, known as frangipani in English. Hostas? Wildflowers? Boxwood or bonsai? There are societies for each and every group.

An easy project indoors would be to start an avocado tree. Avocados ripen in California starting in spring and going through summer. Winter avocados won’t usually sprout from their seeds — they have been in cold storage too long. The classic method is to perch a seed in a glass of water using three toothpicks to keep its bottom just kissing the water. Put the point end up and the fat end down. I cut one open recently, and it was already sprouting! So I planted it in a mixture of potting soil and compost. I let the sprout just peek out above the soil line.

I have grown many avocado trees over the years, generally by recognizing the shiny leaves in my compost pile. So I know that you don’t have to suspend the seed in water — they will be glad to grow in compost. When I lived in West Africa I was able to buy avocados for a penny or two apiece, and often fed them to our cats. Cats love them because of their oil content. I have a 5-foot-tall avocado tree growing in a 12-inch pot that lives as a house plant in winter and goes out on the deck in summer. It started life in the compost pile.

Try to remember the favorite flowers of your grandparents, or your parents. This would be a good time to ask your mom, for example, what did her mom really love? My grandmother, who died in 1953, loved peonies. My mother, may she rest in peace, dug up one of her mom’s peonies and moved it from Spencer, Mass., to Woodbridge, Connecticut, and grew it for decades before I came along and divided it in the early 1980s and brought a part of it to Cornish Flat, where I live. The peony I got is ‘Festiva Maxima,’ a highly fragrant double white with splotches of red inside — blood from a fairy princess, I think.

If your Grammy loved roses, study your yard and figure out where one could go in loving memory of her. And do a little research now if you have never grown roses. Roses are easier to grow now than they were 40 or 50 years ago when Grammy was growing them. I love the ‘Knockout” series of roses. The Knockouts are not fragrant, so they do not attract Japanese beetles, and they bloom for months.

Think about planting an oak later in the month. Many gardeners don’t think of planting oaks, saying they get too big or grow too slowly. But it has been proven that oaks are the No. 1 best plant to support our birds, pollinators and mammals. And you can even plant a sprouting acorn now.

Oaks probably grow faster than you think. I planted several bare-root oaks in the spring of 2021. They were as thick as a pencil and only a foot or two tall. In two years many of them have taken off and are 3 feet tall or more, and they will be 10 feet tall in less than five years.

Want a fast-growing flowering tree? Plant a catalpa. They are native and the flowers are amazing. Fragrant, attractive. The leaves are huge — big enough that Native Americans used them for diapers for babies, I’ve read. I bought a 10-footer five years ago and now it is already a shade tree — 25 feet tall with a 20-foot-wide crown.

What else can you do? Grow a lot of something you love, starting from seed. I love rosemary, and recently bought a packet of seeds and planted 50 seeds. If all goes well, I will have plenty to share.

I will grow them on an electric heat mat (designed for use with seeds) as they germinate best at temperatures in the 70s. Once they have germinated I will grow them under very bright LED lights and will transplant them into rows in my vegetable garden in mid-June. Of course I will keep some in pots, and grow them on the deck.

Lastly, plan on growing a vegetable you have never grown before. You might try tiny decorative pumpkins, or huge ones. Or rutabagas. Dreaming big is part of being a gardener.

Featured photo: Oaks are pretty for us and food for caterpillars and wildlife. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

Henry is a UNH Master Gardener and the author of four gardening books. His website is Gardening-Guy.com. Reach him by email at [email protected].

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