Merrimack Valley Magazine

Holiday Eats – Area Chefs Share Seasonal Favorites – Part 3

November 18, 2021 by Kristin Cole

Holiday celebrations this year will feel even more special as many of us get together with our families as many of us renew traditions that were skipped a year ago. During our annual “holiday food” conversations with local chefs and restaurateurs, each of the recipes they chose to share had some connection to their roots. We hope these dishes encourage you to spread warmth and hope to your loved ones this holiday season.

Northern Essex Community College Culinary and Hospitality Program

For Denis Boucher, manager of the culinary and hospitality program at Northern Essex Community College, it’s traditions that mean the most during the holidays. His family embraces its Franco American culture, enjoying multiple celebrations. When it comes to a traditional dish, Boucher says his family’s recipe for tourtiere — a French Canadian meat pie served throughout Quebec and by Franco American families during the Christmas season — has been passed down by the women in his family for generations.

Boucher grew up watching his memere (grandmother) and mother in the kitchen, sparking his love of cooking at a young age. Despite his culinary experience, Boucher says he initially found it difficult to capture the unique flavor of his grandmother’s tourtiere. “If I changed one little thing, such as substituting warm spices for savory herbs, I heard about it,” he says.

Boucher finally made a breakthrough when he was able to trick his family into thinking his mother had made the beloved pies. “They loved them,” he says. This year will be even more special for Boucher, whose mother died in July. He plans to continue the annual tradition to honor her and his grandmother.

Northern Essex Community College
Haverhill, Mass.
(978) 556-3700
NECC.Mass.edu

Mémère Porell’s Tourtière

Yield: one 10-inch pie; 8 to 10 servings

Pie Crust:
2 cups or 9 ounces all-purpose flour
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) of butter cut into small dice and kept refrigerated
3 ounces ice-cold water
1 teaspoon salt

Combine the flour and salt in a food processor and add the cold butter. Pulse until the pieces are the size of a pea.

Add water and pulse until the dough forms a loose ball. Do not overmix.

Empty the dough onto a floured surface and gather together until it forms a cylinder.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least
1 hour. This can be done a day ahead of time.

Note: It’s OK to use store-bought pie dough in a pinch.

Pie Filling:
2 pounds ground pork, at least 80% lean
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion; chopping it in a food processor is OK
3 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
3 cups mashed potatoes (about 6 medium potatoes)
1/4 cup milk

Combine the pork, onion, salt, pepper, herbs and water in a medium saucepan. Stir until well combined.

Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer gently, stirring often, until all the liquid has evaporated (2 to 3 hours). Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.

In another saucepan, boil the potatoes until tender, drain, and mash or rice.

Combine the pork mixture with the potatoes. Place the mixture in the refrigerator while you prepare your pie dough, or until cool.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and cut into 2 pieces, 10 ounces for the bottom crust and 8 ounces for the top crust.

Roll out the bottom crust and line a 10-inch pie plate.

Spoon the cooled pork and potato mixture into the bottom crust and smooth into a slight dome, using the back of a spoon. Brush the milk onto the edges of the crust.

Roll out the top crust and place over the filling, overlapping the top crust by 1 inch. Seal the edges by pressing together lightly.

Flute the edges of the crust. Insert your thumb into the middle of the top crust to create a vent hole.

Brush the crust with milk and bake in the center of the oven for 40 minutes or until the top crust is browned and a thermometer inserted into the center of the filling reads 160 F.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Holiday Eats – Area Chefs Share Seasonal Favorites – Part 2

November 11, 2021 by Kristin Cole

The Joy Nest

Caroline Jolliffe, owner of The Joy Nest in Newburyport, remembers the familiar comfort of her mother’s holiday cooking.

For Jolliffe, who has Swedish roots, the holidays have always meant celebrations that bring light and warmth into the dark and cold of winter. “Meatballs that my mother made are what comes to mind,” she says.

When you enter Jolliffe’s cozy restaurant, you won’t find Swedish cuisine. The Joy Nest combines the ambiance of a 1920s speakeasy with Thai street food, an amalgamation inspired by the two-plus years she lived in Thailand during the 1990s. “I’m really drawn to contrasts; the combination of elegance and comfort is really appealing to me,” Jolliffe says.

While living in Thailand, Jolliffe fell in love with the country’s cuisine. “The food itself was so complex, containing so many flavors,” she says.

The Joy Nest’s menu reflects this experience with dishes such as gai tod hat yai, boneless chicken thighs commonly sold by street vendors in southern Thailand.

When considering a recipe to share, Jolliffe was drawn to Thai fish curry noodle soup, which she describes as “very traditional and often served at gatherings.”

The Joy Nest
Newburyport, Mass.
(978) 572-1615
TheJoyNestRestaurant.com

Fish Curry Noodle Soup

Yield: 8 servings

3/4 pound whitefish, such as cod
1 cup fish balls (available in Asian grocery stores)
3 stalks lemongrass, cut into halves
4 slices galangal
8 red Thai chiles
3 tablespoons red curry paste
3/4 cup krachai root, chopped
4 kaffir lime leaves
2 shallots, cut into quarters
3/4 teaspoon shrimp paste
6-7 cups water
coconut milk (to desired texture)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup scallions, chopped
1 package soft rice noodles (available in Asian grocery stores)
1 bunch green beans cut into small pieces
1 cup bean sprouts
1/2 green cabbage, cut into narrow strips
8 hard-boiled eggs (one for each serving)

Heat water in a wok or pot until it starts to gently boil, then add the stalks of lemongrass, lime leaves, chiles, krachai root, shallots and galangal. Stir and let the ingredients simmer for about 3 minutes.

Add the whitefish; stir delicately and let the fish cook for about 5 minutes. Spoon all of the herbs and roots into a bowl, and the fish (carefully) into another bowl. Throw away the galangal. Separate out the lemongrass and lime leaves, and set aside. Keep the remaining broth in the wok to use later.

Put the shallots, chiles and krachai root together and use a mortar and pestle to grind them into a paste. Add the shrimp paste and red curry paste to this mixture and combine. Add the whitefish and crush everything together thoroughly.

Heat the broth that you left in the wok on high. When it starts to simmer, spoon in the paste mixture. Add the leftover lemongrass and lime leaves and stir again. Once it comes to a boil, add the fish balls.

Cook soup for about 5 minutes, turn off the heat, then add coconut milk at the very end to your desired texture. Sprinkle with chopped scallions. Serve with rice noodles, cabbage and green beans. Garnish with a hard-boiled egg and cilantro.

Holiday Eats – Area Chefs Share Seasonal Favorites – Part 1

November 5, 2021 by Kristin Cole

Summer Street Grocers

Frank Francione, a chef by trade who lives in Chelmsford, saw Summer Street Grocers as an opportunity to bring a community feel to a grocery store, similar to another locally owned Chelmsford market, The Elegant Farmer, which closed a few years ago.

The 3,200-square-foot store offers grocery products and a variety of prepared foods. He plans to begin offering locally grown produce during the 2022 growing season.

Francione’s Italian American roots dominate his family’s holiday celebrations. “One of the biggest staples over the years that has really made the meal feel like a holiday one is the antipasti,” he says. Often the first course of a traditional Italian meal, antipasti typically includes cured meats, cheeses, olives and vegetables cured in olive oil.

“When I was younger, my grandmother would make classic rolled meats and cheeses with garnishes,” Francione says. He remembers going to Boston’s North End with his father to pick up “the good stuff,” emphasizing that quality meats for holiday dishes have always been a top priority for his family.

If you’re looking for ingredients to re-create a traditional holiday dish, Francione plans to bring quality food to the community through Summer Street Grocers this holiday season.

Summer Street Grocers
Chelmsford, Mass.
SummerStreetGrocers.com

Summer Street Grocers Holiday Antipasto

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

1 cup Parmesan-Reggiano cheese, cut into 1⁄4-inch dice
1 cup high quality prepared artichoke hearts
1⁄2 cup Castelvetrano olives, pitted and halved
1⁄2 cup oil-cured olives, pitted
1⁄2 cup ripe black olives, pitted and sliced
1⁄4 cup caper berries, sliced
1 cup Peppadew peppers, halved
1 1⁄4 cup fresh buffalo mozzarella, torn into 1-inch pieces
4 ounces Genoa salami, cut into thick slices
4 ounces prosciutto San Daniele, sliced
3 ounces mortadella, sliced
3 ounces of soppressata, sliced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
The juice of half of 1 lemon

Measure and gather all of the ingredients. Arrange everything except for the meats on a plate or sheet pan, keeping everything separate.

Choose a serving platter about 14 inches in diameter, or big enough to evenly spread all of the ingredients without needing to pile them too high.

Start plating by laying out a few pieces of meat, keeping the mortadella and prosciutto somewhat folded to create some height. You will repeat this technique as you build and layer the antipasto.

Working around the plate, begin layering the other ingredients, working in stages and spreading things out and around the platter. Try to alternate ingredients of different colors in order to make your platter more attractive. There’s really no wrong way to do this; the goal is to make the platter colorful and have all the ingredients evenly distributed, so have some fun and make it nice!

Finish the antipasto by drizzling the extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice over the entire platter.

Enjoy with your favorite fresh bread.

Generations – Side-By-Side

July 27, 2021 by Katie Lovett

Horseshoe Grille Owner Pat Lee Jr. Reflects on Lessons Learned From His Hardworking Parents.

From the time he was a young boy, Pat Lee Jr. had a job to do at his family’s business.

Every Sunday, his North Reading family would attend Mass at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church and then head back to The Horseshoe on Main Street for an afternoon of chores. Lee and his siblings helped — washing down shelves, sweeping and cleaning under the booths.

While his parents, Pat Lee Sr. and Veronica, couldn’t have foreseen that Lee Jr. would continue the family business one day, it was expected that the children would pitch in and help when needed.

While Lee was a high school senior, the legal drinking age in Massachusetts dropped to 18 years old. The first day the law went into effect, a Sunday, instead of heading out with his friends, Lee went to work. He took his first shift as a bartender at the Horseshoe. It was a day he’ll never forget, he says with a laugh, as the regulars threw drink names at him and kept him guessing with their orders.

“They were busting my chops,” Lee says.

His father stood down at the other end of the bar, enjoying the show, he adds.

“He was teaching me a little bit of a lesson,” Lee says. “He humbled me pretty quickly with throwing me to the wolves.”

It’s one of the countless lessons Lee learned from watching his father run the Horseshoe, which he took over about 36 years ago.

“He was revered,” Lee says of his late father. “He related well to the working man because he was one of them.”

Although his son later transformed the old ’Shoe into a popular “polished casual” establishment known for American fare and barbeque, the elder Lee had no interest in frills. His pub sold one menu item, a ham and Swiss sandwich on rye bread, which sold for 95 cents and came with a pickle.

“It was monstrous,” Lee says. “You could hardly get your hands around it, never mind your mouth. There had to be close to a pound of meat on it.”

The native of Ireland came from a hardworking background and led a simple life, Lee says. “He treated everybody with a very high degree of respect and cared for them.” Lee recalls the night a local business burned down. The firefighters were still on the scene extinguishing the blaze when Pat Lee Sr. showed up and handed over a roll of cash to the fire victims to help them get back on their feet.

At times when he was growing up, Lee recalls, he didn’t see his father as much as he would have liked as the elder Lee was always at the restaurant. “When I started working at the Horseshoe,” Lee says, “that’s when I got to know him the best. We were working side-by-side, it was great.”

After Lee took over the Horseshoe from his parents, his father remained a welcome figure.

“I called him Bartender Emeritus,” Lee says, “There was always a place behind the bar whenever he showed up.”

Before the pandemic hit, his mother, Veronica, 93, visited the restaurant weekly, dining with friends and family.

“She keeps her finger on the pulse of things,” Lee says.

The Horseshoe began in 1926 as an apple cider stand. After Prohibition ended, the Horseshoe became a social club. In the 1930s, owner D. P. Murphy’s nephew John Twomey took over The Horseshoe. In 1955 his niece and nephew, Pat Lee Sr. and his wife, Veronica, purchased it. In 1960, Lee Sr. tore down the building and replaced it with the “old” Horseshoe Lounge familiar to a previous generation.

When Pat Sr. and Veronica were ready to retire, Pat Jr. was looking for a career change after spending a decade in corporate sales. He and Kathi, his wife, also a North Reading native, moved back to their hometown in 1985 and became the next generation to run the Horseshoe. The business celebrates its 95th anniversary this year, and while it’s still too early to know if Lee’s children, Jaclyn and Brian, will take the reins, the business is well positioned for the future, Lee says. The family isn’t afraid to change with the times.

“We can’t get stagnant,” Lee says.

Horseshoe Grille
North Reading, Mass.
(978) 664-3591
HorseshoeGrille.com

Front-Line Reflections

March 29, 2021 by Maureen Crocker

Health Care Workers Honor Those Lost During the Pandemic

A married couple just shy of their 65th wedding anniversary are overcome by the COVID-19 virus and die less than a week apart. Their son, John Gioioso Jr., wants us to remember the wonderful people his parents were in life, and the extraordinary care his family received during his mother and father’s final days.

Gioioso took the time to write an email to Greater Lawrence Family Health Center in which he praised Lawrence General Hospital and its staff, and specifically recognized four doctors who cared for his parents during their stay, beginning last May 8 with John Gioioso Sr.’s admission and continuing through May 9, when his wife, Palmina, was admitted, May 11, when John passed away, and May 17, when Palmina died.

The team didn’t just care for Palmina, 89, and John, 91. They also cared for their family. Julia Cooper, Patrick O’Neil, Rebecca Joseph and Alex Spacht were all residents of Greater Lawrence Family Health Center’s four-year family medicine residency program when they were assigned to staff a COVID-19-positive floor at Lawrence General Hospital. The doctors’ reactions to working under those conditions were mixed at first. They all knew it would be challenging. Spacht described them as recognizing it was a privilege to care for those suffering from this terrible disease, while at the same time confronting fears for their own safety.

“The hospital did a really incredible job working with the limited resources that all hospitals at the time were experiencing,” says O’Neil. Personal protective equipment (PPE) was in short supply during the early days of the pandemic, but O’Neil felt the hospital was still able to prioritize the safety of patients and staff. As the Gioiosos became ill, Massachusetts hospitals were struggling through the state’s initial wave of infections.

Julia Cooper and Patrick O’Neil (pictured in the photo below) were four-year residents when they were assigned to a COVID-19-positive floor at Lawrence General Hospital. This work brought them to care for Palmina and John Gioioso Sr., pictured right, at the end of their lives. To help manage emotional distress, and to honor their patients, the residents turned their workroom into a memorial.

John Gioioso Jr. wrote the email, but says the entire family was touched by the personal and attentive care Palmina and John received. On the day after Palmina’s passing, the Gioioso family got a message from Spacht, in which she expressed her condolences. Joseph took the time to personally meet the Gioiosos’ daughter Laura and her husband, Frank, at the entrance of the floor to check their PPE and comfort them. She was the doctor who brought Palmina to her husband so she could comfort him in his final moments. O’Neil spent time answering the toughest questions. He made Palmina comfortable as she passed, doing his best to stand in for her family. “Dr. Cooper would go in and she would hold my mother’s hand,” John Gioioso Jr. recalls. “She would brush her hair. She was us. It was a blessing for us.”

The doctors were humble when presented with this praise. They wouldn’t admit to being extraordinary and insisted they were just trying their best in a difficult time. As Joseph puts it, “Just because [the family members] weren’t able to be at the bedside didn’t mean we wanted to change our standard of care in regards to family communication, so we really made it a focus and part of our routine.”

The doctors will likely be forever changed because of their work during the pandemic. At this early stage of their careers, they were faced with a mysterious disease and changing protocols regarding its treatment. They witnessed the deaths of patients at increasing rates and often found themselves offering end-of-life counseling to families.

O’Neil described the emotional and physiological pain that he and his fellow residents shared. Going through the experience together was helpful.

Says Cooper: “One of the ways that the residents were processing our grief through the pandemic is that the room we were using as our workroom … we chose a wall and we cut out some squares of paper and put out a lot of markers and things, and people would make little memorials of the patients who had died. And so, when Mr. Gioioso died, Rebecca Joseph made one for him, and I made one when Mrs. Gioioso died, and wrote after 64 years of marriage that Mrs. Gioioso joined her husband.”

The impact of the compassion from these four doctors will undoubtedly continue to ripple through the lives of other families. But the doctors will tell you that they couldn’t have done it alone. “I just want to make sure we give the recognition to all the other people that were working on that floor,” Joseph says. “We really couldn’t have done what we did in those months and continue to do without the support of really phenomenal nurses, social workers, and the chaplain, nurses aides who sat with patients while they were dying, and really all the different levels of staff, cafeteria workers; everyone played an integral part of providing compassionate care to patients who had been admitted to the hospital.”

Greater Lawrence Family Health Center
Various Locations
GLFHC.org