2016 Spring Weeklies
As the seasons change so do the weekly specials here at The Portsmouth Brewery. I know that I’m a little behind and I apologize but we just loved this last round of weeklies so much that we didn’t want to get rid of them. The chefs and I have an assortment of dishes for you to choose from, a little something for everyone!
Monday’s special will feature a Cipollini and Mushroom Stew featuring local mushrooms from the NH Mushroom Company creamed with cipollini onions served with grilled sour dough, truffled grilled asparagus with guyure cheese and a demi salad. This showcases some springtime vegetables but is still hearty enough for those colder spring days. Really flavorful and fresh.
Tuesday’s special is a Gyro Sandwich featuring some homemade gyro style lamb! It will be served on flatbread with lettuce, tomatoes, onion, tzatziki and hot sauce. Served with your choice of side. If you don’t eat lamb, we are offering our fried falafel as a delicious alternative!
Wednesday’s special is San Choy Bau, which is a stir fry of pork with fresh ginger, water chestnuts, garlic and oyster sauce. It will be served in lettuce cups topped with mung bean sprouts, shredded carrots and daikon! It’s a refreshing and really flavorful dish. The lettuce cups will be served with a chilled lo mien salad. We will also be featuring a meatless option using scrambled tofu instead of ground pork with a mushroom sauce which is very similar to the oyster sauce.
Thursday’s special is near and dear to my heart! Braised Rabbit thigh served over white bean ragout, confit tomatoes, grilled garlic crostini and finished with a mustard jus. Rabbit is overlooked in most restaurants and it’s such a beautiful piece of meat. Rabbit is a very healthy and tasty option. I know that “it tastes like chicken” is thrown around a little too much but in this case it really does taste a lot like chicken. Rabbit is actually considered to be in the poultry family when it comes to buying them. I’m really excited for you to come in and give it a try!
Friday’s special will feature a beautiful piece of seared duck cooked the way you like served with farro pilaf(a form of barley), wilted frisee salad tossed with dried cherries, toasted pine nuts, asparagus, sherry vinegar and house lardons. To top it off a fried egg! It’s a very vibrant dish featuring some the great spring flavors that we are accustom to!
Once again Saturday’s special will be featuring seafood as we usually do. We will be serving a traditional New Orleans style gumbo with crawfish, rabbit and house made green chorizo served over white rice. It will pair great with multiple beers that we have on tap. We will be featuring a meatless version of the gumbo with black eyed peas, blacken tofu and yellow cherry tomatoes.
Lastly, our Sunday specials have always starred a traditional style American comfort food however I’ve decided it’s time to explore what other parts of the world consider comfort food! First stop: France! Seeing how I absolutely love French food, we will be serving Coq au Vin! Coq au Vin is red wine braised chicken thighs with mushrooms, carrots and onions. It will be served with the most decadent mashed potato you have ever tasted. Pomme Robuchon is what these potatoes are called, named after their creator Chef Joel Robuchon. They contain three times the amount of butter that you would normally put in mashed potatoes giving it a lush and velvety smooth texture. To complete the dish it will be served with Haricot Verts. As you can see I have a passion for French cooking and I know you won’t be disappointed if you come in on Sunday for some Coq au Vin. I can’t take all the credit; I did steal the recipe from Chef Julia Child, you can’t mess with greatness! We also will be featuring a meatless option for this dish which includes some braised root vegetables including celeriac, parsnips and carrots with local organic tempeh. We will braise all of those in the red wine as well with the mushrooms and the onions!
As you can see this round of weeklies have a nice balance of light to heavy dishes showcasing different cuisines and styles from around the world. Food is a passion for me and I’m happy to share it with you! I hope you have a chance to stop in the Brewery to try what the team of Chefs and I have come up with. See you at 56 Market!
Chef Jon