Semiserious Chefs

Oi-muchim (오이무침): oi for cucumber and muchim for mixed or tossed, this quick Korean side dish is very common as a snack and of-course a banchan for any meal or special bapsang. (Sometimes it is also written as Oi Saengche (오이생채) from the Chinese influenced Korean writing for live vegetable since it is not ‘dead’/cooked.) […]

Ojingeo means squid, and chae means shredded or julienne so Ojingeochae (오징어채) is dried squid strips, and then you add muchim (무침) meaning mixed to title the dish. As the second half of the name implies the sauce and the dried squid strips, (already processed with salt and sometimes sugar,) are simply mixed together and […]

Htipiti, Kopanisti, Tirokafteri I know those words are each a mouthful. χτυπητή: htee-pee-tee or ktee-pee-tee (also written as ktipiti or ctipiti) Κοπανιστή: cop-en-es-tee τυροκαυτερή: teer-oh-kaaf-tehr-ee. Not so bad, eh? Each being Greek, the last of these translates as ‘Spicy Cheese’ from tiri for cheese and kafteri for spicy, while kopanisti is used to describe something […]

I’ve made these breaded and deep fried mushrooms several times in the last 6 months, and figured it was time to add them to the site. As I was preparing to bring them to a barbecue recently I ran across a bag of pearl onions I had purchased on discount. I hadn’t really made a […]

I first came across this recipe when looking for Lord of The Ring’s related dishes. It was originally called Smaug’s Balls. I played around with it a little and renamed it a much more sophisticated Smaug’s Gems, but now that I’m sharing it with the entire world, I think maybe they need another new name… […]

Although only given literately 5 seconds or less of attention on the air with Anthony Bourdain in Tangier, ‘Strawberries, Pine Nuts, and Honey’ pinged so loud on my foodie radar, “Make It! …Make It! …Make It!” that instead of having a song stuck in my head I pretty much heard this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9kv_V5lhiE ….from the moment […]

Bacon is good. Bourbon is good. But together?….. These sweet and salty, scrumptious treats are great for a Saturday breakfast, or an addition to your grilled monster-burger creation. Perhaps you want to be a little more exploratory and decided to crisp it up real well as a garnish for your famous Bloody Mary. And we […]

These wonderful and slightly pink treats are tasty and ‘cute’ if you could describe bacon in such a way. A perfect breakfast in bed for Mom, or snipped into bite-sized finger food at a baby shower. Now I’m not saying that these should only be served to the ladies, it just happened to have been […]

There are a million-and-a-half recipes for meatballs. Of course your Grandma makes the best ones, but these might be a close 2nd, and perhaps a new favorite! Using fresh parsley makes all the difference, and smoked paprika really brings the flavor up. Throw them over your favorite sauce and pasta, make meatball subs, or serve […]

  Yeah, I know that calling it ‘bread’ seems like a knock-off, but I’m not sure what else to call it. You use it like bread. I had the same problem when trying to make the duxelles ‘meatballs.’ If you call them Meatless Balls, which is what they are, it just sounds neutered, and Mushroom […]