Semiserious Chefs

Kelewele (pronounced kay-lay-way-lay) is a West African street food that is particularly popular in Ghana. Commonly sold as cubed bits, people also like to slice them more like fries or potato wedges, and sometimes as medallions. These spicy seasoned and fried treats are great for parties, hors d’oeuvres, side dishes, and even tossed on salad. […]

This recipe takes its roots from Ghana. The southern states in particular lean heavily on cassava and plantain as major staples, but the common culture throughout the country is to serve a meal centered around the starch of choice with a soup or stew, most often tomato based, and added protein, very often fish. Like […]

In our American world of mish-mashing cultures, it is really wonderful whenever I stumble upon a truly authentic l dish. Not too long ago, in my never ending quest to expand my herb and spice collection, I purchased a pinch bag of annatto seeds and began researching the hows and wheres of their common use, […]

These tapas are beautiful and really quite easy to make. And they come out looking so fancy! If you don’t have the shells from your scallops, that is okay. You can always just bake them in a ramekin. You can also easily use any other large shells you may have around for decorative purposes, just […]

This beverage was thrown together for a group of friends who happen to like mulled wine. I decided instead to mull some apple juice, (basically apple cider,) using cinnamon, mace blades, and cardamom, then spiked it with whiskey instead. A Note About Mace Blades I used mace blades to spice my apple juice. These intriguing […]

Bilbo. There is a possibility that you don’t know that name, but if you live in the US it’s quite unlikely. Either way, he was a most beloved hero in JR Tolkien’s book “The Hobbit.” He was the precursing character to Frodo in the “Lord of The Rings” trilogy. He was brave out of necessity, […]

First off I will mention that rum could easily replace the bourbon. I suppose that triple sec could as well, but that would make it maple orange, and quite a bit sweeter. You can of course just replace the booze altogether with water if it fits your lifestyle better, but then, you might as well […]

This soup is so sweet and totally nutritious! There is very little prep-time involved so it’s a perfect meal for a busy day, when you need to be able to walk away from the kitchen for a little while. Adding toasted coconut really brings this soup up a notch. I highly suggest it! By adding […]