Semiserious Chefs

Americans love yogurt. We particularly like it sweet, often with berries or fruit, and even flavored like favorite desserts and pies. We like it in single portions and easy to grab on the go, including, but not limited to, the ever-popular squeezable tubes for children. We also have what is marketed as ‘drinkable yogurt.’ Now […]

Armenia. It’s own nation; just barely. They are incredibly proud of their heritage and their homeland. They come from the ancient lands of the Mesopotamia and lived through the Ottoman empire. They’ve been ‘owned’ by both Turkey and Russia, over and over, and their cuisine is a mix of flavors that shows these ever waving […]

Samboosa are Arabic fried triangle pastries. They are most often savory, so the title word here, halwah or ‘sweets’ gives us a clue that this is a fried triangular pastry sweet snack. The original recipe I played off called for cashews and walnuts, but I am really not a fan of walnuts. For my rendition […]

Taken from the Arabic for an onomatopoeia-like word sounding meaning ‘all mixed up,’ this North African dish is beloved both by Muslims and Jews, as their cultures have been intermingled again and again throughout history. Often eaten at breakfast, shakshouka is also not uncommon to have for dinner. The ingredients are simple, and it only […]

Manakish, pronounced manakeesh, is a very popular flat bread from the Middle East. It is most commonly topped with a za’atar blend, but can also be found topped with tomatoes, local cheeses, ground seasoned lamb, chilies, or greens. It can be sliced or served whole, and eaten flat or folded. Manakish is common for both […]

Requiring only 2 ingredients, salt and lemons, it is incredibly easy to have this versatile condiment and meal enhancer in your fridge. Okay, so it sometimes also needs a little lemon juice, but you don’t even need a pressure cooker or canner. Just make sure your jar and it’s lid have been sterilized, either with […]

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 […]

I’m pretty sure that everyone knows by now how precious the little red stigmas from a saffron crocus are. The common rumor is that they are more expensive than gold, and at around $5,000 per pound wholesale it is no joke, but let’s compare that to the price of gold today; around $1200 per ounce. Immediately […]

Despite looking and sounding like it will be a spicy middle eastern herb, Sumac has a tart, almost lemony flavor and is great sprinkled on fish or chicken, light salads, and rice pilaf. Common in Arab dishes, it comes from ground Rhus flowers, found in subtropic and temperate parts of Africa. For this dish I […]