Semiserious Chefs

In the short, Lumpia is the Filipino version of pork egg rolls. The cuisine of the Philippines is actually quite an intriguing one. Obviously they are an Asian nation, and they have an abundant supply of such fresh ingredients as rice, bananas, citrus, fish, and other uniquely Asian fruits and vegetables, but they have also […]

These beer battered onion rings are light and airy. They don’t have any sort of breading, making the whole process a little quicker. To begin with, onion slices get soaked for about 10 minutes in a bath of ice water. This process mellows out the taste of the onion and removes the harshness from it.

As the name implies, this recipe has been inspired by the cuisines of Ghana, Nigeria and other West African countries. It’s important to note the use of true yam for this dish. In the US we often times have two sweet potato varieties that are marketed as sweet potato, the pale colored sweet flavored potato, […]

This plantain breakfast, enjoyed by both the Brazilian and Peruvian Amazonian cultures, as well as the High Sierra Peruvians, is unique from the others I have tried in that it uses ground annatto seed, which is called achiote by the locals. Annotto has a very unique flavor. It has a flowery aroma with hints of […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

I made Pozole Rojo the other day, and ended up with an entire extra pint of the fiery broth left over. Part of it we planned to use for canning pork, and I had planned to use the other half for an Indian style dish of lentils over rice. It just happened that I also […]

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 […]