Harvey enjoys making international dishes

Derrick Harvey’s favorite aspect of cooking is making and tasting dishes from all around the world.

“To me, I enjoy eating food from around the world and tasting different things,” Harvey said. “I’ve learned how to cook food from all around and I take pleasure from enjoying the food and seeing other people enjoy what I make.”

Harvey grew up in Leake County and currently lives in Neshoba with his wife Jennifer and kids, Taliyah and Eric. Before moving to Neshoba in 2006, he lived in New Mexico and Colorado and not only learned from his grandmother how to make Southern-styled comfort food like collard greens and cornbread, but also international dishes like mofongos, enchiladas, and green chili chicken casserole.

“I learned how to cook when I first moved out on my own when I was 20,” Harvey said. “I got tired of having to go out to eat. Ordering pizza got old. I wanted to make my own food and be more experimental. In places like New Mexico, there wasn’t a lot of soul food to eat and I asked my grandmother for recipes. I learned how to grill meat and other types of barbecue from my mom as well.”

Harvey enjoys grilling meat for family gatherings and parties.

“It’s a nice social thing,” Harvey said. “Right now, I’m passionate about smoking meat like ribs, chicken, sausage, pork butt, brisket, and sides like macaroni and cheese.”

“I’m also not really into sweet dishes, but I do like making peanut butter balls around Christmas,” he said. “Recently, since my son is allergic to peanuts, he’s been eating things like sunflower butter, and we found a recipe for a dish that tastes like Butterfingers.”

Outside of cooking, Harvey commutes every day to his warehouse manager job at Satellites Unlimited in Meridian.

BEST SMOKED RIBS

A rack of baby back ribs

Mustard

Seasoning of your choice (sweet preacher is recommended)

Apple juice

Honey

Brown sugar

Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs and use mustard as a binder. Apply seasoning of choice to the pork and let sit. Warm up the smoker at 275 degrees, and place the ribs on the rack. Let smoke for 3 hours. Spritz with apple juice every hour.

Remove ribs and apply honey and brown sugar and smoke for 2 more hours. Remove and enjoy fall-off-the-bone sweet and spicy smoky ribs.

GREEN CHILI CHICKEN ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

5 boneless chicken thighs

2 cans green chilis

1 can enchilada sauce

8 ounces cream cheese

8 ounces sour cream

Corn or flour tortillas

Shredded Mexican blend cheese

Smoke the chicken thighs with wing commander season shred. Mix with the green chilis, enchilada sauce, cream cheese, and sour cream.

In a baking dish, layer chicken mix with corn or flour tortillas and Mexican blend cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

PEANUT BUTTER BALLS

1 cup peanut butter

½ cup confectioner’s sugar

2 cups Rice Krispies

Chocolate almond bark

Mix peanut butter and confectioner’s sugar with Rice Krispies. Roll mixture into balls and place in the freezer. Melt chocolate almond bark in 30-second increments until melted.

Dip peanut butter balls in chocolate until fully covered and place on wax paper to set or sit in the freezer for 30 minutes.