Special Feature: Products Sally Recommends

An Interview with Paul Prudhomme

Sally Bernstein interviews Paul Prudhomme, chef, author of several books including Firey Foods That I Love, and food products entrepreneur.

MP3 Interview MP3

Interview Time (22:50)





Pasta in Cream Sauce

Any of the seven original Magic Seasoning Blends(TM) or Pizza & Pasta Magic(TM) will work well. For a change of pace: try adding raw vegetables or bite-sized pieces of chicken when melting margarine -- or add uncooked seafood while tossing cooked pasta.

1/3 pound dry spaghetti (thin) or rotelle
6 tablespoons margarine or unsalted butter
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
2 teaspoons Magic Seasoning Blends(TM) or Pizza & Pasta Magic(TM) (see above)
2 cups half & half or heavy cream

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions just to al dente stage; immediately drain and rinse with hot water to wash off starch, then with cold water to stop the cooking process; drain again. (To prevent the pasta from sticking together, pour a very small amount of oil in the palm of your hand and rub through the pasta after rinsing.)

In a large skillet, melt the margarine over medium heat. Add the Magic Seasoning Blend and saute´ about one minute to bring out the flavors, stirring occasionally; add the green onions and saute´ one to two minutes, continuing to stir. Gradually add the cream, either stirring or shaking the pan in a back-and-forth motion until the mixture reaches a boil. Simmer over medium heat until the sauce thickens somewhat, continuing to shake the pan, about two to three minutes. Add the cooked spaghetti; toss and stir until spaghetti is heated through, about two minutes. Pasta should swim in the sauce. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Bronzed Chicken Breasts

Any of the seven original Magic Seasoning Blends(TM) will work well.

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter or margarine
8 boneless, skinless, breast halves (about 3 ounces each), about 3/4-inch thick at thickest part, at room temperature
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Chef Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Magic ®

Heat heavy griddle or large, heavy aluminum skillet to 350°F, about seven minutes over medium heat (1/2 inch flame on gas stove), about 23 minutes over medium to medium-low hat on an electric stove. Or use an electric skillet.

Melt butter in a pie or cake pan. When griddle or skillet is heated, coat one chicken breast half with warm, melted butter. With chicken in your hand, sprinkle it evenly with about 1/2 teaspoon Poultry Magic; lay chicken on hot griddle or skillet surface. (Don't lay the chicken down on any surface because the butter and seasonings will adhere to your work surface instead of the chicken.) Continue this procedure for remaining chicken. Set aside remaining melted butter in warm place.

Cook chicken until underside is bronze in color, two to three minutes. (Watch and you'll see the white line coming up sides as chicken cooks; when line is about one-half the thickness, chicken is ready to be turned.) Turn chicken and drizzle about 1/2 tablespoon melted butter down length of each breast. Cook until done, two to three minutes more. Serve immediately, allowing two breast halves per person. Do not overcook! Chicken should be very juicy.

Dinner Vegetables

The tender-crisp vegetables in this colorful medley make a perfect accompaniment to broiled or fried fish. We call for "small" eggplants, by which we mean 2-3" in diameter and about 4-5" long. If you can find only larger ones, use fewer of them to get the correct amount. Also notice that we tell you to place the boiled salt pork in a &quotroom temperature" pot. Normally I tell you to preheat the pot, but not this time because we want to render the fat before we brown the salt pork.

Seasoning Mix:

2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon ground dried ancho chile peppers
1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon dried chipotle chile peppers
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 pound salt pork, diced into 1/2" cubes
3/4 pound whole okra
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
1 green bell pepper, sliced into eight wedges
1 red bell pepper, sliced into eight wedges
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced into eight wedges
2 large tomatoes, sliced into eight wedges
5 small eggplants (preferably oriental), sliced into eight wedges
4 medium shiitake mushrooms
1 ripe plantain, peeled and sliced into rounds 1/2" thick

Combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl.

Cover the salt pork with water, bring to a boil, boil for ten minutes and drain. Repeat two more times to boil for 30 minutes in all. Place the cooked salt pork in a room-temperature, five-quart pot over high heat to render its fat. When the salt pork begins to sizzle, reduce the heat, cover, and cook, uncovering to stir occasionally, until the salt pork is brown on all sides -- about 15 minutes. Add all the vegetables and plantain to the pot, return the heat to high, and stir in the seasoning mix, making sure to coat the vegetables evenly. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and more frequently toward the end of the cooking time. If the vegetables begin to stick, reduce the heat. The vegetables should be tender-crisp.

Serve with your favorite main course at dinner.

Frontier Chicken

This chicken is so beautiful while it's cooking that you may want to show off and prepare it while your company watches. Serve it with hot white rice and something crunchy, like sesame breadsticks or our Skillet Breads.

Seasoning Mix:

2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground fenugreek
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon ground dried pasilla chile peppers
1 teaspoon ground tumeric

6 (4 to 6 ounces) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions, in all
1 cup chopped green bell peppers, in all
1 cup chopped red bell peppers, in all
1 cup chopped yellow bell peppers, in all
1 large ripe banana, pelled & sliced
2 cups chicken stock, in all
1 Tablespoon. minced fresh garlic
2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 Tablespoons & 2 tsp. all purpose flour
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tablespoons seeded and finely diced fresh jalapeño chile peppers
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes

Combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl.

Sprinkle each side of each chicken breast with 1/2 teaspoon of the seasoning mix and rub it in well with your hands.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or 5-quart pot over high heat just until the oil begins to smoke, about 4 minutes. Brown the seasoned chicken breasts (in batches if necessary) about 2 to 3 minutes per side, then remove them from the pan. The oil and turmeric give the chicken a gorgeous yellow-gold color that is really dramatic.

To the same skillet (or pot) add 1 cup of the onions, 1/2cup of each color bell pepper, the banana, and the remaining seasoning mix. Cook, stirring and scraping occasionally, for 10 minutes. If necessary to prevent burning, add 1/4 cup stock and deglaze the pot (use it as you scrape to loosen any brown bits); you may also have to lower the heat to meduim. Add the garlic, ginger, and flour and stir until the flour is thoroughly absorbed.Add the remaining bell peppers and onions, the cilantro, and the jalapeño peppers. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the tomatoes and remaining stock and return the chicken and the
accumulated juices to the pan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the chicken is done, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.



Note: This information was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the businesses in question before making your plans.

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