Let’s Talk Food: Tribute to Paul Prudhomme

The culinary world was saddened to hear of the passing of Paul Prudhomme in early October at the age of 75.

Jim and I went to his restaurant, K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen, in May to celebrate our friend Leo Brown’s birthday. We had a wonderful dinner with impeccable service and hope his restaurant continues to be opened even after his death.

Chef Paul was an innovator in the food industry. He is known for creating the “turducken,” which is a boneless chicken stuffed in a boneless duck and then stuffed into a boneless turkey. Needless to say, I did make it one Thanksgiving, and only once, because not only was it a lot of work (deboning three birds), but the greasiness of the duck overwhelmed and nearly ruined the entire dish.

Spices were important to Chef Paul. Not only did he create a line of spice mixes, but he is credited for inventing blackened fish at K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen.

Here is Chef Paul’s blackened spice mix:

Chef Paul Blackened Spice Mix

Combine and store in an airtight container:

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground red pepper

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

This salad from Chef Paul might be great for the holidays, with family and friends, as it makes 8 cups:

Black Bean Salad with Roasted Parsnip Dressing

3 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Meat Magic

3/4 teaspoon ground dried ancho chili powder

3/4 teaspoon Paul Prudhomme Ground Dried Magic Chile: New Mexico (Mild)

3/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 pound dried black beans

1 1/2 quarts water

1 1/4 cups chopped onions, in all

3/4 cup chopped red bed peppers, in all

3/4 cup chopped yellow bell peppers, in all

3/4 cup chopped green bell peppers, in all

1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into pieces, about 3 inches long and 1 inch thick

2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, in all

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine)

1/4 cup cane syrup

1 tablespoon lightly packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 1/2 cups chopped ripe tomatoes

Day 1: Rinse the beans, picking out any foreign matter. Add enough water so they are covered by about 3 inches, and soak overnight.

Day 2: Combine the first five ingredients to make the seasoning mix, set aside.

Drain the beans and place them in a 4-quart pot with 1 1/2 quarts of water, 2 tablespoons plus 3/4 teaspoon of the seasoning mix, 1 cup of the onions, 1/2 cup each of the red bell peppers, yellow bell peppers and green bell peppers. Stir well, cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovering to stir and scrape the bottom of the pot occasionally, until the liquid is reduced so it just covers the beans, and the beans are tender, about one and a half to two hours.

While the beans are cooking, start the dressing. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the parsnips on a sheet pan and brush all their surfaces with 1 1/2 teaspoons of the oil. Roast in the oven, turning once or twice so they brown easily, until they are a medium golden brown, about eight to 10 minutes. Set aside.

When the beans are cooked, transfer 1 1/2 cup of them to a blender and add the parsnips, the remaining 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the rice vinegar, mirin, cane syrup, brown sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons plus 1 1/4 teaspoons of the seasoning mix. Process until smooth, about 30 to 40 seconds. Makes about 3 1/4 cups of dressing.

Place the remaining beans in a 2-quart mixing bowl and add the remaining bell peppers, celery and tomatoes. Toss to coat.

Small bites

Paul Prudhomme was born Gene Autry Prudhomme on a farm in Opelousas, La., the youngest of 13 children. His father, Eli Prudhomme, was a farmer and perhaps that could be have been Paul’s destiny, too, but his love of food was in him at an early age.

In 1957, when Paul was just 17 years old, he opened a hamburger restaurant called Big Daddy O’s Patio. However, it shut down after nine months. It also ended his first marriage. That gave him a bad taste, so he became a magazine salesman.

But the passion for cooking never left him. He created his own spice mix line, and in 1970 he became the sous chef at the Le Pavilion Hotel, where he met his second wife, Kay Hinrichs, who was a waitress there.

In 1975, he was named the first American-born chef for Commander’s Palace, and in 1979 he and his wife opened K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen in the French Quarter of New Orleans.

Kay, whom the “K” in K-Paul represents, passed away at the age of 48 in 1997 after several years of fighting a rare form of cancer.

Chef Paul’s weight took its toll on his joints and legs, and he lost a lot of weight in the past few years, until he became half the size for which he was known.

Food bites

• Speaking of spices, now is a good time to check your spice rack to make sure they are still useable. Smell them. If they smell moldy, they need to be replaced. Even if your holiday cooking calls for only 1 teaspoon of a spice, if it is not fresh it will affect the taste of your end product and could ruin it.

• Call the Hawaii Community College Culinary Department to order your dinner rolls or pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving at 934-2559. Next week, you can order your Thanksgiving turkey lunch for Wednesday pickup.

Email me at audreywilson 808@gmail.com if you have questions.