We started a "gourmet club" with three other couples about fifteen years ago. The hosts planned the menu, bought the ingredients, then everyone helped cook and eat, and then we split the tab four ways. I don't think we ever paid more than $20 -- and the menus were lengthy and, many times, exotic (Tibet comes to mind). When one of the couples dropped out -- the husband was transferred to China, I think -- a couple who owned a restaurant in Laramie, Wyoming, before moving back to the area to be in the family's cosmetics business, joined the group. They thought a cookbook might be in order with all the menus and recipes we had accumulated, but raising kids and working interfere with ideas like that. Unfortunately, we disbanded a couple years ago.
One of the menus that Stacey and I planned revolved around New Orleans cuisine. With that, we wanted a seasoning mix that would fit into that mold. We modified a Paul Prudhomme recipe and came up with a seasoning that we use in a lot of dishes, such as cole slaw, soups, potatoes, etc. The boys are into "HOT," and they are very liberal in its use. Stacey, on the other hand, uses it for the hint of flavor, not the heat.
Made in this quantity, the mixture generates a dust cloud over the work area. The dogs head for the door and fresh outdoor air. I suggest adequately ventilating the house or wearing a respirator. Do not rub your watery eyes.
Mix in a humongous bowl:4 ½ cups of salt
1 cup of white pepper
1 cup of black pepper
½ cup of cumin
1 ¼ cup of onion powder
1 ¼ cup of garlic powder
½ cup of sweet paprika
½ cup of granulated sugar
½ cup of cayenne pepperStore the seasoning mix in airtight containers.
TIP: Never, ever add it to someone's food as a joke. It doesn't go over well and could be painful -- for the joker.
Posted by Bill at April 15, 2004 11:53 AMThis is a whole lot like my carnitas rub - I usually throw in some turmeric for color too. Rub it on some pork loin tip roasts, sear them black in a dutch oven with a little olive oil on a burner on high heat, then bake at 200 for 10 hours. Damn now I need pork. And I'm copying your recipe. It's good for making tofu scramble, too. Oh shut up, it's a good breakfast. No you're a goddamn hippie. Goddamn it.
Posted by: dan at April 16, 2004 02:24 AMit sounds like you speak from experience on the painful part!
Thanks!
-d
maybe jes a tinch of filet gumbo as a sub for the paprika? Might make it interesting! Just a thought. I'm gonna try some! Thanks for sharing, chile. (anyone there understand what a "tinch" is? *grin*)
Posted by: Cowtown Pattie at April 20, 2004 10:32 PM