Prudhomme, proprietor of K-Paul's restaurant in New Orleans, has a style of teaching as basic as the hefty black cast-iron pots he cooks on. In the 36 enjoyable and enlightening minutes of his second video installment of Louisiana cuisine, he attacks a jambalaya of chicken, andouille smoked sausage and tasso (country smoked ham), a blackened prime rib and a chicken and sausage gumbo. He joyfully articulates the steps and stages of preparing these dishes and reveals some useful tricks in the process. Simmer the jambalaya, for instance, until there's a sticky residue on the bottom of the pot. Then scrape up all those "little pieces of goodness for a thundering combination of tastes." Prudhomme also has a unique method for blackening his prime rib, first roasting the ribs, then slicing off steaks to sizzle them in a hot frying pan. He warns viewers to be sure that they do their frying outside, for the smoke is heavy. Even then it might be a good idea to call ahead to warn the local fire department, if the flames he produces are any indication. Prudhomme doesn't show on-camera all the time he spent assembling the ingredients and chopping all the onions, bell peppers and celery—the "holy trinity" of Cajun cooking. That can be tedious work, but the finished dishes are definitely worth the effort, at least if you like heavily seasoned food. Says Prudhomme of his creations: "I love to eat hot, till it makes your scalp itch and makes you sweat." (J2 Communications, $19.95)
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