cookbooks. His latest, `Chef Paul Prudhomme's Seasoned America,' is now available at the Bermuda Library. In it, he transforms the plainest of dishes into delicious company fare, incorporating his unique concept of "building'' a fish to create maximum flavour and texture. A special section explains his methods in easily understood language.

Though the recipes may, at first glance, seem long, the home cook should not be put off -- it is simply Mr. Prudhomme's way of making the various steps as simply as possible.

Here's a sampling *** NEW ORLEANS BEEF SHORT RIBS ETOUFFEE (Yield: 4 servings) The word etouffe means "smothered,'' and in the world of Louisiana food, that means smothered in a sauce. Here's a wonderful way to smother short ribs in the style of Louisiana cooking. It's an easy dish to prepare and one your whole family will love.

Seasoning Mix 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon paprika 2 teaspoons onion powder 2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 teaspoon white pepper 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon ground cumin 4 lbs. good-quality beef short ribs (about 8 ribs), excess fat removed and cut into individual ribs 1 cup vegetable oil 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour, in all 3 cups chopped onions 2 cups chopped green bell peppers 1 cup chopped celery 3 cups beef stock in all PREHEAT oven to 250 degrees F. Combine seasoning mix ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl. Makes 1 cup plus 1 teaspoon.

Sprinkle ribs all over with 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of seasoning mix, rub in well with your hands.

Heat a 12-inch skillet, preferably cast iron, over high heat until very hot, about 6 minutes. Place seasoned ribs in skillet and brown, turning once or twice, about 4 minutes. Pour oil between ribs into middle of the skillet and cook ribs 3 minutes more. Remove ribs with tongs and set aside. Whisk 1 cup of the flour into the oil and cook, whisking and scraping bottom of skillet clean, until this roux just starts to brown, about 1 minute. Whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons flour and cook, whisking and scraping, until roux is the colour of light milk chocolate. Stir in onions, bell peppers, celery, and 2 tablespoons of seasoning mix. Cook, whisking constantly and scraping the bottom of the skillet, until vegetables are browned and the roux is thick, about 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in 2 cups of the stock, scrape the bottom of the skillet clean, and bring the sauce to a rolling boil. Whisk in remaining seasoning mix and remaining 1 cup stock. Scrape bottom of skillet and bring back to a boil, whisking occasionally. Whisk again and remove from heat.

Place ribs, bone side down, in a baking pan approximately 15 by 11 inches.

Pour sauce over ribs, cover tightly with foil, and bake until meat is very tender and almost falling off the bones, about 21 to 3 hours.

Remove pan from oven and let cool a few minutes. Pour sauce and juices into a container and skim off excess fat. There should be about 4 cups sauce after skimming off the fat. Serve about 1 cup sauce plus 2 ribs per person.

*** MICHIGAN MINER'S PASTIES (Yield: 5 servings) The pasty was brought to Michigan's upper peninsula by Cornish miners who settled there in the middle of the 19th century. Today, these meat and vegetable turnovers are so popular in Michigan that the pasty shops do better business than the local hamburger joints! Seasoning Mix 1 tablespoon salt 11 teaspoons onion powder 11 teaspoons dried thyme leaves 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon dried sweet basil leaves 3 teaspoon white pepper 3 teaspoon ground savory Dough 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon Seasoning Mix (see above) 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 7 to 8 tablespoons cold water Filling 10 oz. lean pork, very finely chopped 3 lbs. lean beef, very finely chopped 2 tablespoons plus 21 teaspoons Seasoning Mix (see above) 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 cups chopped onions 1 cup chopped celery 11 cups finely diced turnips 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic Finish 1 egg 2 tablespoons water 2 large potatoes, approximately 1 teaspoon Seasoning Mix (see above) All-purpose flour Vegetable oil cooking spray COMBINE the seasoning mix ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl. Makes 3 tablespoons plus 11 teaspoons. For the Dough: Combine flour, the 1 teaspoon seasoning mix, and butter in a bowl and blend with a fork until texture is mealy. Gradually add water and work dough lightly with your hands until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Form dough into a ball. Refrigerate, covered, 1 hour.

For the filling: Combine pork and beef in a bowl. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons seasoning mix over meat and work in well with your hands.

Melt butter in a 12-inch skillet over high heat. When it begins to sizzle, add onions and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to brown, about 4 to 6 minu1 teaspoons of seasoning mix and cook 4 minutes. Push vegetables to one side of the skillet, place seasoned meat in cleared space and cook, stirring occasionally, just until brown, about 3 minutes. Mix meat into vegetables, add turnips and garlic, and cook until vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes. Pour filling mixture into a shallow pan and refrigerate until cool. (Potatoes should be sliced just before filling the pasties so they don't discolour). THE MAGIC OF CHEF PRUDHOMME Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. To finish: Make an egg wash by beating egg and water together.

Remove dough from refrigerator and divide into 5 equal portions. Sprinkle a clean surface with flour and roll out each portion of dough to a thickness of about 1/16 inch. Using a plate or a pan as a guide, cut a 9-inch round from each portion.

Peel potatoes and cut into 30 thin slices. Sprinkle the 1 teaspoon seasoning mix over both sides of the potato slices.

Remove filling from refrigerator. Place 3 potato slices on half of each dough round, cover potatoes with 1 cup of the filling, and arrange 3 more potato slices over the filling. Bring other half of each round of dough over filling to make a half-moon shape. Brush the edges with egg wash, fold them over the seal, and crimp with the tines of a fork. Brush egg wash over the top of each pasty.

Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray and place the pasties on the sheet. (If you have trouble picking up the pasties, use a spatula.) Bake until golden brown, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Serve warm.

*** CHICAGO CHICKEN A LA KING (Yield: 8 servings) We found this version in Chicago, used it as a guide, and created a delicious blend of seasonings to restore its grace -- not to mention its superb flavour.

This would also make a great filling for crepes.

Seasoning Mix 1 tablespoon salt 11 teaspoons dried sweet basil leaves 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 tsp. white pepper 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1 teaspoon ground savory 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pats 1 cup all-purpose flour 6 tablespoons dry sherry, in all 1 cup chopped onions 1 cup chopped red bell peppers 1 cup chopped green bell peppers 2 cups thinly sliced fresh mushrooms 21 cups heavy cream, in all COMBINE seasoning mix ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl. Makes 3 tablespoons plus 11 teaspoons.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of seasoning mix over chicken and rub it in well with your hands.

Combine 8 tablespoons soft butter with flour, and mash together until flour disappears. Set aside.

Place a 5-quart pot over high heat. When pot is hot, about 5 minutes, add chicken and dot remaining 5 tablespoons butter evenly over top of chicken.

Cover pot and cook, without stirring, until chicken can be easily unstuck from pot bottom, about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir, cover pot, and cook 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of the sherry, onions, red and green peppers, mushrooms, and remaining seasoning mix. Stir well, cover, and cook 5 minutes. Uncover pot and add butter/flour mixture a spoonful at a time, stirring constantly as mixture dissolves and sauce thickens. Stir in 2 cups of the cream and heat until "small volcanoes'' begin to erupt in the sauce -- but don't allow sauce to come to a rolling boil. Let the "volcanoes'' erupt 3 times, stirring after each eruption. Add remaining 1 cup cream and heat until another group of small "volcanoes'' erupts, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 2 tablespoons sherry. Makes about 8 cups.

Serve in patty shells or crepes, or over pasta or croissants.

*** CAPE CODFISH CAKES (Yield: about 20 Cakes or 10 Servings) Cod, considered almost sacred for hundreds of years, was an important food fish for the early settlers and a source of livelihood and even riches for Massachusetts traders in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Every year enormous amounts of cod were preserved with salt and stored away for the winter. A favourite Sunday morning dish was made from the preserved fish -- codfish balls or cakes. These were sometimes serves with a tomato sauce, but we felt that the dish has so much flavour of its own, we didn't want to spoil it by adding anything.

Seasoning Mix 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dried sweet basil leaves 1 tablespoon dried cilantro leaves 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves 11 teaspoons white pepper 11 teaspoons black pepper 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 3 lb. salted codfish (salt cod) 3 cups diced potatoes 14 slices bacon, diced 5 tablespoons grated onion 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic 6 egg yolks 1 cup heavy cream 3 tablespoons dried chopped chives 1 cup olive oil COMBINE seasoning mix ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl. Makes 7 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon.

Soak codfish in water to cover overnight, changing water at least 3 or 4 times. Drain and cut it into large dice.

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, add the potatoes, and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and drain. Turn potatoes into a large bowl and mash until fairly smooth. Set aside.

Fry bacon in a 10-inch skillet over high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Heat fat remaining in the skillet over high heat, when hot add onion, garlic, and 3 tablespoons of the seasoning mix. Mix thoroughly with a spoon and remove from heat.

Combine codfish, egg yolks, cooked bacon, and grated onion mixture in the bowl of a food processor. AMERICA'S FAVOURITE RECIPES BY PRUDHOMME Process until blended, about 45 seconds. With machine running, add heavy cream in a thin stream. Pour this mixture over the mashed potatoes. Add chives and 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix, fold together until thoroughly blended. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

Using a 1 -cup measure, scoop out chilled codfish mixture from the bowl and shape into cakes.

Heat olive oil in a 14-inch non-stick skillet over high heat. (If you use a smaller skillet, start with less oil). When oil is hot, add as many of codfish cakes as will fit without crowding and fry, flipping cakes several times, until golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Repeat with remaining cakes, adding more oil as necessary and heating it until hot before adding more cakes. Serve hot or cold, but don't reheat as they tend to dry out.

*** BAKED ONIONS STUFFED WITH PORK AND MUSHROOMS (Yield: 6 servings) Seasoning Mix 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons dry mustard 11 teaspoons dried sweet basil leaves 11 teaspoons dried thyme leaves 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon white pepper 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon paprika 6 large or 8 medium onions 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (preferred), Brazils, filberts, or peanuts 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 11 cups chopped onions, in all 1 cup chopped green bell peppers 1 cup chopped celery 1 lb. lean ground pork 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic 3 cup uncooked converted rice 2 cups sliced or chopped fresh mushrooms (depending on their size - they have to fit in the onion cups) 2 cups pork or chicken stock in all 1 12-oz. can evaporated milk 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese COMBINE seasoning mix ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl. Makes 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons. Reserve 2 tablespoons seasoning mix if you're using 6 onions, or 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons for 8 onions.

Peel onions and cut a thin slice off the top of each so they will stand without tipping. Turn each onion over and scoop out the insides with a melon baller, leaving a shell about 1 inch thick. Cut a very thin slice off each side of each onion to keep them from rolling in the skillet, so they'll brown evenly.

Toast nuts in a dry 10-inch skillet over medium heat flipping and shaking them until they're light brown -- about 3 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Wipe skillet clean, return it to high heat, add butter. When butter is sizzling, add onion cups, laying them on their sides, and cook, turning them occasionally, until they're browned on all sides, about 2 minutes. Remove onion cups and set aside.

Add 3 cup of the chopped onions, bell peppers, and celery to the skillet and cook until browned, about 6 minutes. Add pork and garlic, and cook until browned, breaking up the meat with a spoon, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix and the remaining 1 cup chopped onions and cook 1 minute. Stir in rice and the remaining seasoning mix and cook 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook 1 minute, scraping as the mixture begins to stick to the bottom of the skillet. Stir in 1 1 cups of the stock and cook until it is reduced and mixture forms another crust on the bottom of the skillet, about 8 minutes. Add evaporated milk and toasted nuts and scrape skillet bottom. Bring to a rolling boil, cover, and remove from the heat, Allow to sit, covered, 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Sprinkle each onion cup all over with 1 teaspoon of the reserved seasoning mix, rubbing the mixture inside and out.

Place onions, open ends up, in a 9 1 -inch by 2-inch-deep cake pan or a springform pan or other pan just large enough to hold them. Stuff them with the pork/rice mixture, heaping it up as much as possible, and sprinkle the shredded cheese on top. Pour remaining 3 cup stock into the bottom of the pan.

Bake 20 minutes, then turn oven heat up to 550 degrees F. and bake another 10 minutes or until brown and bubbly on top.

Serve with a little stock from the pan spooned over each onion.