Review: Diana Kennedy's classica on Mexican cooking
By
Diana Kennedy, the foremost authority on Mexican cuisine, first published The Art of Mexican Cooking: Traditional Mexican Cooking for Aficionados back in 1989. It became an instant classic, going through several reprints. It was reissued recently, and I managed to finagle a copy at a dinner in her honour [see previous post].
I like to spend a bit of time with a cookbook before making up my mind about it, especially for a work this big (almost 500 pages). I've attempted at least two recipes from each of the major sections: Corn; Soups and Broth; Pasta and Rice; Vegetables, Salads and Beans; Seafood; Poultry; Pork; Beef; Egg and Cheese; Sauces, Relishes and Pickled Vegetables; Breads, Yeast Rolls and Flour Tortillas; and Desserts, Ices and Sweetmeats.
An added bonus is the little history lessons, personal experiences and sundry culinary habits of the various regions that Ms. Kennedy includes throughout the book. Whether explaining the legend behind the Mexican veneration of corn or detailing the first Mexican chef to present a classic crepe dish, Ms. Kennedy imbibes the book with so much local colour that I almost felt like I could smell the dzotobichay (a type of tamale from the Yucatan region) while reading.
It's been about a month of Mexican here at home, and none of it has involved deep-fried burritos or other Tex-Mex samplers. This is traditional regional fare, with Mexico's diverse and numerous culinary regions fairly represented. Almost one hundred pages alone are devoted to corn tortillas and tortilla dishes (not to be confused with flour tortillas).
The moderately advanced level of many of the recipes may not make this book ideal for novice cooks, but if you know your basic rudiments in the kitchen and aren't afraid of a little elbow (and pork) grease, then you should be just fine. Most important is the ability to follow the directions and pay attention, otherwise you end up with burnt corn tortillas (my first attempt).
Since I didn't have an earthenware griddle or a wood fire in my kitchen (the methods recommended by the author for best results) I used her alternate suggestion of making my tortillas on a heavy iron griddle over my gas stove. It was a bit hard to control the heat (tortillas require deft handling and cook in less than a minute) but I manged to make a perfectly puffed tortilla on my second try, with the requisite brown spots to prove its doneness.
[Aside: if preparing tortillas is not your thing, then Que Pasa Mexican Foods in Richmond, at 12031 No. 5 Road, sells ready-made corn tortillas, dried corn kernels and masa, the prepared corn tortilla dough that you can just moisten, pat out and cook on the griddle.]
I then moved on to make a casserole of chicken tacos in salsa verde. Its creme fraiche, poached chicken pieces, and chorizo and egg filling all made for a rich, luscious recipe, perfectly balanced by the green tomato sauce that had just a hint of heat (I used fewer chiles serranos than recommened).
This is a great book for anyone who loves or is interested in authentic regional Mexican fare. And maybe, on my next trip south, I'll try sneaking a proper comal (the traditional griddle used for cooking tortillas) back with me.
The Art of Mexican Cooking: Traditional Mexican Cooking for Aficionados by Diana Kennedy. Published by Clarkson/Potter. $34.00. Available at Barbara-Jo's Books to Cooks (1740 West 2nd Avenue, 604-688-6755).