The Essential Cuisines of Mexico

by Diana Kennedy

Overview

Combining her three bestselling and classic books—The Cuisines of Mexico, Mexican Regional Cooking, and The Tortilla Book— in one volume, Diana Kennedy has refreshed the classics and added more than thirty new recipes from different regions of Mexico.

More than twenty-five years ago, when Diana Kennedy first published The Cuisines of Mexico, knowledge and appreciation of authentic Mexican cooking were in their infancy. But change was in the air. Home cooks were turning to Julia Child for an introduction to French cuisine and to Marcella Hazan for the tastes of Italy. Through Diana Kennedy, they discovered a delicious and highly developed culinary tradition they barely knew existed and she became recognized as the authority on Mexican food.

Whether you turn to this book for the final word on tamales, recipes for tasty antojitos to serve with drinks, or superb tacos, you'll find there's no better teacher of Mexican food. How enviable to attempt Calzones del Diablo (yes, the Devil's Pants) for the first time, and what a pleasure to succumb to Diana's passion for Mexican food!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780307587725
Publisher:	Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale
Publication date:	10/20/2009
Edition description:	Revised
Pages:	544
Sales rank:	12,565
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

DIANA SOUTHWOOD KENNEDY went to Mexico in 1957 to marry Paul P. Kennedy, the foreign correspondent for the New York Times. In 1969, at the suggestion of Craig Claiborne, she began teaching Mexican cooking classes and in 1972 published her first cookbook. She has been decorated with the Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest honor bestowed on foreigners by the Mexican government. She lives much of the year in her ecological adobe house in Michoacan, Mexico, which also serves as a research center for Mexican cuisine.

Read an Excerpt

I am sure that this reincarnation of old friends will reach a new audience as future generations of Mexican Americans become more aware of their culinary heritage and a new wave of young chefs delves into these exciting, authentic recipes. Among them, I am sure, will be my devoted fans, to whom I am so grateful for their continued enthusiasm for my books and classes, and for their letters of appreciation, which I have carefully saved over the years. They, too, have helped preserve the spirit of these fascinating cuisines.

Guacamole
Avocado Dip

Makes about 2 1/3 cups (585 ML)

The word guacamole comes from the Nahuatl words for "avocado" (ahuacatl) and "mixture," or "concoction" (molli) — and what a beautiful "concoction" guacamole is, pale green sparked with the cilantro's darker green and the red of the tomato. Its beauty is definitely enhanced if it is served in the molcajete in which it has been made and where it rightfully belongs. (Never, never use a blender for the avocado to turn it into one of those smooth, homogeneous messes!) If you don't possess a molcajete, then use a blender for the base ingredients and mash avocados into it.

Guacamole is usually eaten in Mexico at the beginning of a meal with a pile of hot, freshly made tortillas or with other botanas (snacks), like crisp pork skins (chicharrón) or little pieces of crispy pork (carnitas). It will also often accompany a plate of tacos. It is so delicate that it is best eaten the moment it is prepared. There are many suggestions for keeping it — covering it airtight, leaving the pit in, and so forth — but they will help only for a brief time; almost immediately the delicate green will darken and the fresh, wonderful flavor will be lost.

2 tablespoons finely chopped white onion
4 serrano chiles, or to taste, finely chopped
3 heaped tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro
Salt to taste
3 large avocados (about 1 pound, 6 ounces/630 G)
4 ounces (115 G) tomatoes, finely chopped (About 2/3 Cup/165 ML)

To Serve
1 heaped tablespoon finely chopped onion
2 heaped tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro

Grind together the onion, chiles, cilantro, and salt to a paste.

Cut the avocados into halves, remove the pits, and squeeze the flesh out of the shell and mash into the chile base to a textured consistency — it should not be smooth. Stir in all but 1 tablespoon of the tomatoes, onion, and cilantro, adjust seasoning, and top with the remaining chopped tomatoes, onion, and cilantro.

Serve immediately at room temperature (see note above). I do not recommend freezing.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	xi
	Introduction	xii
	Foreword	xvi
	Preface	xvii
	Appetizers	1
	Masa Fantasies	25
	Tortillas and Tortilla Dishes	44
	Tamales	95
	Soups	115
	Soup Stews	138
	Beans, Rice, and Pasta	151
	Egg Dishes	169
	Light Meals	181
	Salads	194
	Vegetables	205
	Sauces and Relishes	234
	Meats	252
	Pork	256
	Beef	287
	Assorted Meats	297
	Poultry	323
	Seafood	354
	Sweet Yeast Breads	389
	Desserts and Cookies	408
	Drinks	443
	General Information	459
	Sources	501
	Index	502

Editorial Reviews

"Diana Kennedy's books on Mexican cooking are different. They demand to be devoured."
— William Rice, Chicago Tribune

"Every time Diana Kennedy publishes a new book I am delighted."
— Alice Waters

From the Publisher

HThe prolific Kennedy revisits her adopted homeland in The Essential Cuisines of Mexico, a compilation of her first three books (The Cuisines of Mexico, The Tortilla Book and Mexican Regional Cooking). From Nuevo Le n to the Yucatan, Kennedy strives to retain the authenticity of regional recipes: "I have simplified the recipes when possible, bringing them up to date without losing the spirit of their generation." Chapters reflect an assemblage of courses, including appetizers, corn dough cakes, vegetables, meats, egg dishes, light meals, sauces and relishes, sweet pastries and drinks. The concluding "general information" section provides helpful tips on equipment, chiles, cheeses, spices, herbs and other ingredients indigenous to Mexican cookery. Chapter introductions and detailed anecdotes (e.g., "A Weekend and Barbecue in Oaxaca") offer engaging glimpses of local Mexican life. Recipes will beguile aficionados searching for the "real Mexican deal," with a cornucopia of earthy ingredients--like calf's tongue, pig's feet, tripe "of different textures," pork lard--and exotic flavors, such as machaca (dried salted beef), nopoles (cactus paddles) and cuiclacoche (corn fungus). For novices, there are appealing, easy-to-make comfort foods, like Angel Hair Pasta in Tomato Broth and Chiles Con Queso (Chiles with Cheese), while seasoned cooks will appreciate challenging dishes such as Stuffed Chiles in Walnut Sauce and Turkey in Mole Poblana. Vivid prose chronicles the sojourns of Kennedy's curious palate, painting "word pictures" to describe "a Mexico of the past." Her efforts yield yet another classic, one that masterfully documents the rich diversity of Mexico's gastronomic heritage. (Sept.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Kennedy has been writing about Mexican food for more than 30 years and is widely acknowledged as the authority on the topic. Her last book was My Mexico (LJ 9/15/98), a personal culinary journal through the country and its regional cuisines. Now she has gathered the recipes from her first cookbook, the groundbreaking Cuisines of Mexico (1972), as well its two successors, The Tortilla Book (1975) and Mexican Regional Cooking (1978), both of which are out of print, in this new collection. She's revised the recipes and simplified some, and there are also 30 or so new recipes. Kennedy's books became classics long ago; this compilation of her early works is an essential purchase. Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\

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