Diana Kennedy
1 Make your own mole!!!
We've had this book for years and have enjoyed most recipes - there was one lackluster soup we tried. The duck mole is so amazing and easy!! We even tried it with watercress in place of radish leaves and used leftover cornmeal & ground walnuts (used to coat our souffle pans) in addition to the pumkin seeds she calls for - excellent! We finally mastered her Mexican rice - you really do need to put the cloth on it at the end - but so delicious!!! The turkey mole makes for a great change for Thanksgiving!
2 More than tacos
Throughout my many years of preparing Mexican meals, whether cooking for my family or to please guests entertaining, I've found this book indispensable. I've been using this book for twenty plus years and continue to this day to use it for quick reference. The recipes are authentic, equisite and often exotic culinary delights explained in simple text with instructions that any novice cook can follow. If you like to create your own recipes this is a good springboard to follow one's own inclinations as well. The book is divided into three sections. Part one gives an informative tour of the ingredients and procedures used in Mexican cooking, complete with historical background and identifying drawings and photographs. Part two is the corazon(heart) of the book with all the delicious recipes from way down south. Part three is the conclusion and it includes information on sources and a pronuncaition guide. I have found part one to be particularly interesting and helpful especially when it comes to the use of the lesser known herbs. Some of the ingredients are nearly impossible to find and there are no satisfactory replacements. This is where I learned about huitlacoche, a fungas that forms on the ears of corn that makes for a delicious soup or filling for quesadillas. I've sampled this dish on both sides of the border but never found the fungas at local markets. Another simple treat is squash blossoms used for a filling in quesadillas The recipes are easy to follow and when several stages are involved it is explained perfectly. After travelling in the interior of Mexico I longed for some of the dishes I sampled and this book has allowed me to prepare the dishes north of the border. Have some broth left from the frijole(bean) pot, tortillas, some chicken leftovers and tomatoes or tomato soup? If you do then you have the basis for Sopa Tarasca which will warm you up on a winter day. Sopa Tarasca, a meal in itself, is an example that is easy enough to prepare and well worth the effort. There are countless recipes that employ ingredients that may be thrown out rather than eat the same thing. The colored photgraphs and drawings are a nice touch, but this isn't a cook book with glossy perfection on each page, the recipes are what counts here. Diana Kennedy is a world renowned expert on the cuisines of Mexico and has been decorated with the order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest honor given to foreigners. She is the high priestess of Mexican cooking and her book is a tresure that belongs in any kitchen that prepares authentic Mexican cuisine.
3 FINALLY I CAN COOK FOR MY HUSBAND
I love this cookbook! After receiving Diana Kennedy's wonderful book I am now able to cook all those great recipes my husband remembers from his home. With all the extra information she gives about the foods and techniques, it will give me a leg up on those dishes he remembers form his grandmother's kitchen!
4 Terrific!
It's the only Mexican cookbook I brought back with me to Mexico. The texts lively and thoughtful - as complex and as entertaining as a Mexican market itself. - Ron Mader, El Planeta Platica journal
5 This is THE book!
After all these years, this still is the best book around with the perfect combination of technique and recipe instructions.
