Darina Allen: Diana Kennedy always said that she didn't want to live to be over 100

The famously feisty cook was described as ‘the Indiana Jones of Mexican Food’

Diana Kennedy is an author and authority on Mexican cooking. A native of the United Kingdom, she started travelling in Mexico in 1957 with her husband, Paul Kennedy, who was a correspondent for the New York Times. Picture: Paul Harris/Getty Images)

Diana Kennedy, the famously feisty British-born cook and food writer who dedicated the great part of her career to seeking out and documenting the richness and diversity of Mexican cuisine has died at the age of 99.

Diana always said that she didn’t want to live to be over 100. I visited her in her beloved Michoacan in Western Mexico in 2013. When she moved to Mexico City from New York in her 30’s, she met and fell in love with Paul Kennedy, the great love of her life who was the New York Times correspondent for Mexico. She became intrigued by the diversity of Mexican food and when he died in 1967, she continued to travel and drove thousands of miles across the country in her ancient pick-up truck to research regional cuisine. She’d talk to street vendors, and stallholders in the markets and ask how do you do this or cook that.

She watched, cooked with them in their simple kitchens and always credited those who taught her dishes in many books. Her books appealed both to home cooks and chefs. She was described as ‘the Indiana Jones of Mexican Food’ by Spanish chef and philanthropist José Andréas.

Her first book ‘The Cuisines of Mexico’ was a revelation to those English-speaking readers who hitherto had only tasted the TexMex food. Thanks to Diana, they discovered the richness and biodiversity of regional Mexican food through her many books.

I met Diana several times, first in Oaxaca at an IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) regional conference. She later came to Ireland in 2014 to speak and teach at the Ballymaloe Lit Fest. People flew in from all over the world to attend her class. At that time, she was 91, a force of nature dressed in black leather.

She loved Ireland but my happiest memories of Diana were several days spent at her beautiful house, built around a boulder in the midst of her eco-garden and farm in Zitacuaro. Even in her late 80’s and 90’s, she produced most of her own organic food, vegetables and fruit, grew her own fresh herbs, coffee, chillies, watercress, raspberries. It was like the Garden of Eden on a very rugged site.

We went to the market, cooked together and then feasted at a little table in the garden close to the kitchen. Her solar oven and plate warmer close by. Plastic bags were drying on the branches of the shrubs. Diana hated lots of things; she hated waste. She hated pesticides, genetically modified food, industrialised tortillas. She was outraged that Mexico, the home of corn, was importing it from the US. Her home was powered by solar and wind energy. In Nothing Fancy, a documentary about her life made in 2020, she described her garden as her ‘jewel box’.

Her influence was immense; she won many accolades including the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagles, the country’s highest award for foreigners. Like so many others, I feel fortunate that our paths crossed in life — what a legacy she has left us all. Her home in Michoacan will become a centre for Mexican food studies.

When she died, Arturo Sarukhán, a former Mexican Ambassador to the US, described her death as a huge loss for Mexico, the UK and Mexican gastronomy. She changed the narrative and perception of Mexican cuisine from a bland mish-mash of TexMex to a sophisticated tapestry of regional cuisines as rich as any in China, India, France or Italy. Here are a few recipes Diana shared at the Ballymaloe Lit Fest in 2014.

Guacamole Chamacuero

Ideally serve with warm corn tortillas.​

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 10 mins

Course

 Side

Cuisine

 Mexican

Ingredients

• 2 heaped tbsp finely chopped onion (sharp not sweet)

• 2-3 (or to taste) serrano chiles, finely chopped

• Sea salt to taste

• 500ml (18fl oz) roughly crushed avocado pulp

• 188ml (3/4 cup) finely diced ripe, but not too soft, peeled peaches

• 125ml (1/2 cup) halved seedless grapes

• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

• 83ml (1/3 cup) pomegranate seeds

Method

1. Crush the onion, chile and salt to a paste.

2. Stir in the avocado pulp, peaches, grapes, lime juice and half the pomegranate seeds.

3. Mix well and sprinkle the surface with the remaining seeds.

Chicken in Peanut Sauce

A most interesting and delicious way of preparing chicken. The sauce is not very picante. There should be a pleasant “afterglow” from the chiles.

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 45 mins

Total Time

 60 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Mexican

Ingredients

• 2kgs (4 1/2lbs) chicken parts

• 1 tsp salt, or to taste

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 4 - 5 tbsp fresh lime juice

• 1 medium white onion, cut into 4 pieces

• 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled

• 2.5cm (1 inch) piece of cinnamon stick

• 6 peppercorns

• 6 whole cloves

• 315ml (10 1/2fl oz) raw (unroasted, unsalted) peanuts, measured shelled and with papery husks removed

• 450g (1lb) tomatoes, broiled

• 4 chipotle chiles en vinagre or adobo, or to taste

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or rendered chicken fat

• 500ml (18fl oz) water

Method

1. Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper and the lime juice and set aside to season while you prepare the sauce.

2. Heat a small, ungreased frying pan and toast the onion and garlic until soft. Peel the garlic. Toss the spices in the hot pan to toast them lightly and then toast the peanuts until they are golden.

3. Put the unskinned tomatoes, chiles and the toasted ingredients, except the peanuts, into a blender and blend until quite smooth, gradually add the peanuts and add a little water only if necessary to release the blades of the blender.

4. Heat the oil or chicken fat in a heavy casserole and fry the chicken pieces, a few at a time, until golden brown. Remove the chicken from the frying pan and set aside. There should be about 65ml (2 1/2fl oz) of oil in the pan. Remove or make up to that amount.

5. Reheat the oil and fry the blended ingredients over medium heat for 3 minutes, constantly stirring and scraping from the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat and let the sauce cook for about 15 minutes longer, continuing to scrape the bottom of the pan from time to time.

6. Add the chicken pieces and the 500ml (18fl oz) of water. Adjust the seasoning and cook over low heat until the chicken is tender – 35 to 40 minutes. The sauce will thicken - it should lightly cover the back of a wooden spoon – and pools of oil will form on the surface.

7. Serve the chicken with plenty of sauce, accompanied by small, boiled potatoes.

8. Note: this dish can be prepared several hours ahead. Surprisingly it freezes very well and will keep for about 2 weeks.

Pineapple and banana dessert

This is a thick, dark paste of fruit with an unusual and refreshing flavour.

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 30 mins

Cooking Time

 4 hours 0 mins

Total Time

 4 hours 30 mins

Course

 Dessert

Ingredients

• 375ml (13fl oz) dark brown sugar

• 750ml (1 pint 5fl oz) water

• 5cm (2 inch) piece of cinnamon stick

• 1 pineapple, about 1.8kg (4lbs)

• 900g (2lbs) bananas (not too ripe)

• 5cm (2 inch) piece of cinnamon stick, broken in half

• juice and zest of 1/2 lime

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

2. Bring the brown sugar, water and cinnamon to the boil in a heavy pan and let them continue to boil fast for 20 minutes. The liquid will have reduced to about 625ml (1 pint 1fl oz). Remove the cinnamon stick.

3. Clean and dice the fruit and blend it with the syrup to a medium texture.

4. Pour the mixture into a shallow ovenproof dish, ideally not much more than 7.5cm (3 inches) deep and stir in the broken cinnamon stick and lime juice and zest.

5. Place the dish in the oven and let the mixture cook for about 4 hours. From time to time, scrape the mixture from the sides of the dish and stir it well. This is particularly important towards the end of the cooking period.

6. When the mixture is thick, sticky and a rich, dark brown, transfer it to a small serving dish and glaze it quickly under the broiler (grill). Set it aside to cool. Serve the cajeta with queso fresco or thick sour cream.

7. Note: This should keep for 10-15 days in the refrigerator – but I doubt whether that will be necessary. I’m afraid I always dip a finger into it each time I open the refrigerator door. I don’t suggest freezing.

HOT TIPS

East Cork Small Plates at Ballymaloe Cookery School on Monday, 29th August

Part of fEast 2022 — The Midleton Food Fair which runs from August 28 to September 4 based in the market town of Midleton — see www.feastcork.com

Come and join us and see what wonderful small plate delights you can rustle up with ingredients on our doorstep. Using our own produce from our East Cork Farm and Gardens and from local farmers, butchers and producers you will find lots of delicious things to inspire you and plenty of fresh flavours.

• For more information, see www.cookingisfun.ie

Blasta Books ‘The United Nations of Cookies’

The third in the series of Blasta Books ‘The United Nations of Cookies’.

Cultures and cuisines have many differences, but one thing they all have in common is cookies. No matter what country, cookies evoke fond childhood memories and feature in many holidays and celebrations.

Author Jess Murphy is an official high-profile supporter of the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency), with whom she works to raise awareness and to advocate for refugees. Co-author Eoin Cluskey tested all the recipes at his Bread 41 bakery in Dublin. Eoin says, ‘With this book, I want our community and beyond to see the impact that food and sharing with others can have. We can rekindle childhood memories and the joy of food, while addressing the challenges our world faces and the need to come together. At its core, food is universal and ever evolving. This book is a love letter to how it brings us all together.’

All author proceeds will be donated to the UNHCR.

• For more information, see  www.blastabooks.com