Cooking with Diana Leitch always an adventure

Once, during one of her classes, Hockessin cooking teacher Diana Leitch rooted around her galley kitchen looking for a nutcracker.

When the spirited Le Cordon Bleu trained cook couldn't find one, Leitch, a firm believer in practicality, took off her shoe, placed a walnut on the wooden counter top and whacked the shell open with the heel.

Students' mouths gaped open and then everyone began to laugh. The tone for the lively night was set: Anything goes in one of Leitch's freewheeling, hands-on classes.

Leitch, who ran Diana's Distinctive Dining and taught cooking classes in her Skyline Orchard home for nearly 30 years, died Sept. 27.

Her beloved husband Bob, her partner of 51 years, said Leitch, preparing to entertain friends from Norway, was shopping Sept. 19 at a local grocery store. While sampling cold cuts from the deli, Leitch apparently began choking and then went into cardiac arrest.

Her husband said emergency responders got her heart started, but she never regained consciousness. On Sept. 25, the family learned her prognosis for recovery was poor. She died peacefully two days later at a local hospice with her family at her side.

This is not the story I planned to write about Diana Leitch. I had just visited with the vivacious 74-year-old, whom I've known since at least 1997, at her Hockessin home on Sept. 16.

We snacked on a few dishes – a creamy mushroom spread served with toasts, and simple hearts of palm sprinkled with spices – while she showed me the gorgeous loaves of bread she baked. I was there to talk about her longtime cooking career and the upcoming classes she was planning.

The conversation veered from various recipes – Leitch wanted the Thai noodle soup recipe from Buckley's Tavern – to recent restaurant visits – she loved Indian cuisine – to a YouTube video she wanted me to see – Forno Campo de' Fiori, a small bakery in the heart of Rome. "Drool!" she said. (And, indeed, it's delightful.)

Then, we caught up on our personal lives, like old friends do. I took only a few notes because I planned to see Leitch later this month.

Recent emails she sent summed up her culinary career and the pleasure it brought her.

"I've just realized that September starts the 29th year continuous teaching of hands-on classes. I can't think of a single thing that I'd rather do! The great joy that I get from sharing cooking tips, techniques and 'tricks,' is reinforced by compliments/reactions/comments from students over these years," Leitch wrote on Aug. 20.

"Oh, the memories: the night the electricity went off, and I had 40 or more candles all around for the French Bistro class ... the grilling class when I ran out of propane. ... a couple met in a class and were married ... so many more!"

Leitch, a tiny dynamo of exuberant energy, was a joyful, clever fast talker and thinker. Anyone who knew her could honestly say she devoured life. You never knew what to expect from one of Leitch's quirky, relaxed $40 classes and that was half the fun. Students – beginners to advanced cooks – brought their own beer or wine and settled in for a thrilling three-hour ride that ended with a lavish sit-down meal.

She might not have been conventional, but Leitch was trained in classic cooking techniques and understood flavors and textures. She studied, in both French and English, at Le Cordon Bleu in Switzerland, Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne in Paris and Ecole Migros de Geneve with chefs Paulo Valentino in Geneva and Ann Roberts in Gex, France. Additional study in France was with Aileen Martin in Annecy, a town in the Rhone-Alpes region.

Leitch was featured in numerous articles in The News Journal, local and college magazines and on public TV (WHYY). She was a recipe tester for Cook's Illustrated magazine, served on the advisory board of Chef Anthony Stella's Italian Market in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, and was a staunch supporter of the nonprofit organization, Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids.

As a teacher, she could be more like a zany, hilarious Julia Child than a calm, methodical Jacques Pepin, the celebrated French culinary instructor whom Leitch had once served as a sous chef.

Her classes often had a waiting list and she introduced students, never more than a dozen at a time, to everything from chervil – an aromatic herb with an anise flavor – to coq au vin, the classic French stew.

During some classes, Leitch would lead students outside to her yard, abutting Ashland Nature Center, and pick fresh herbs from the garden.

Her "tablescapes" usually featured interesting items related to the meal. One time, various gardening tools, with dirt still clinging to them, were placed in the middle of the dining room for a "Cooking with Herbs" class. It made me laugh because it was delightfully "so Diana," though one classmate that day wasn't as amused at what was truly a farm-to-table meal.

Last month, Leitch told me she was putting together an autumn menu called "Let's Take Sides" which would be full of fall vegetable side dishes and feature Pear Bread Pudding as the sweet ending. She also planned to feature many more grains and vegetables dishes. Leitch was always up on the latest culinary trends.

The 1965 graduate of Washington College studied culinary arts while living in Geneva, Switzerland, for five years with Bob, a DuPont Co. chemist. When they moved to Delaware and Leitch began teaching, Bob always joined students for dinner at their dining table. (He also cleaned up and did the dishes.)

The couple, along with their daughter, Melinda, were seasoned travelers. Far-flung adventures took them to more than 60 countries – everywhere from Cambodia to Zimbabwe.

Diana's classes were often influenced by the vacations, and her recipes could include Vietnamese, French, Lebanese, Italian, Burmese and Malaysian dishes.

"I usually do a class on the country we've visited. In June-July, we were in Iceland. I'd love to do an Icelandic class," Leitch told me. Bob said the couple had two trips planned.

Over the years, Leitch often shared cooking advice with The News Journal. When we asked her the proper approach to choosing good cookware, she said, "Basically, what you want to do is buy the heaviest pans you can afford. When you get a good quality pan, it's like storing a little bit of time in your home – it will last a long time."

Leitch then pulled several pots and pans from her walls and cabinets, and placed them on the kitchen island.

"Go ahead and lift it," Leitch instructed, and seemed to relish when a reporter found something heavier than expected. One of her favorites was a 5 1/2-quart Le Creuset Dutch oven, made of cast iron and coated in bright turquoise enamel.

Leitch suggested three items that are essential to any kitchen: A 2-quart saucepan, a 10-inch saute pan, and a Dutch oven of at least 4 quarts.

"The quality of your cookware," she said, "will absolutely be in direct correlation with the quality of your food."

Bob Leitch said the family is planning A Celebration of Diana Leitch's life. Details were not yet available.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Diana Leitch's memory can be made to The International Women's Club of Delaware, P.O. Box 3911, Wilmington, DE 19807; Washington College, Office of College Advancement, 300 Washington Ave., Chestertown, MD 21620; or Healthy Food for Healthy Kids, PO Box 847, Hockessin, DE 19707.

Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com. Read her culinary blog Second Helpings at www.delawareonline.com/blog/secondhelpings and follow her on Twitter @pattytalorico.

BABA GHANNOOJ

Diana Leitch said the recipe for this eggplant dip came from "a dear Lebanese friend" who shared her grandmother's recipe.

1 large eggplant, about 1 ½ to 2 pounds (make sure it's "a perfectly gorgeous color, with no spotting")

1/4 cup minced onion

1 to 2 garlic cloves, depending on your taste

1 teaspoon salt and black pepper

1/4 cup tahini paste

1/4 cup lemon juice, plus 1 teaspoon, and also some of the lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice or cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons minced parsley

Roast the eggplant. (This is what gives it that delicate smoky flavor!) Prick eggplant several times and turn on gas flame. Cook, turning often, until skin chars and begins to crack. Or pierce the eggplant all over with a fork, place it on a baking sheet and broil 4 inches from heat, turning to char on all sides, about 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut in half, scrape the flesh into a bowl and discard skin. Chop the eggplant flesh. Mash onion and garlic with the salt and pepper; then add eggplant flesh, tahini, lemon juice and zest, and spices. Taste and correct seasonings. Cover and refrigerate. Before serving, sprinkle with olive oil and minced parsley. Serve with plain or toasted pita, or as a dip for fresh vegetables. Makes 2 cups.

COQ AU VIN

The recipe for this French classic comes from Diana Leitch's 1997 "Cooking with Herbs" class.

2 1/2 to 3 pounds chicken, cut up into eight pieces

3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

2 shallots, chopped

12 baby onions (you can use frozen baby onions that have been thawed)

1 carrot, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup cognac or brandy

2 cups red wine

1 can chicken broth

Bouquet garni (fold 4 parsley stems around a small bay leaf and a sprig of fresh thyme. Tie herbs together with a string in a tight little bundle or tie them in cheese cloth)

1/4 pound bacon, chopped

1/4 pound mushrooms, quartered

2 tablespoons flour, plus 2 tablespoon butter (this is a beurre manié)

Lightly flour the chicken pieces and saute in the olive oil until well-browned. Remove the chicken and set aside. Add the shallots, baby onions, and carrots and cook until softened. Toss in the garlic and saute just until fragrant. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons flour and mix. Pour in cognac and shake pot back and forth.

Add wine, chicken broth, and bouquet garni. Mix well. Add chicken pieces back to the pot. Simmer about 20 minutes, or until chicken is almost tender.

Meanwhile, boil bacon in water for a few minutes to remove a lot of the fat. Drain and rinse. Then, add bacon and mushrooms to the pot and cook a few minutes. Remove chicken from the pot, discard bouquet garni, and reduce liquid on high heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Taste and correct seasonings. Mix together the flour and butter – this is the beurre manie – and drop into the pot to thicken. (NOTE: You may not need the beurre manie; it depends on the reduction. If it's already thick enough, skip this step.)

Put chicken back in pot to heat through. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.