Synopsis
Lala Reyes' grandmother is descended from a family of renowned rebozo —, or shawl-makers. The striped (caramelo) is the most beautiful of all, and the one that makes its way, like the family history it has come to represent, into Lala's possession. The novel opens with the Reyes' annual car trip — a caravan overflowing with children, laughter, and quarrels — from Chicago to "the other side": Mexico City. It is there, each year, that Lala hears her family's stories, separating the truth from the "healthy lies" that have ricocheted from one generation to the next. We travel from the Mexico City that was the "Paris of the New World" to the music-filled streets of Chicago at the dawn of the Roaring Twenties — and finally, to Lala's own difficult adolescence in the not-quite-promised land of San Antonio, Texas.
Caramelo is a vital, wise, romantic tale of homelands, sometimes real, sometimes imagined. Vivid, funny, intimate, historical, it is a brilliant work destined to become a classic: a major new novel from one of our country's most beloved storytellers.
Susan and Debbie H took us to a world of tissue paper fiesta flowers and pinatas...as I said in the last blog, we had a group of crazy-blindfolded-big stick wielding-women trying to break open a pinata after consuming a couple of glasses of vino! I think we hit each other more than we hit the pinata, but we finally had success and scrambled all over the floor, fighting each other for the penny candy!!
The menu was authentic Mexican cuisine- guacamole and chips, brie and walnut quesadillas, red snapper Veracruz, green bean/spinach and beet salad, arroz roja (classic red rice), and coconut flan for dessert. (Debbie H burned herself while making this and said "never again" so that recipe is not included...)
Susan's Red Snapper Veracruz
1( 3.3 pound) whole red snapper, cleaned and scaled
Marinade:
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 limes, juiced
2 Tbsp water
pinch of ground cloves and black pepper
Vegetable oil- for sauteing
1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
1 onion, sliced
2 bay leaves
2 pinches dried oregano
1/2 cup tomato puree
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
6 pickled chiles (optional)
8 green olives, pitted and crushed, plus 12 green olives, whole
1 Tbsp capers
salt
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Clean fish without cutting off head or tail. (You want him to look at you as you eat him...) With a sharp knife, score fleshy part of snapper. Combine marinade ingredients- pour over fish and marinate 30 minutes. Pour 1 Tbsp oil in hot pan- sear fish a few minutes on both sides. Add chicken broth and rest of ingredients except whole olives and parsley, and salt to taste. Simmer 15 minutes Sprinkle whole olives and parsley over when serving.
Door prize was a shawl, margarita glasses, and a candle.
How can we eat something this cute??
I will leave you with this picture in your head.
Next blog is about Standing in the Rainbow...Fannie Flagg...
I loved Caramelo! I especially loved Cisneros writing style. She made it extremely humorous but heartfelt.
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