Rosita's Tamales, stories, poems, and recipes by Ernest M. Garza at Galvart Publishing

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ROSITA'S TAMALES: A Memoir About Family, Friends, and Food by Ernest M. Garza

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Through snapshot memories, stories, poetry, and recipes, Ernest Garza recounts parts of his family-centered life growing up and living in San Antonio, Texas, from the 1950s onward. The "Rosita" of the title refers to his mother-in-law, Rosemary Carranza.

A través de recuerdos parecidos a fotos, cuentos, poesía, y recetas, Ernest Garza recuenta partes de su vida centrada alrededor de su familia creciendo y viviendo en San Antonio, Texas, desde los 1950 en adelante. La "Rosita" del título se refiere a su suegra, Rosemary Carranza.

How Much Masa?

"Okay, Mama. How much masa do I need for the tamales?"

"You go to the molino and tell them to give you three dollars of masa for tortillas. Don't ask for masa for tamales because that's sometimes too coarse. The one for tortillas is smoother."

"Wait a minute. What's three dollars of masa?"

"Three dollars. Three dollars is three dollars. Just ask for three dollars."

"But, Mama, this is probably what you asked for maybe ten years ago and it was fine. Prices have changed. I won't get the same amount of masa. Do you know how many pounds?"

"Yes. Three dollars. Just buy three dollars."

We weren't getting anywhere. "Mama, ten years ago, if I asked for three dollars of masa, I might have gotten maybe ten pounds. But today I might get only four pounds. ¿Que no miras?"

We finally compromised that it would be about seven pounds. But I'm still writing down "three dollars."

Migas / Chilaquiles

•3 tablespoons cooking oil
•1 teaspoon butter
•½ onion, chopped
•1 dozen corn tortillas, cut in strips about ½" long x ¼" wide
•2 cloves garlic, minced
•4-5 large eggs, beaten together
•¾ cups grated cheddar cheese
•2 roma tomatoes, diced
•2-3 whole stems cilantro, finely chopped
•3-4 serrano peppers, finely chopped (optional)

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add butter and onions. Sauté onions until translucent. Add tortilla pieces and garlic. When tortillas get soft, add eggs. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir. When egg starts to come together, add tomatoes, cilantro and cheese. Stir together and cook until done.

Chiliquiles are Migas with hot peppers. If you want some spiciness with your breakfast, add the peppers to the eggs when you're beating them together.

Thanks to my son, Cris, for giving me this recipe. We sit around the table sipping our coffee while he's cooking for us.

Trade paperback, 5.5x8.5, xii, 94 pp.
ISBN 0-9644836-9-6, LCCN 2002116903, 2003.
In English with some Spanish.
$12.95

Rositas Tamales by Ernest M. Garza

Ernest at book signing

Garza's Rosita's Tamales is a memoir that explores both family and the city within which he came of age. San Antonio's cultural hegemony is an integral member of his cast of characters that without it, Rosita's Tamales would be just another story. Instead, Garza has interwoven the lives of his family and its cultural heritage with the city in which they lived and died and in which they grew and became of age. Rosita's Tamales is a charming and unique memoir that pays homage to his family and friends and to his city.
--Michael W. Rodriguez, author, Humidity Moon: Short Stories of the Vietnam War (1998) .

From prose to poems and back Garza treats his readers to a many course meal, hearty, light, piquant. His selected memories take us back, like the smell of hot corn tortillas, into seams that bind father to son, son to mother, brother to brother, friend to friend. His magic turns nostalgia to lifetime moments. His people become our people, his cuisine our food.
--Tom Keene, author, The Waters of Becoming (1989).

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	*Titles from... / Títulos de...* *GALVART PUBLISHING*
	ROSITA'S TAMALES: A Memoir About Family, Friends, and Food by Ernest M. Garza
Back to Titles Regresa a Títulos	Through snapshot memories, stories, poetry, and recipes, Ernest Garza recounts parts of his family-centered life growing up and living in San Antonio, Texas, from the 1950s onward. The "Rosita" of the title refers to his mother-in-law, Rosemary Carranza.		A través de recuerdos parecidos a fotos, cuentos, poesía, y recetas, Ernest Garza recuenta partes de su vida centrada alrededor de su familia creciendo y viviendo en San Antonio, Texas, desde los 1950 en adelante. La "Rosita" del título se refiere a su suegra, Rosemary Carranza.
	How Much Masa? "Okay, Mama. How much masa do I need for the tamales?" "You go to the molino and tell them to give you three dollars of masa for tortillas. Don't ask for masa for tamales because that's sometimes too coarse. The one for tortillas is smoother." "Wait a minute. What's three dollars of masa?" "Three dollars. Three dollars is three dollars. Just ask for three dollars." "But, Mama, this is probably what you asked for maybe ten years ago and it was fine. Prices have changed. I won't get the same amount of masa. Do you know how many pounds?" "Yes. Three dollars. Just buy three dollars." We weren't getting anywhere. "Mama, ten years ago, if I asked for three dollars of masa, I might have gotten maybe ten pounds. But today I might get only four pounds. ¿Que no miras?" We finally compromised that it would be about seven pounds. But I'm still writing down "three dollars."	Migas / Chilaquiles •3 tablespoons cooking oil •1 teaspoon butter •½ onion, chopped •1 dozen corn tortillas, cut in strips about ½" long x ¼" wide •2 cloves garlic, minced •4-5 large eggs, beaten together •¾ cups grated cheddar cheese •2 roma tomatoes, diced •2-3 whole stems cilantro, finely chopped •3-4 serrano peppers, finely chopped (optional) Heat oil in a large skillet. Add butter and onions. Sauté onions until translucent. Add tortilla pieces and garlic. When tortillas get soft, add eggs. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir. When egg starts to come together, add tomatoes, cilantro and cheese. Stir together and cook until done. Chiliquiles are Migas with hot peppers. If you want some spiciness with your breakfast, add the peppers to the eggs when you're beating them together. Thanks to my son, Cris, for giving me this recipe. We sit around the table sipping our coffee while he's cooking for us.	Trade paperback, 5.5x8.5, xii, 94 pp. ISBN 0-9644836-9-6, LCCN 2002116903, 2003. In English with some Spanish. $12.95
		Garza's Rosita's Tamales is a memoir that explores both family and the city within which he came of age. San Antonio's cultural hegemony is an integral member of his cast of characters that without it, Rosita's Tamales would be just another story. Instead, Garza has interwoven the lives of his family and its cultural heritage with the city in which they lived and died and in which they grew and became of age. Rosita's Tamales is a charming and unique memoir that pays homage to his family and friends and to his city. --Michael W. Rodriguez, author, Humidity Moon: Short Stories of the Vietnam War (1998) . From prose to poems and back Garza treats his readers to a many course meal, hearty, light, piquant. His selected memories take us back, like the smell of hot corn tortillas, into seams that bind father to son, son to mother, brother to brother, friend to friend. His magic turns nostalgia to lifetime moments. His people become our people, his cuisine our food. --Tom Keene, author, The Waters of Becoming (1989).