Corazon Contento: Sonoran Recipes and Stories from the Heart [Hardcover]

Madeline Gallego Thorpe (Author), Mary Tate Engels (Author), Patricia Preciado Martin (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 1999

This delightful book is filled with the distinctive regional recipes, family stories and dichos (sayings) that Gallego Thorpe grew up with. It contains recipes for the herbal remedios her grandmother used for healing, as well as more widely known foods such as tamales, enchiladas, and posole. It is a fascinating record of a way of life and a way of cooking that can enrich the historical and cultural awareness of all Americans. Sopa de Viejo Old Man's Soup 6 flour tortillas, cut into 1 inch pieces 1 large onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup fresh roasted green chiles, cut into strips 1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese 1/2 qt. chicken broth 1/2 qt. milk 1 Tbsp. oil salt to taste Heat oil in a 2-quart pan. Add tortilla pieces and brown lightly, about 4 minutes. Add onion and garlic; cook 3 more minutes. Then add the chicken broth and milk, and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes. Add green chiles and cheese. Cook 3 more minutes. Serves 4 to 6. This was one of Abuelito’s favorite soups. Abuelito was a great storyteller, and he especially loved keeping us up with ghost stories on hot summer nights, when we kids were sleeping outside on cots. He told us about La Llorona (The Crying One), a woman whose children died in a fire when she left them alone to go to a party, and the story called “Dancing with the Devil at Elysean Groves,” about a girl who disobeyed her parents and went dancing, only to discover that her partner was the devil. There are a variety of versions of these stories. Abuelito kept us in anticipation for days, as he told little bits of Aladino y la Lamparita Maravillosa (Aladdin and the Magic Lamp) each night until it was finished. After I graduated from high school, my cousin Elaine, a friend, and I went to California to make our fortunes. We returned home after three months, flat broke, and willing to seek our fortunes in Tucson, instead. On the night of our return, Elaine and I decided to go to a local dance to catch up on everything we’d missed that summer. When we got home that night, Abuelito unlocked the door for us, and then hid around the corner with a sheet over his head to scare us, like he had done when we were kids. Later that night, he passed away, leaving us with sweet memories of the loving, tender man that he was. Review BOOKLIST, JULY 1999 Other authors have documented the foods of America's Southwest, but none have so lovingly drawn the intimate connections between this kind of cooking and the society from which it springs. Thorpe and Engels have organized their recipes by seasons to show how the people, the land, and the food come together to bring life to the area's inhabitants. Their cuisine is a simple one, lacking the sophistication of cooking south of the border. For example, their mole sauce for chicken calls for just peanuts and chili powder instead of the long inventory of nuts, seeds, and chiles required in Oaxaca. Many of the recipes include a note on herbal medicine; others have short reflections on the recipe's significance in the family; still others conclude with an apothegm of local folk wisdom.—Mark Knoblauch

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Panza llena, corazón contento." Full stomach, contented heart. Gentle folk wisdom doesn't get much better than that. What a treat that Madeline Gallego Thorpe is willing to share this and so many other aspects of her unusual life--including a wealth of Arizona-Sonoran home-cooking recipes--in the lovely Corazón Contento.

Thorpe was raised by her grandparents in a large extended Hispanic family in Tucson in the 1940s and '50s. Her own parents lived and worked two jobs in California. So Madeline Thorpe grew up with her feet in two worlds: her grandparents' old world, with its folk wisdom, use of healing herbs, and unique cooking style; and the new world of her Arizona youth (let's blame the tuna tacos on this and on Lent). Let us not forget, she seems to be saying with each page.

The book is divided into the seasons of the year, and then within each section are recipes; dichos, little diamonds of wisdom; remedios, herbal remedies; and recuerdos, the author's stories from the heart about her family. This is truly a personal document. And as a result, the recipes have a personal, familial edge as well. You'll find macaroni salad right along with Mexican wedding cookies, Mom's guacamole along with fruit smoothies.

For a sense of the "real" food of the Arizona-Mexico border, the food of several generations back as well as the food of today, Corazón Contento is a down-to-earth place to start. It's a little book with a big heart. --Schuyler Ingle

Review

Other authors have documented the foods of America's Southwest, but none have so lovingly drawn the intimate connections between this kind of cooking and the society from which it springs. Thorpe and Engels have organized their recipes by seasons to show how the people, the land, and the food come together to bring life to the area's inhabitants. Their cuisine is a simple one, lacking the sophistication of cooking south of the border. For example, their mole sauce for chicken calls for just peanuts and chili powder instead of the long inventory of nuts, seeds, and chiles required in Oaxaca. Many of the recipes include a note on herbal medicine; others have short reflections on the recipe's significance in the family; still others conclude with an apothegm of local folk wisdom -- Booklist, July 1999

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Texas Tech University Press (June 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0896724174
• ISBN-13: 978-0896724174
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,038,942 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful!, August 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Corazon Contento: Sonoran Recipes and Stories from the Heart (Hardcover)

This is a delightful little book filled with recipes and family stories the authors grew up with. Records a way of life and a way of cooking that can raise the cultural awareness of all Americans! Great book!

5.0 out of 5 stars charming presentation, delicious food!, December 14, 2003

By 

S. Evans (Tucson, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Corazon Contento: Sonoran Recipes and Stories from the Heart (Paperback)

I've used a number of recipes from this delightful little book, and never been disappointed. Engels/Thorpe present do-able recipes that work every time, using simple mostly on-your-shelf ingredients (at least if you live in the southwest, or live near an ethnic market.) I hope they will collaborate on another cookbook -- these recipes are much too good to be lost!