Salsa Stories by Lulu Delacre

they think I should do with my gift. Most of the children are no longer interested in the discussion and flee to the basement to play. Just as I am about to join the kids downstairs, Abuelito’s deep voice stops me.
    â€œCarmen Teresa!” he commands. “Let’s get started right away. Sit next to me and we’ll write my story together. Laura, you can start drawing the pictures.”
    â€œNo.” My voice comes out louder than I intend it to.
    Instantly, the room becomes silent.
    â€œCarmen Teresa!” Mamá scolds.
    â€œWhy don’t we let Carmen Teresa decide for herself what she wants to do with her gift,” Doña Josefa suggests. “After all, the present was meant for her.”
    Everyone eagerly waits for me to speak. I know exactly what I want to do. I hug the blank book, and look at each one of the relatives and friends around me. Then I begin.
    â€œIn all of your stories, you all mentioned some kind of special food. I want to collect the recipes for all the foods you told about in my book. And I will add the recipes for the foods Mamá served here today.”
    â€œThat is a delightful idea, Carmen Teresa,” says Doña Josefa.
    â€œYes,” agrees Abuelito, “and Abuelita can finally tell you how to make tortilla española .” He laughs as he squeezes Abuelita’s hand. “She’s taken all these years to learn how to make it just like Mami used to.”
    â€œI could also give you José Manuel’s recipe for surullitos ,” adds Abuelita. “It’s as good as his grandmother’s.”
    â€œBut the best recipe for alfajores argentinos ,” boasts Abita, “is the one I make.”
    As everyone chatters merrily about their recipes, Doña Josefa talks to me alone.
    â€œI’m so pleased you liked my gift, Carmen Teresa,” she says. “Each time you prepare one of these recipes, you will remember the story that was told with it. And each time someone tastes one of these dishes, they, too, might have a story to tell.”
    Content that I have finally found a way to make thispresent my very own, I borrow Doña Josefa’s fountain pen and open my book to the first page. Then, with great flourishes and curls, I write:

    Â 
    Carmen Teresa’s Book of Fantastic Family Recipes
    Â 
    Gently, I blow on the wet ink to dry it, and I close the book. And tomorrow, I will begin collecting my recipes.



 
    Mamá’s Arroz con Pollo
    C HICKEN WITH R ICE
    P UERTO R ICO
    2½ lbs. skinless chicken thighs
    juice of 2 limes
    Adobo seasoning *
    1 oz. salt pork, diced
    2 oz. cured ham, diced
    2 tbs. olive oil
    4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
    1 lg. onion, peeled and chopped
    2 lg. green peppers, seeded and chopped
    1 tomato, chopped
    pimento-stuffed Spanish olives
    capers
    3 cups long grain rice
    3½ cups water
    1½ cubes chicken bouillon
    Â¼ cup tomato paste
    2 envelopes Sazón seasoning *
    Â½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
    salt and pepper
    Coat the chicken with lime juice and sprinkle generously with Adobo seasoning. Set in refrigerator overnight.
    In a caldero , a heavy pot, brown the pork and ham in olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and marinated chicken. Reduce heat to moderate. Brown the chicken for 5 to 10 minutes then remove the chicken pieces and set them aside. Add onion, green peppers, and tomato to the pot, and sauté until tender. Replace the chicken, and add olives and capers to taste. Add rice, water, chicken bouillon cubes, tomato paste, Sazón seasoning, cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well. Cover and bring to a boil. Then turn heat to low and cook for 20 minutes. Turn rice with a wooden spoon. Keep covered on the stove with the heat off for 10 to 15 minutes more.
    Serves 6 to 8.
Have an adult help you when frying or boiling.
    Mamá’s Yuca con Mojo Criollo
    S TEAMED Y UCA WITH S AUCE
    P UERTO R ICO
    Y UCA
    2½ lbs. frozen yuca (also called