< Previous30 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2022 CURRENTS | BOOKS HISTORY AND HOME Debut novel set in Galveston explores question of belonging story by KATHRYN EASTBURN | photo by STUART VILLANUEVA K imberly Garza’s debut novel, “The Last Karankawas,” won’t be released until next month and already is being heralded as a breakthrough in contemporary American fiction. The story of a closely connect- ed cast of Mexican and Filipino American families and friends living in the Fish Village neighborhood of Galveston just before Hurricane Ike in 2008, the book illuminates the cultural richness of this unique part of South Texas in a way that only a writer who has lived it could understand. Born in Galveston, Garza grew up in Uvalde where her father ran a family medicine practice and still maintains a home. Descendant of a longstanding Mexican American family in the Rio Grande Valley, her father attended medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston where her mother, a first-generation immigrant from the Philippines, was a nurse. With cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents in Galveston — her mother’s extended family also immigrated to the United States and eventually settled here — Garza spent lots of time on the island as a girl. She wandered the streets with fish names, swam in the Gulf of Mexico, hung out on the seawall and attended Filipino cultural events at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. “The thing that struck me was the church was so white,” Garza said in a recent interview. The book’s open- ing scenes are set at Sacred Heart. “Being there at night, everything around it was a little weather-beat- en, a little damaged, but Sacred Heart was so white it was gleaming. It glowed.” Garza’s skill at evoking physical settings comprises a hefty portion of the novel’s appeal. But at its heart lies a compelling exploration of the complicated notion of home: the difficult tensions surrounding stay- ing or leaving home, the nature of living in a home that can be a dan- gerous and volatile place, the idea of how much our homes form us. “All the characters in the book are grappling with the question: Where do I belong?” Garza said. “Where does anybody really belong? What if you don’t have any connection with the history of the place you call home?” Evoking the island home of her characters, Garza drew on the familiar, the East End of Galveston Island adjacent to and surrounding the medical branch where many in her family worked. A waitress at a bayside bar, a neonatal intensive care unit nurse, a shrimper and oysterman — these multi-ethnic characters live side by side and their lives are entwined as Ike approach- es and they look potential disaster in the face. Told in a series of linked stories, no single protagonist and no single dramatic story arc dominate the book, just the progression of human- ity in the face of nature’s power, a story familiar to Galveston Islanders. “I was fascinated with the Karankawas story in seventh-grade Texas history class, especially with my connection to Galveston. I imag- ined them in boats riding up and down the bay,” Garza said, referring to the island’s original native inhab- itants. A grandmother in the book, Magdalena, believes herself and her granddaughter, Carly, to be among the last descendants of the Karanka- wa, thus the title. Another of the book’s narrators, Jess, clings to the island’s rich his- tory, asking when forced to study European history in school how any other place could be more interest- ing than Galveston. “I felt the same way,” Garza said. “It’s fascinating to me how this one little strip of land could have so much rich history.” “The Last Karankawas” will be released nationwide on Aug. 8 by Henry Holt and Company of New York. “It’s fascinating to me how this one little strip of land could have so much rich history.” KIMBERLY GARZA COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2022 3132 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 202234 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2022 SEASIDE SOIRÈE BACKYARD BASH Gather family and friends and celebrate Independence Day with a bang recipes and photos by ALICIA CAHILL We asked island foodie and consummate host Alicia Cahill to create the perfect patriotic party to celebrate Independence Day. She delivered with a backyard bash, complete with s’mores and other delicious ideas. SUMMER BRAT HOT TUB Makes: 12 brats Cook brats on a gas or charcoal grill according to package directions. When brats are cooked, remove from grill and place in foil baking pan. Place pan on grill, add the beer, butter and onions. Over medium heat, on a covered grill, allow brats to simmer in beer and onions for 20-30 minutes. Serve each brat with onions on a bun. 12 bratwurst sausages 1 large aluminum foil baking pan 2 (12-ounce) beers 3 tablespoons butter 1 large yellow onion, sliced into strips 12 brat buns COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2022 35 GRILLED ONION BLOSSOMS Makes: 4 For the dip: 1 ⁄ 4 cup mayonnaise 1 ⁄ 4 cup sour cream 1 tablespoon ketchup 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon paprika Cayenne pepper, to taste For the onions: 1 ⁄ 2 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated 1 tablespoon paprika 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning Salt, to taste 4 sweet Vidalia onions, peeled with root end intact Fresh chopped parsley, for serving Preheat grill over medium-high. To make the sauce: In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, ketchup, Worces- tershire, paprika and cayenne. Season with salt. Chill until ready to serve. To make the onions: In a small bowl, combine Parmesan, paprika, cayenne and Italian seasoning. Season with salt. Cut stem off onion and place flat side down. Cut 1 ⁄ 4 inch from the root down, into 16 sections, making sure not to cut through root. Flip over and pull sections of onion out gently to separate petals. Spray onions and sprinkle all over with cheese-spice mix- ture. Grill covered until tender and lightly charred, about 15 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve with dipping sauce. CREAMY CORN SALAD Serves: 12 6 cups fresh corn, removed from the cob 1 cup diced red bell pepper ¼ cup diced purple onion 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced ½ cup plain Greek yogurt ½ cup mayonnaise 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon black pepper ¼ teaspoon garlic powder ¼ cup chopped cilantro Combine the corn, red bell pepper, onion and jalapeño in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, may- onnaise, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Gently stir into the corn mixture. Add in the chopped cilantro and stir. Refrigerate or keep on ice until ready to serve.36 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2022 SEASIDE SOIRÈE PEARL COUSCOUS WITH OLIVES AND ROASTED TOMATOES Serves: 12 Tomatoes and dressing: 2 pints (1.5 pounds) grape or cherry tomatoes 4 large garlic cloves, unpeeled 1 ⁄ 4 cup olive oil, plus more for tomatoes 1 ⁄ 4 cup warm water 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 ⁄ 4 teaspoon black pepper Couscous: 2 3 ⁄ 4 cups vegetable broth 12 ounces pearl couscous 1 ⁄ 2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped 1 ⁄ 3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 ⁄ 4 cup chopped fresh mint 1 ⁄ 4 cup green onions, thinly sliced 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 4 ounces Ciliegine mozzarella cheese, quartered To prepare tomatoes: Heat oven to 300 F. Halve tomatoes and arrange, cut sides up, in 1 layer on a large baking sheet. Add garlic to pan and drizzle both tomatoes and garlic light- ly with oil. Sprinkle with salt. Roast in middle of oven until tomatoes are slightly shriveled around edges, about 1 hour. To make couscous: Prepare couscous with vegetable broth according to package instruc- tions. Once cooked, spread couscous in one layer on a baking sheet or plate and cool 15 minutes. To make dressing: Peel garlic and puree with 1 ⁄ 4 cup oil, wa- ter, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 ⁄ 4 pepper and 1 ⁄ 2 cup roasted tomatoes in a blender until dressing is very smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste. Assemble and serve: Transfer cooled couscous to a bowl and stir in olives, roasted to- matoes, green onions, herbs, cheese and dressing. Season to taste with more salt and pepper as needed. Do ahead: Roasted tomatoes, dressing and couscous can be made 1 day ahead and kept separately, covered and chilled. Bring to room tempera- ture before proceeding. WATERMELON ‘FRIES’ WITH COCONUT LIME DIP Makes: 6 Half of a watermelon, rind removed and cut into long fry-like pieces 2 teaspoons Tajín Clásico Seasoning For the dip: 1 cup coconut yogurt Zest of 1 lime Juice of 1 ⁄ 2 lime 1 ⁄ 2 tablespoon sugar, or to taste In a bowl, combine yogurt, lime juice, zest and sugar. Set aside. On a plate or in a bowl, scatter watermelon fries and sprinkle with Tajín Clásico Seasoning. Serve with dip. Pro tip: The key to choosing a good watermelon is to look for: » A watermelon that feels heavy for its size, regardless of whether it’s big or small. » A yellow splotch on one side. » A deep hollow sound when tapped. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2022 37 CAMPFIRE CONE Serves: 1 1 waffle cone Mini marshmallows Mini chocolate chips Sprinkles Sliced strawberries Foil Place a few mini marshmal- lows in the bottom portion of the cone. This step is very important because the marsh- mallows prevent the melted chocolate from dripping out of the hole in the bottom of the cone. Stuff the cone very full and high with different ingredients, keeping in mind marshmal- lows really melt down. Wrap completely with tin foil. Place on grill or over the campfire for 3-5 minutes. Carefully unwrap and enjoy. WALKING DESSERT Makes: 12 12 bags of your favorite brand of mini cookies Mini marshmallows Mini chocolate chips 1 ( 3 ⁄ 4 -ounce) box vanilla or chocolate pudding mix Whipped cream Maraschino cherries Prepare pudding according to package instructions and set aside to allow to thicken. Open each individual bag of cookies and remove half of the cookies. Place about 2 table- spoons of pudding on top of the cookies. Add about 2 ta- blespoons mini marshmallows and 1 tablespoon mini choc- olate chips. Add remaining cookies and continue layering pudding, marshmallows and chocolate chips. Top with whipped cream, marshmallows, more choco- late chips and a cherry. Serve immediately. CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURES S’MORES Arrange all of your ingredients on a sheet pan or serving tray and let everyone create their own s’mores treat. Consider including some of these favorites: » Regular, chocolate, and/or cinnamon graham crackers » Large marshmallows » Milk and dark chocolate bars » Chocolate peanut butter cups » Hershey’s Cookies ‘N’ Creme Bars » Pretzel crisps » Sliced bananas and strawberries » Fudge stripe cookies » Chocolate chip cookies 38 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2022 DOWN HOME THE WHOLE ENCHILADA Retired island restaurateur shares the secrets of a famous recipe story by SHANNON CALDWELL photo by JENNIFER REYNOLDS I slander Roy Vargas has a chicken enchilada recipe so popular he still makes special batches for customers who can’t get enough 26 years after he sold La Palmita Mexican Café in Galveston. The recipe calls for shredded meat from a whole chicken mixed with a tomato sauce, wrapped in corn tortillas, enveloped in a scratch-made green sauce and topped with Monterey Jack cheese. “The green sauce is cilantro- and tomatillo-based and it is so good I’m sure I could sell it to H-E-B if I could work out who to talk to,” he said with a grin. Now retired, Vargas worked in hospitality in Galves- ton and Houston for 50 years, starting at the island’s famous nightclub Balinese Room as a young man. “I remember riding there on my bike, entering to the left, walking along the open-air catwalk, through the kitchen to the employee locker room,” he said. “There, I would put on my jacket and make sure I looked good for the diners.” At the Balinese Room, he learned fine-dining tradi- tions, such as serving full plates to the left and picking up empty plates to the right, and remembers menu highlights such as Steak Diane, Snapper Ponchartrain, Cherry Jubilee and Coffee Diablo. “I started as a busboy, became a waiter, a captain, and then finally the maître d’,” he said. “That’s where I learned all my restaurant etiquette.” It was during a stint at a Mexican restaurant in Hous- ton that Vargas worked with a cook who was an Italian woman. She made enchiladas with a green sauce and he was intrigued. He had never seen anything like it, he said. His next restaurant move was to return to Galveston, where he took over his mother’s restaurant La Palmita Mexican Café on The Strand downtown. He managed the restaurant from 1985 to 1996, taking it from a breakfast-only café to a restaurant popular for lunch, dinner and late-night snacks. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2022 39 Roy Vargas’ Enchilada Suiza was a popular dish at his restaurant La Palmita Mexican Café in Galveston. Now 26 years after selling the restaurant, he still makes special batches for customers.Next >