I inherited my insatiable
passion for food and wine from my mama. My childhood was a dissonant melody of
pots clanging at 6 a.m., the morning, a salty mist of codfish creeping into my
room. But unlike many stalwart, Old World Jamaican cooks, my mother had an
adventurous palate. My elementary school lunch box was a gourmet playground of Italian
ham, Sicilian salami and sweet sopressata sandwiches. And my fromages choices
ranged from Sweet Munchee to Cracker Barrel Vermont Cheddar. These weren’t
viable stock options in the World of Lunch Box Trades as my classmates’ palates
were narcotized by generic peanut butter and jelly. But even then I knew what a
good sandwich felt like—the exquisite balance of texture and flavors, the expert
weaving of salty, sweet, savory accents. A well-made sandwich can heal wounds,
and my mother, the ultimate sandwich-sage, has made many sandwiches. These days,
I try to dazzle her with my amateur skills over a chilly glass of Manischewitz
Concord Grape wine, her fave. I’ve tried
to bring her over to my side—a decadent Sauternes or a yummy trockenbeerenauslese
and while she smiles politely at my attempt,
she loves Mani. Yesterday I made mama a
pre-Mother’s Day sandwich and served it with a deliciously funky French wine.
Hey. At least, I tried, right? lol
A
Funky Mother’s Day Sandwich
Ingredients:
French bread loaf
3 thin slices of Prosciutto di
Parma
2 thin slices of Jarlsberg
I scallion stalk, chopped
1 tablespoon of julienned sundried
tomatoes immersed in olive oil
1 egg, over medium
1 teaspoon of Mayonnaise
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
Preparation:
Fry eggs over medium
Season with salt, pepper and
scallion
Place egg on side plate
Tear a piece of French loaf (4
inches recommended)
Cut or tear open bread
Rub inside of bread inside pan
where you just fried egg
Spread mayonnaise on bread
Layer with prosciutto and Jarlsberg
Top with egg and sundried
tomatoes
Serve open faced
Yield: 1
Wine
Recommendation: 2009 Domaine De La Janasse Terre d’Argile Côtes
du Rhone Villages
Okay, you’re thinking sparkling
wine, an off-dry Riesling or even a yummy Rosé, BUT I friggin’ love this wine. The purple violet color explodes
with aromas of black cherry and spice bun followed by duck pâté
and wet leaves. On
the palate, the body of the wine is reminiscent of foie gras and the flavors of
black cherry, black plums and black pepper are a seamless journey into the southern
Rhone.
“I was arrested like 20 times,”
said Señor Paco, a silver-slick, Cuban fish merchant. “This was in Kendall in the
80s. I was just trying to make a living.” Back in the days, vendors were often
arrested for selling the streetside goodies you and I have come to love. But Señor
Paco Fernando still
stands. His Blue Runner Seafood truck is a deep sea treasure on land. From fresh corvina
and stone crabs to ceviche and my favorite, the hickory smoked salmon, a sweet
slice of omega fatty goodness, I’m an official groupie. And then there’s Señor Paco
in his crisp white shirt and slacks. “My wife, Barbara, makes an amazing salmon
spread,” he said endearingly. Señor Paco’s clients enjoy
sopping up his one on oneness. It’s hard to imagine him in an icky jail. But sometimes
good men get cells, and bad men get badges. “Finally, the judge was just tired
of seeing me,” he said. 
