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Cooking for Maricel Presilla
By Carlos Fuenmayor
Mary Luz Mejia and I in her kitchen, andMary Luz
with Maricel Presilla on location in Florida.
I met Mary Luz Mejia last year when she and I were asked to judge some dishes in a Latino culinary competition. Mary Luz is a Colombian-Canadian food journalist and Gemini-nominated TV writer, producer and director. One of her impressive credits is 'At the Table With…' her show on Food Network Canada. Each episode is a biography of well-known and influential chefs. Some examples are Rick Bayless, Douglas Rodriguez, Rob Feenie, Cat Cora and Lidia Bastianich.
As I got to know Mary Luz better, I discovered that we had a lot in common. We both have a mission in life: to promote and celebrate our Hispanics roots - especially in the kitchen. And when we compared our greatest influence, we both came up with Cuban-American chef and restaurateur. Maricel Presilla. Maricel is considered to be the continent’s most influential Latin American food historian. She’s an author, holds a doctorate in medieval Spanish history from New York University, writes for Gourmet, Saveur, Food and Wine, and contributes a weekly column to The Miami Herald.
Out of the blue, Mary Luz calls to say that she had signed Maricel to a episode of 'At The Table With…', that she was going to Miami to interview her, and then to Hoboken, NJ, home of Maricel’s two restaurants, Cucharamama and Zafra, where the remainder of the episode would be filmed. Lucky her, I thought. (The episode will air in the fall.)
Then, comes the call. Mary Luz says Maricel is coming to Toronto on business and would I like to come to dinner? Would I like to cook?
Who wouldn’t love the opportunity to cook for a culinary hero? I couldn’t believe my good fortune. So last Monday, there we were at Mary Luz’s house, cooking for the Queen of Latino American food.
We started with pan-seared scallops, dusted with annatto, and served with an avocado, cucumber and apple salsa, inspired by my wife Stephanie, who first made this dish in a similar version. We paired the dish with a pinot gris.
Next came roasted organic pork tenderloin, with a parsnip and mushroom stew, and a relish of fennel, pickled eggplant and green olives. We paired this with an Alsatian gewürztraminer.
Mary Luz’s husband, Mario, made the main course: a Croatian-style dish of paprika sweet peppers, stuffed with beef and barley, served with a light tomato sauce and sour cream. We paired this with a Spanish Garancha (aka Grenache).
For dessert, I made sweet plantain empanadas stuffed with dulce de leche and served with vanilla almond ice cream. Mario brought out a great port from his cellar.
It was an incredible experience just because of the guest of honour, but it was also like dinner with old friends you haven’t seen for a while. You’re having so much fun you don’t want the night to end.
Yours in cooking for new friends,
Carlos!
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