Mushroom Sandwich

 *Disclosure: I received a copy of Sobremesa and Kobrand Wines to review for this post.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Today I’m taking a look at the book Sobremesa: a Memoir of Food and Love in Thirteen Courses by Josephine Caminos Oria.

Sobremesa: A Memoir of Food and Love in Thirteen Courses by Josephine Caminos Oria
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a delightful memoir full of food and culture. I loved the recipes included at the end of each chapter and the stories as we got to know Josie's family.

View all my reviews

Josephine’s story (after reading this memoir I feel like I know her intimately enough to talk about her on a first name basis) takes us from her childhood and early adulthood in the United States to her roots to the pivotal trip that led to finding of the love of her life in Argentina and back to the United States again.

Throughout the story, Josephines goes through several troubling times and is often visited by spirits/ghosts/guides that set her back on track.  Overall, I enjoyed this memoir very much.

As part of this event, participants were provided with a book club discussion guide.  We didn’t have to include our thoughts publicly, but I liked one of the questions, so I thought I’d include it:

Josie and Gastón fall in love very quickly. What draws them together? Have you ever fallen in love so quickly? If not, do you think it’s possible?

With my anniversary coming up soon, this is the perfect question prompt.  I think people can fall in love quickly.  I both did and didn’t fall in love with Hubs quickly.  We met in church during college and he was interested in me right away.  I, however, friend-zoned him for 2 years.  We only saw each other sporadically in that time, but eventually I realized we could be more than friends.

Once we did start dating, I knew almost immediately that I was going to marry him, though we would date for another 3 years (the last we were engaged), until we were finished with college (and me with grad school...the first time).

In short, I think love at first sight is possible, but people often grow into love as well.

While reading, I loved that each chapter began with a vignette involving a special memory centered on food.  Then,  at the end of the chapter, she’d share the recipe. Throughout the story, Josephine also develops an appreciation for Malbec wine, a specialty of Argentina and my favorite type of red wine.

Therefore, it was a delight to pair this lovely Malbec with the first recipe in the book that caught my eye: a simple mushroom sandwich!  For Josphine, this was the ultimate comfort food, made by her mom whenever she was feeling down. It was a delight to pair this sandwich with a delicious Bodega Norton Malbec.

While I like mushrooms, I never would’ve thought to make a mushroom sandwich.  I,  like Gastón later in the story, made my sandwich on a hearty homemade bread and it was delicious. As I read the recipe, I was originally thinking I would end up adding cheese or caramelized onions to elevate the sandwich. But I didn’t. While those additions certainly would have been tasty, this simple sandwich just didn’t need it!  I look forward to bring this sandwich back next Lent for those meatless Fridays!

Mushroom Sandwich

Adapted from Sobremesa

2 tablespoons butter

8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced

¼ teaspoon thyme

1 clove garlic

Salt & pepper

Whole wheat sandwich bread

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms and thyme and cook until the mushrooms release their liquid.

Add the garlic, salt and pepper and continue cooking until the mushrooms are golden brown.  

Serve the mushrooms between 2 slices of homemade sandwich bread.