PrintDinner Tonight: Cuban Sandwich
In my family, Easter means a big old ham and lots of leftovers. When the parents hugged us goodbye they sent us on our way with much more ham than a normal person should eat. Instead of just going with the regular old ham sandwiches, we decided to try our hands at the Cuban sandwich. I know there are lots of rules, and I was initially was leery about approaching a sandwich as contentious as this one. Hell, even poor Howie of Top Chef fame (remember him?) got crucified for not pressing his interpretation of the sandwich down.
But what makes a Cuban sandwich interesting isn’t the rules—it’s the textures. The luscious roast pork is cut by the acidic pickles. The pressed bread squeezes together the cheese and the improbable amount of meat into a glorious unit. What a great sandwich. Unless you regularly roast a whole pig, the hardest component to find is the roast pork. I already had a lot of ham; I didn’t need to be roasting any other large hunks of pork. Luckily the fiancé found some really good stuff at Whole Foods that we could buy by the ounce.
There are no amounts on the recipe because you’re essentially making a ham and cheese sandwich with a little extra meat. It’s really up to you. Some variants like to add mustard, others swap the mayonnaise for butter. If you have a plancha to press the sandwich, then you’re set. A panini maker will work, but if you’re like me and don’t have either, then it’s time to get creative. I found this solution from Daisy Martinez. She wraps the sandwiches in aluminum foil, places a large oven-proof skillet on top, and tosses them in the oven. Far from authentic, but it works just fine.
About the author: Nick Kindelsperger is a co-founder of The Paupered Chef, a blog dedicated to saving time and money while enjoying food in every way possible. He sells wine for a living and lives in Columbus, Ohio.
Cuban Sandwich
- serves 2 -
Bread (preferably cuban bread, though Italian or French will work)
Roast pork
Ham, sliced
Bread and butter pickles, sliced thinly
Swiss cheese, sliced thinly
Mayonnaise
Procedure
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Construct the sandwiches. Cut the bread in half length-wise, and slather it with the mayonnaise. Layer with the roast pork, ham, pickles, and cheese and top with the other slice of bread.
3. Wrap the sandwiches in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Set a heavy oven-proof skillet on top. Place everything in the oven. Cook for 30 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven, slice diagonally if you so choose, and dig in.
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9 Comments:
I use my George foreman grill and it makes a great pressed sandwich. I was thinking you could wrap a brick with tin foil and it would be a nice heavy weight. I know that you most likely have tons of clean brinks lying around your kitchen but you could keep one just for that and brick pressed chicken, just a thought. Your picture looks yummy.
love2cook at 5:20PM on 03/24/08
I just put myself on a diet! Now all I want to do is go to the Cuban diner for a sandwich :(
bitchincamero at 5:52PM on 03/24/08
I am of Cuban descent and when I was a kid in South Florida my dad's office was right next door (okay two doors down, the space next door was a biker bar) to a Cuban grocery that made them the right way, which is with mojo, not mayo or mustard. The mojo was olive oil and garlic based and made fresh daily.
I've grown to like the mayo version, I get them from Publix (the Boar's Head ones are better), heat them up in the oven, and then just SMUSH them with whatever I have at hand.
The idea is to get a good sandwich that is not dry and is filling, but you don't have to stretch your mouth to eat it.
I think it might be even better with Russian dressing rather than mayo ... I might have to give that a try.
redfish at 6:14PM on 03/24/08
Ha! My parents are also of Cuban descent. I live in Miami, and my current favorite Cuban diner meal is to go to Sergio's with my husband and split a Cuban sandwich and a Pan con Bistec (steak sandwich), have some croquetas and chase it all down with a Batido de Mamey (a mamey fruit smoothie). MMM, and MMM, and MMM.
bitchincamero at 6:24PM on 03/24/08
We lived in Miami for many years...no mayo for our Cuban sandwiches..we like mojo. My favorite Cuban lunch...a couple ham croquetas with cafe con leche...wonderful.
elaine nan at 7:52PM on 03/24/08
You all just made a Cuban in Brooklyn, not only very hungry, but very wanting to visit home.
DKA at 8:10PM on 03/24/08
The only place that I have had a really good Cuban was in Miami. I now live in Texas, and even the Cuban restaurants here do not make them like Miami.
Tres2006 at 8:54PM on 03/24/08
@ redfish: YES! Russian dressing would be fab! My favourite! Great idea!
hungrychristel at 9:25AM on 03/25/08
Mojo sounds even better than mayo or Russian. Will make mojo next time. What do cubanos think of using egg buns? "Memories of a Cuban Kitchen", Mary Urrutia Randelman and Joan Schwartz, suggests them.
Raki5 at 1:55PM on 03/29/08