A few
years ago, when my better half and I were in Florida for spring break (spring break is now
such a foreign concept which saddens me) we found a lovely hole-in-the wall
Cuban restaurant/rest stop/shack. It
was painted a wide variety of obscenely bright/pastel colors that can only be
considered normal paint colors in Florida . I fell in love. (Let’s just say I have a soft spot for
bright garish colors that others find tacky. I also have quite the appreciation for
hole-in-the walls (thanks Dad!)). We
stopped short, turned the car around and pulled in. There was a line of people waiting for
their orders and picnic tables with mismatched chairs all around the parking
lot. The menu was short and sweet – Cuban sandwiches, fried plantains, and
a variety of sodas. We
ordered our meal and sat in the bright Florida sun sipping orange soda. It is one of my happiest
memories.
The sandwiches we got were perfect
in their execution (as were the plantains!). The bread was crispy and as you ate,
you encountered moist roast pork, tangy pickles, salty ham, and gooey
cheese. It was the best
Cuban sandwich I had ever had. I
don’t know if it was so good because we were 21 and sitting on the side of the
road in Florida or
if its because it was that incredible, but whatever the reason I will always
compare all other Cuban sandwiches to that one.
The Cuban sandwiches we made last
night were stellar. Maybe
they were stellar because I was craving them that badly or because all the
components just worked together (I like to think they were amazing because most
of it was homemade!) but whatever the reason, I was a happy girl after dinner
was over.
Cuban Sandwiches
Makes 4 Sandwiches
I made my own homemade Cuban bread,
pork and pickles. I urge
you to make at least one of the components yourself – it will taste that much
better if you do. Also try
and have all ingredients at room temperature, makes it much easier to melt the
cheese without burning the bread if you do that!
Also do not season your grill pan
with olive oil as my sous chef learned yesterday. Olive oil has a very low smoke point –
terrible to use for grilling!
1 Loaf Cuban Bread (recipe below)
16 bread and butter pickles (or
more if you like lots of pickles)
6 thin slices of ham (I used the
rosemary ham I find at Whole Foods, not traditional but very good!)
½ to ¾ pound pork sliced thin
Swiss cheese
Yellow mustard, if you choose (Not
super traditional but I love it)
Butter
Slice your loaf of Cuban bread into
4 pieces. Spread mustard on
the bottom layer of bread. Top
with the thin slices of roast pork,1 ½ slices of ham, 4 pickles (or more), and
swiss cheese. Add more
mustard to the bread if you desire. Heat
a cast iron skillet and put butter in the pan. When the pan is hot and the butter is
melted, add the sandwich. Cook
for 3 minutes (being careful to make sure it doesn’t burn) and then flip the
sandwich and cook for another 2 minutes until the cheese is melted. Repeat with the remaining
sandwiches.
Cuban Bread
Recipe From Bernard Clayton’sComplete Book of Breads
I halved the recipe because I
didn’t need 2 loaves – halving worked perfectly so below is my version for one
loaf! Also this is one of
the easiest breads to make, so if you are a beginner I suggest trying it.
3 cups all purpose flour
1 package dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup hot water (120 – 130F)
Place 2 cups of flour in the bowl
of your mixer and add the yeast, salt, and sugar. Mix to combine. Pour in the water and mix for 1 minute
on high speed. Gradually
work in the remaining cup of flour until the dough looses stickiness and/or
starts to form a ball. Once
this happens continue to mix for 8 minutes in the mixer.
When you are done mixing, place the
dough in an oiled bowl and let it rise for 20 minutes until double in size.
When its risen, punch the dough
down. Sprinkle a baking
sheet with cornmeal. Shape
the loaf into a long log on the baking sheet.
Place the baking sheet in the
middle of a cold oven. Put
a pan of water on the shelf below. Turn
the oven on to 400 and bake for about 45 minutes or until the loaves are deep
golden brown. Thump the
bottom of the loaves to test them – if they sound hollow, they’re done.
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