Cuban Food Recipe: Sandwich Cubano

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I love Cuban Food and especially Cuban Sandwiches. In search of the best I have tried countless recipes and finally found the right one (also the most authentic one) and wanted to share it for every self respecting Cigar lover to try:



Jorge Castillo: One thing is certain. Once you've had a Cuban sandwich, you'll crave them forever!

Recipe from the book: "Three Guys From Miami Cook Cuban"

Ingrediants:

Cuban bread or (Substitute French bread if you must, but NOT a baguette!)
Butter, softened
1 pound ham sliced (Use a good quality ham.)
1 pound lechón asado (roasted Cuban pork) sliced (Follow the lechón asado link or see the following recipe)
1/2 pound Swiss cheese, sliced (Use a mild Swiss -- we like Baby Swiss -- it has only a few holes.)
Sliced dill pickles (dill "Sandwich Stackers" work great)
Yellow mustard (optional)
Mayonnaise (NEVER!!)

To make four generous sandwiches:
Preheat a pancake griddle or large fry pan. Cut the bread into sections about 8 inches long. Cut these in half and spread butter on both halves (inside). Make each sandwich with the ingredients in this order: pickles, roasted pork, ham, and cheese. Be generous!

NOTE: Most people use a sweet cured ham (jamón dulce) or bolo ham for Cuban sandwiches. If you can find these hams in your area, great. Otherwise, look for a slightly sweet, soft textured ham with a mild taste. You don't want the flavor of the ham to overpower the rest of the ingredients! Also, never use shaved ham or pork in a Cuban sandwich!

Place the sandwich on the hot griddle (fry pan) sprayed with a little "Pam" or lightly greased. Place a heavy iron skillet or bacon press on top of the sandwich to flatten. (You really want to smash the sandwich, compressing the bread to about 1/3 its original size!)

Grill the sandwiches for two to three minutes on each side, until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden. Make sure your griddle or fry pan is not TOO HOT! Otherwise, the crust will burn before the cheese melts. Slice the sandwich in half diagonally and serve.


Medianoche

Use all the same ingredients, except use a medianoche bread loaf. This sweeter bread, and smaller size, is the only difference between a medianoche and a Cuban sandwich!


NOTES:

Tip: Let your meats and cheese come to room temperature. This way you avoid burning the bread and the cheese melts perfectly! This is especially helpful when you have a lot of meat in your sandwich.

For extra flavor, sprinkle a little mojo (or meat juices if you make the recipe below) on the meat before adding the cheese.


[u]Roasted Pork:[/U]

Ingredients:
(1) 2 to 4-pound pork shoulder roast OR pork loin roast (NOTE: You'll only need about 1 pound of the cooked meat for the Cuban sandwich recipe above.)
1 head garlic -- about 10 to 15 cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 cup sour orange juice (If you can't get sour oranges in your area, use two parts fresh orange to one part fresh lemon and one part fresh lime) See Goya Shortcut Below!
1 cup minced onion
2 teaspoons oregano
1/2 cup Spanish olive oil

Mash garlic, salt, and peppercorns into a paste, using a mortar and pestle. Stir in sour orange juice, onion, and oregano. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a 2-quart saucepan until hot, but NOT deep frying hot! We’re looking for something in the neighborhood of 220 degrees F. Remove the oil from heat and quickly whisk in the garlic-orange juice mixture until well blended. Let cool before using as a marinade!

Pierce pork roast as many times as you can with a sharp knife or fork. Pour garlic mixture (save a little for basting while roasting) over pork, cover and let sit in refrigerator for two to three hours.

Using a suitable roasting pan or rack, sprinkle remaining marinade over pork and cook uncovered at 325°F. Roast until completely cooked (160°F), about 20 minutes per pound. Baste occasionally. Bring pan juices to a boil and simmer until the juice is reduced by half. Sprinkle some juice onto the pork when you put it in the sandwich.

Simple Shortcut for marinade:

Use: Goya Mojo Criollo Marinade available at most grocery stores in the mexican food section. It is a BitterOrange/Lemon/Garlic marinade. I add a couple of extra tablespoons of minced garlic and shake it in a zip-lock bag then put the roast in for24-48hours, the longer the better.
http://www.goya.com/english/products...11&prodCatID=4