Cuban Sandwich - This one hit the spot!

I have loved Cuban sandwiches ever since I wandered into a little hole in the wall café in Key West, not far off Duval Street. The year was 2000 and I was in Key West for two weeks doing my navy reserve duty. Someone had told me about the place, so I drove my rental car over there at lunch. I pulled up to the shop. There were parking meters in front and I had no change in my pockets. I pulled into one of the open spots, got out, yanked open the screen door and walked in, asking if I could get change for a dollar so I could feed the meter. The lady (using the term loosely) behind the counter gruffly announced that she didn't make change for the meters. Nice...

I was on the horns of a dilemma, I could head to McDonalds for a Big Mac or I could leave my car at the unpaid meter, order a sandwich and beat a hasty exit to avoid the roving meter maid. I chose the latter and I am glad I did. I ordered a basic Cubano, grabbed the sandwich, hopped into my car and found another parking space (a free one this time) where I could enjoy my lunch. I loved it. I have always been a sucker for local food and this one really hooked me.

Since that time, I have been on the prowl for another really good Cubano. I have tried them in Tampa, Miami, Orlando and various other Cuban restaurants I have come across since. I even tried several from national sub sandwich chains. None of them ever really did it for me.

So, last night we were looking for something for dinner. We had a hunk of ham remaining from our Christmas meal. We had a pork loin that I had cooked a few days before. We had dill pickles and we had some ciabatta loaves. Hmmmm. Sounds like the makings of a Cubano. Let's try it. 

I looked on the internet at a few recipes and threw something together. Amazingly, it turned out to be the best Cubano I have had since that sunny day in the Conch Republic more than twenty years ago. Here are the ingredients for one sandwich and how I threw it together. If you try it, I hope you enjoy!

• Ciabatta roll, sliced
• Ham, thinly sliced but not deli-sliced. About four slices.
• Pork loin or shoulder, thinly shaved. About 3 ounces.
• Schmear, made of equal parts yellow mustard and mayo with a dash of cayenne pepper.
• Cheese, swiss or other "holey" cheese. Two slices.
• Dill pickles, sliced lengthwise. Three slices or enough to cover the bread.

Having a panini press or a George Forman grill would be perfect. I used my GF, preheated to 350 F. It worked perfectly. You can use a skillet, but you need to press the sando. If you don't, it won't be a real Cubano.

I had recently cooked a pork loin in my June™ Oven, so I had a hunk left over. I used a sharp knife to shave off about 3 ounces. It is important not to do slices. Shave it into uneven shards. Gather it up and toss it in a skillet with a little olive oil. Stir it around enough to get the meat hot but don't overcook it. Empty the skillet into a small bowl. I also took my ham slices and threw them in the skillet just to kill the chill. Remove from heat.

Take the bottom of the bottom of the bun and put a little butter on it. Spread the mustard/mayo schmear liberally on the inside of both pieces of the bun. Note, you could use a loaf of Cuban bread, kind of a small hoagie sized roll, but it is much easier to find ciabatta.

Assemble as follows.

• Bottom of the bun, butter side down, on a plate
• Layer of cheese
• Shaved pork, spread evenly on the cheese
• Sliced ham on the pork
• Layer of sliced dill pickles on the ham (it helps to pat dry the pickle slices before assembly) 
• Another layer of cheese
• Top of the bun with a little butter on the top.

Transfer the sandwich from the plate to the cooker. Once it is in place, press gently, making sure that the top stays even with the bottom. As it warms up, press down more until the sandwich thickness is reduced by about half.

Cook until the bread is golden brown and you can see the cheese starting to ooze.

Remove from heat and slice in half perpendicular to the lay of the pickles.

That's it! You are ready to eat what I think is the nearly perfect Cuban sandwich. Now, if I only saw a six-toed cat or a loose chicken, I would really feel like I was back in Key West...