I love sandwiches. I think that may say something about me as a person, but I would put just about any food between two slices of bread and try it at least once.
Sandwiches are a brilliant food form, and I think they kinda get a bad wrap - that they are lunchbox food and people don't want to eat them. ( I even want to eat lunch box ones - that have been smooshed by a thermos and are room temperature) *Gross!*
I have been wanting to try to make a Cuban Sandwich for a while. I see them every so often on the cooking shows and people roll their eyes and sigh over how good they are - THAT is a sandwich I need to eat.
So I did some internet research and like all foods that end up famous, there are some pretty rigid beliefs that people have. There are regional ways to make it - some have salami and some protest loudly that makes it something else, No mayo, and even though I saw a recipe on Food Network that made them with bread and butter pickles, you are supposed to use dill.
Try it once made traditionally. It is famous for being made this way for a reason. Then feel free to mix it up as much as you want. This is basically just a grilled ham and cheese, but that is the beauty of it.
Ingredients:
Rolls - go for a crispy outside and airy inside type of roll
Yellow Mustard
Sliced Ham
Shredded Pork Roast
Swiss Cheese
Dill Pickles
Directions:
Slice open your roll and put mustard on both sides.
Then layer each side with Swiss Cheese.
Top one side of the roll with ham slices and the other side with shredded pork roast.
Then add generously sliced dill pickle slices.
(I added another slice of cheese cut in half right in the center here for a bit more "glue")
If you have a sandwich press, all you need to do now is grill it. If you don't have a sandwich press, grill it like you would a normal grilled cheese sandwich with a bit of butter on each side in a frying pan, but take a strong spatula and squish it flat, flat flat.
( I have read quite a bit of non-sense about wrapping heavy cans or bricks in tin foil and heating them in the oven until they are hot and then putting those on top of your sandwich - or using a cast iron pan and heating the bottom of it and then putting that on top of your sandwich - Non-Sense!!) If you don't have a fancy sandwich press, just use some arm strength and squish it - don't be heating cans of things in the oven!
Now, enjoy! There is a reason that these was a staple of workers from the sugar plants and cigar factories - it is quick and filling and the flavor combination is amazing for something so simple.
