Cuban Sandwich Recipe
How to make a Sandwich Cubano / Medianoche, with
pictures
There are many variations on the Cuban Sandwich. On a
traditional Cuban, there should not be any mayonnaise, tomatoes, onions, bell
peppers or lettuce. Although you can use these to your own liking, you will
find the authentic traditional recipe below (I've also just added a link to a
step-by-step photo description below of how you can make your own Cuban sandwich). Often times, one can use leftover
meats from the fridge for a Cuban, yet I recommend using only the freshest cuts
if you plan on serving it hot.
The
medianoche (my
personal favorite) sandwich is sometimes served cold, as its name
implies you might eat it very late as a midnight snack or coming back from
dancing or a movie. Some make the medianoche smaller, with a sweeter
variety of yellow egg bread (similar to Jewish Challah bread). In making a good Cuban sandwich, remember this:
the
Roast Pork is what will make the sandwich, so you can never leave it
out.
3 thin slices of ham
3 thin slices roast
pork hot or cold (I use hot, slow roasted pork)
3 thin slices of
Swiss cheese
3 or 4 slices of
pickles
1/3 cut
Cuban bread
hard crust (or French bread)
You should be using fresh, crusty Cuban bread, but you can
always use a 12" loaf of French bread cut in half. Slice the bread open face so
that both halves are still barely connected and spread mustard on both
halves. Add the ham, and then the roasted pork. When in a
hurry, you can use one whole piece of roasted pork. Add your Swiss cheese and
then a few pickle slices. Make sure to spray your sandwich press with a
little butter flavored Pam, or for a tastier sandwich you can brush some
softened butter on the outside of the bread. Place the sandwich in a
Cuban sandwich
press and
press down until the cheese is melted and the bread is slightly hard to the
touch. For those of you without a press, you can also place the sandwich
in a hot skillet and press down on it with a heavy kitchen object, maybe a
baking pan (some,
believe it or not, use a brick wrapped in tin foil when nothing else is
available). For years I've used a Gaunaurd sandwich maker from the
Cuban Food Market, it has
removable plates and is easy to clean. Never use a panini
grill, they simply don't heat sandwiches evenly and a real
Cuban doesn't have little lines grilled into it. When finished, slice the sandwich diagonally across the middle
so that you have two triangle shaped wedges (as seen in the pictures at the
bottom of this page). Enjoy!
To answer a question I am often
emailed: there is only one website I know of that sells Cuban
Bread online,
click here to visit their site. They send it fresh from
La Rosa Bakery in Miami. Last Christmas Day my father cooked
slow roasted pork, and sandwiches made with La Rosa's bread was
incredible.
I recently
found this article on how a Cuban Sandwich is made over at the
"Off The Broiler" website. Although their recipe differs
slightly than the one listed above, there's an excellent set of photos
showing how to prepare a Sandwich Cubano. DON'T click the
link if you're hungry, the photos are incredible. They also
have a review of a Cuban diner in Miami with great pictures.
Webmaster's note: If you are having trouble
roasting the pork yourself, some supermarkets such as Albertsons sell a decent
precooked roasted
pork such as
Hormel Pork Roast Au Jus in their meat and chicken section. Sliced thin
or shredded, its very good
(but always opt to roast your own).
Cuban Sandwich Picture courtesy of
OffTheBroiler.Com
Sandwich Cubano Picture courtesy of
OffTheBroiler.Com
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