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Authentic Cuban Sandwich Recipe - How to
Make a Cubano
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. You can also use leftover meats from the
fridge for a Cuban, but I recommend using only the freshest cuts if
you plan on serving it hot.
The medianoche
sandwich (my personal favorite) is sometimes served cold. As its
name suggests, 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 (like
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.
Prep Time: 5 minutes - Cook Time: 5 minutes - Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
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
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
below). Enjoy!
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Don't Have Time to Bake Cuban Bread or
Slow-Roast Pork?
I'm often asked if there are websites that sell
Cuban bread, since it's not always convenient to make. At least one
website sells Cuban bread,
click here to visit their site. They send it fresh from a bakery
in Miami.
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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 good
(but always opt to roast your own).
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Cuban Sandwich Picture courtesy of
OffTheBroiler.Com
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Pictures of Cuban Sandwiches
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.
They also
have a review of a Cuban diner in Miami with great pictures.
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Main Cuban recipe pages:
appetizers
• soups •
main
dishes •
desserts •
drinks
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