Luke's Cuban Sandwich

 

 

Luke’s Cuban sandwich

Luke’s Cuban sandwich

Over the 40 years I have lived in Florida I have lived in Miami, Tampa and Orlando and the Cuban sandwich has always been a part of living in these places. As the Cuban has become a mainstream sandwich the quality can be all over the map, so I decided to make my own slightly upscale version and it has always been a hit. You can make extra and cut and wrap them, they hold well and make great grab and go lunches for kids and adults. I provided pictures for assembly, a sandwich grill press is the best way to make them, although you can use two heavy heated skillets, but it’s not as easy.

-Bread, Cuban bread is the traditional bread, but I have found that a large French bread that is egg washed produces a better crunch (I use Publix French bread, it is soft and light inside, so it compresses well)

-Pork, the traditional is a mojo pork shoulder, its great but it’s big and takes a day or more to make. I use pork tenderloin, simply put it in a bowl, cover with mojo marinade (available in bottles at most grocery stores) and poke it all over with a fork and let marinade for a few hours or overnight, grill on a gas or charcoal grill, baste with the marinade as it cooks, cook until medium, let rest for 15 minutes or more and slice at an angle in ¼ slices. 0ne tenderloin will cover about 2 loaves of bread.(4 halves)

-Cheese, traditional is regular Swiss cheese, I use baby Swiss, it’s creamier and melts better.

-Ham, traditional is boiled ham, I use Black Forest or Publix Serrano (in the deli case), they both have a little smokiness that adds to the overall sandwich.

- Dried Chorizo, this is not traditional, but I love it, adds a lot of flavor. These are the red packages hanging up on racks at the grocery store. I have run into some very tough ones so I opt for the Goya brand, always good. You have to peel the tough skin off before slicing. Slice at an angle into thin slices.

- Mustard, yellow is traditional, I use Dijon, hotter and more flavorful.

-Mayo, not traditional, but it adds more flavor, use a thin coating on the bread with the Dijon mustard.

-Butter, I use salted butter to brush the outside of the sandwich, this is very important to get a really crisp exterior. Melt the butter and brush the entire exterior.

-Pickle, traditional is a sour dill slice and usually a not a good one. Today many places are opting for better quality dills. I often use Bread and Butter pickles because the sweetness works with the rest of the sandwich and the hot sauce I always splash on when I eat it. When I make these for a crowd I always ask what their preference is and make some with the regular dill.

-Hot sauce, I always put a bottle of hot sauce on the table, just goes well with the sandwich. Louisiana brand is my go to, but any will work.

-Black beans, this is the traditional side dish, often served with white rice and is very easy and quick to make using canned beans, see recipe below.


Assembly


-cut the tips off the bread and cut the loaf in half, then cut each half in half horizontally.

-spread a light coating of mayo and Dijon mustard on each half.

-cover the bottom half with the about two and a half slices of cheese
.
-place 6 pieces of the sliced pork on top of the cheese.

-place about three slices of ham on top of the pork.

-place 6 to 8 slices of chorizo on top of the ham.

-place 4 pickles on top of the chorizo.

-place 2 slices of cheese on top of the pickles.

-put the bread top on and push down to on it, this helps hold it together.

-brush the outside of the entire sandwich with the melted butter

 

 


Cooking
Heat the sandwich grill press to medium hot, place the two sandwiches on the grill press and lower the top. Let it heat for a minute and then start pressing down every few minutes until the sandwich is flat. Continue to cook until the cheese is melted and some juice is bubbling out of the ends. The crust should be very hard when you tap on it.
-remove to a cutting board and slice on an angle and serve with hot sauce.

 

 

 


Quick Black Beans
1– 29 oz. can of black beans
2 Tbsps.of olive oil
2- cloves of garlic, chopped
1-Onion chopped
4- dried Japones peppers, broken in a few pieces or 1 tsp red pepper flakes
½ cup water or chicken stock
1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
½ tsp dried oregano
2 Tbsps. Dry sherry
Salt to taste
-Add the oil to a pot, heat and add the onion and garlic, sauté until soft.
-Add the peppers, black beans and the liquid, cumin, oregano and sherry.
-Simmer, stirring occasionally until the beans begin to soften, about 15 minutes or more depending on the brand of beans. When soft, use a spoon to mash some of beans against the side of the pot and stir to thicken, add salt to taste.
-serve as is or with white rice spooned on top.

 

 

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