Cubanesque Sandwich Recipe
By
Max La Rivière-Hedrick and Sarah Mastracco
Difficulty: Easy |
Total Time:
Under 5 mins
|
Active Time:
|
Makes:
1 sandwich
Because this Cuban pressed sandwich is not served hot, it can be transported to work or your next picnic. If you happen to be near a toaster oven or panini press, the sandwich is even better when toasty and warm (about 5 minutes at medium-high heat), but it’s just as great at room temperature.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 small French roll
- 1 tablespoon hot mustard
- 1/4 cup finely chopped pickle
- 2 ounces sliced honey-roasted ham
- 2 ounces sliced roast turkey
- 2 slices Swiss cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
- Slice French roll in half horizontally. Mix together hot mustard and pickle and spread on both cut sides of roll.
- Layer ham, turkey, and cheese in roll. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then lightly press sandwich closed. Wrap in parchment paper or waxed paper.
Beverage pairing: Brooklyn Lager, New York. Mustard, pickles, turkey, ham: That’s a call for beer, not wine. A good, simple, classic beer. A lager with character, served cold and icy, is all you need.
If you look up the history of the Cubano in the Tampa area, salami is an integral ingredient. Turkey???
Uhmmm.. How can it be "even better toasted" and "just as great" at room temperature? Surely it's either one or the other?
lame
Biscuit man:
I will say this...Roast beef and salami on a Cuban sandwich is a creative liberty I've never seen, did they claim it was authentic? or the "house Cuban" as alot of restaurant proprietors will do?
As a cuban, I am both content with and greatly amused by the fact that this is labeled Cubanesque. It disregards ALL of this pointless discussion of authenticity and crap.
I and likely the author know that a "Sandwiche Cubano" contains no turkey...but it sure does have that other stuff. and for all the rest of persons who want to cut down on the pork, there ya go. who cares, its a lovely...+READ
As a cuban, I am both content with and greatly amused by the fact that this is labeled Cubanesque. It disregards ALL of this pointless discussion of authenticity and crap.
I and likely the author know that a "Sandwiche Cubano" contains no turkey...but it sure does have that other stuff. and for all the rest of persons who want to cut down on the pork, there ya go. who cares, its a lovely l;ittle homage.-COLLAPSE
Like butterfly, I also grew up in Tampa and don't ever remember having a Cuban sandwich served to me that had been grilled. My first job was near Ybor City in the late 1950s. We would call the Silver Ring Cafe and order 10 Cuban sandwiches. They were served cold with very thin sliced ham, salami, roast beef, pickles, swiss cheese and mustard on Cuban bread. There's no other sandwich that has so a...+READ
Like butterfly, I also grew up in Tampa and don't ever remember having a Cuban sandwich served to me that had been grilled. My first job was near Ybor City in the late 1950s. We would call the Silver Ring Cafe and order 10 Cuban sandwiches. They were served cold with very thin sliced ham, salami, roast beef, pickles, swiss cheese and mustard on Cuban bread. There's no other sandwich that has so a distinct taste as the Cuban sandwich..-COLLAPSE
Where's the pork?! Heck no!
I saw a Cuban sandwich press when I was in Safety Harbor. It looked like a cross between a drycleaner's iron press and a medieval torture device. I can't imagine having a cuban sandwich without the melty cheese; it'd be akin to eating cold pizza. Not bad, just not the same animal as a nice hot one.
good question, misac. a real cuban sandwich press is a fearsome device, not at all like the ones most of us use at home (you know, you turn the waffle maker over to the smooth side) or those weenie "panini makers." no, it is a large device big enough to hold a half dozen substantial sandwiches at a time, sometimes more. it can get ferociously hot, but of course they don't press the sandwiches at...+READ
good question, misac. a real cuban sandwich press is a fearsome device, not at all like the ones most of us use at home (you know, you turn the waffle maker over to the smooth side) or those weenie "panini makers." no, it is a large device big enough to hold a half dozen substantial sandwiches at a time, sometimes more. it can get ferociously hot, but of course they don't press the sandwiches at too high a temperature or the bread would burn before the cheese melts. most importantly, the top of the press is weighted down with bricks wrapped in foil - often 3 or 4, and i have seen ocala blocks (cement) used instead. the weight is substantial, and as the sandwich heats up it is compressed, the juices comingling as they are absorbed by the bread. delicious! superb! do try one, even if you are a devoted tampa-style cuban sandwich eater, you will probably like it. they are hard to resist.-COLLAPSE
I grew up in Tampa and ate A LOT of Cuban sandwiches. I never had a Cuban pressed, ever. I've not even heard of it. What the hell would you "press" it with? I remember them being served hot, in our house, either from being wrapped in aluminum foil and put in the oven or from heating the bread in the oven before making the sandwich. This wasn't always the case. But traditionally, Cuban sandwiches...+READ
I grew up in Tampa and ate A LOT of Cuban sandwiches. I never had a Cuban pressed, ever. I've not even heard of it. What the hell would you "press" it with? I remember them being served hot, in our house, either from being wrapped in aluminum foil and put in the oven or from heating the bread in the oven before making the sandwich. This wasn't always the case. But traditionally, Cuban sandwiches use Cuban bread, (like French bread but cooked on palm leaves, I remember having to pick palm leaves off the bread sometimes before making sammies) roast pork, ham, swiss, mayo, mustard, thinly sliced pickles, and you must butter the bread first! Of course growing up so near Ruskin, my nana always put fresh sliced (usually freshly picked) Ruskin tomatoes on mine. There is one restaurant in Ybor City that still serves Cubans, they same way since opening. My great grandparents, grandparents, parents and I have all eaten there over the years. Nothing like half a Cuban sandwich, a bowl of Spanish bean soup and sweet iced tea for a meal.-COLLAPSE
Definitely different factories! The crazy thing about the "Cuban" sandwich as we know it in its present configuration is that it may be an American expat invention that went round trip since there was so much cultural interchange between Tampa, Key West, and Cuba (Miami wasn't really in the picture when the Cuban Sandwich hit the scene in the late 1800s). In any case, I'm sure we can agree,...+READ
Definitely different factories! The crazy thing about the "Cuban" sandwich as we know it in its present configuration is that it may be an American expat invention that went round trip since there was so much cultural interchange between Tampa, Key West, and Cuba (Miami wasn't really in the picture when the Cuban Sandwich hit the scene in the late 1800s). In any case, I'm sure we can agree, pressed or unpressed, calling this recipe Cubanesque is quite confused and an insult to Cuban sandwich lovers everywhere. Why mess with perfection?-COLLAPSE
butterfly - i guess your relatives worked in a different factory from mine. pressed, always pressed, or no meal. and this was in havana, not tampa.
> without pressing, it's just a supermarket sandwich, not a cuban.
No, not really. read up on the history of the Cuban sandwich (that is, sandwich mixto)... It wasn't born in a supermarket. And it wasn't a fancy food for purists. It was made for cigar factory workers in Ybor City Tampa and it was, indeed, originally unpressed.
I know this because I had the great pleasure of discussing this...+READ
> without pressing, it's just a supermarket sandwich, not a cuban.
No, not really. read up on the history of the Cuban sandwich (that is, sandwich mixto)... It wasn't born in a supermarket. And it wasn't a fancy food for purists. It was made for cigar factory workers in Ybor City Tampa and it was, indeed, originally unpressed.
I know this because I had the great pleasure of discussing this at great length with someone whose mother and father worked in the cigar factories and actually remembers when Cuban bread was delivered by slapping it onto a nail beside the front door of your house. The pressing was a later development and there are still plenty of "authentic" Florida gente with impeccable Cuban Sandwich cred who prefer it unpressed (I say this though I personally I do like them pressed). To enjoy it unpressed, the ingredients have to be of good quality (something that very often isn't the case now).-COLLAPSE
let's get real, hombres. a cuban sandwich does not have turkey on it - roast pork, ham, swiss cheese, mustard, mayo, butter on the outside for the pressing. yes, pressing. without pressing, it's just a supermarket sandwich, not a cuban. and the pickle has to be sliced thin, not chopped/mixed with mustard. we are not talking relish here, hombres. you want relish? have a hot dog or burger, and no...+READ
let's get real, hombres. a cuban sandwich does not have turkey on it - roast pork, ham, swiss cheese, mustard, mayo, butter on the outside for the pressing. yes, pressing. without pressing, it's just a supermarket sandwich, not a cuban. and the pickle has to be sliced thin, not chopped/mixed with mustard. we are not talking relish here, hombres. you want relish? have a hot dog or burger, and no french roll, please. cuban bread or nothing. if you want turkey on a sandwich of cuban descent, have an elena ruz - sliced turkey, cream cheese, strawberry preserves. sounds weird, tastes great, especially at 2:00 AM when you've indulged a bit too much.-COLLAPSE
I don't understand why this is called a cuban(esque) sandwich... No tiene nada que ver. It's a turkey sandwich--not that there's anything wrong with that (to quote Seinfeld).
And, yes, lots of purists do eat their Cubans unpressed (in my husband's old Florida Cuban/Spanish family, it is mainly the old-timers who prefer their sandwich mixtos unpressed and the second and third generation who...+READ
I don't understand why this is called a cuban(esque) sandwich... No tiene nada que ver. It's a turkey sandwich--not that there's anything wrong with that (to quote Seinfeld).
And, yes, lots of purists do eat their Cubans unpressed (in my husband's old Florida Cuban/Spanish family, it is mainly the old-timers who prefer their sandwich mixtos unpressed and the second and third generation who prefer them pressed, which leads me to think this is a more recent development). I challenge anyone to tell a person in their mid-eighties who grew up speaking Spanish and eating these things every day and working in restaurants making them that he/she is "inauthentic" for preferring them unpressed! What everyone does agree on is that a Cuban isn't made on French bread, with turkey, or without pork. They can, however have a little bit of salami.-COLLAPSE
This reminds me of the "cuban sandwich" I ordered at a little lunch counter.
It was a pork chop with swiss on a sub roll.
Pass.
This is looking scarily like the next special from Subway. Barely any connection to the Cubano. Cousin to Taco Bell's "gordita".
Ditch the french roll, cuban rolls aren't crusty because they have to be pressed.
Honey baked ham? Too sweet for sandwiches.
Turkey? Bone thrown to females who want 'half' figure friendly. Right.
No Digg. Oops, wrong web site.
Turkey makes that a Miami Sandwich! There's no Turkey to be found on a true Cuban Sammie, and you'd be hard pressed to get it unpressed down here in the bottom aka Miami. A true Cuban sandwich is Ham, Pork, Swiss, Pickle, mustard and ,mayo with butter slathered on the outside to optimize the press factor and complete the toasty gooey delight!
Hence your nickname cuban"esque". My favorite is...+READ
Turkey makes that a Miami Sandwich! There's no Turkey to be found on a true Cuban Sammie, and you'd be hard pressed to get it unpressed down here in the bottom aka Miami. A true Cuban sandwich is Ham, Pork, Swiss, Pickle, mustard and ,mayo with butter slathered on the outside to optimize the press factor and complete the toasty gooey delight!
Hence your nickname cuban"esque". My favorite is called a Croqueta Preparada, which is a true Cuban sammie as described above with two Ham Croquettes smushed inside...WOW, Muy sabroso!-COLLAPSE
It's gotta be hot.
Cubanesque? Humoresque!
It wouldn't be a Cuban sandwich unless it was heated and pressed. Forget it.
I think it's not as great at room temperature.