I want to make an "authentic" Cuban sandwich. What do I need, how do I do it?!
Answers: I recently spent some time in the Tampa area, Cuban sandwiches were offered everywhere, but each was quite different from the other. I'd like to learn what makes a traditional Cuban sandwich. Thanks!
CUBAN BREAD AND SANDWICH
Dough Starter:
3/4 tsp yeast
1/3 c water
1/3 c bread flour
Prepare the starter the day before baking day.
Dissolve the yeast in the water and stir in the flour.
Cover the bowl and allow the starter to ripen in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Leftover starter will keep for several days in the refrigerator or can be frozen for up to 6 months.
Dough:
4 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups water
4 tablespoons solid shortening
1/2 starter batch
1 tablespoon salt
5 cups bread flour
To make the dough, dissolve the yeast and sugar in 3 tablespoons water in a large mixing bowl. When the mixture is foamy (5 to 10 minutes), stir in the lard, the remaining water and the 1/2 batch of starter. Mix well with your fingers or a wooden spoon. Stir in the salt and the flour, 1 cup at a time, to obtain a dough that is stiff enough to pull away from the sides of the bowl, but soft enough to knead. The dough can also be mixed and kneaded in a mixer fitted with a dough hook or in a food processor fitted with the dough blade.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add flour as needed, but not too much. The dough should be pliable, but not sticky. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm draft free spot until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Punch down the dough. To make the loaves, divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each to form a 14 inch long log or cylinder. Divide the cylinders between 2 baking sheets with 6 inches space between and let rise in a warm place until doubles in bulk, about 1 hour.
The dough can be allowed to rise at a lower temperature, even in the refrigerator, but the rising time will be 3 to 4 hours. Preheat oven to 375F.
In the bottom of your oven, place a pan filled with hot water. The steam will help to make a nice crust on the loaves. Lay a dampened piece of thick kitchen string or twine about 1/8" thick on top of each loaf, running the length of the loaf. Bake until the breads are light browned on top and sound hollow when light tapped, about 30 minutes.
Let the loaves cool slightly and remove the strings.
Transfer the breads onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes 4 loaves.
Sandwich Filling (for 1 serving):
2 teaspoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 oz roast pork
2 oz ham, cooked
1 oz Swiss cheese
3 tomato slices
1 Iceberg lettuce leaves
3 slices dill pickle
1 tablespoon butter
Butter the outside crust of a Cuban loaf.
Split the loaf and spread mayonnaise and mustard inside. Layer with thinly sliced ingredients and press in a sizzling hot panini grill or sandwich press until toasted to your desired doneness and the cheese has melted nicely.
Slice the sandwich diagonally and serve.
foodnetwork.com
its is just like cooking here in the states everywhere u go people cook differently,,the real trick to it is find the one u like and go with it ,,they are mostly all authentic,,try some of the ones below untill u find the one u like
Cuban bread, Swiss cheese, ham, salami, sliced roast pork, mayo, mustard and sliced pickles. but you definitely have to use real Cuban bread which can be hard to find outside of Florida.
Here's a whole page of recipes from recipezaar. They all look too good to just choose one!!
Cuban Midnight Sandwich
This sandwich is called a 'Media Noche' which translates to 'Midnight.' It makes a wonderful dinner sandwich because it is served hot. A nice side dish is black bean soup or black beans and rice, and plantain chips.
PREP TIME 20 Min
COOK TIME 5 Min
READY IN 25 Min
INGREDIENTS
1 cup mayonnaise
5 tablespoons Italian dressing
4 hoagie rolls, split lengthwise
4 tablespoons prepared mustard
1/2 pound thinly sliced deli turkey meat
1/2 pound thinly sliced cooked ham
1/2 pound thinly sliced Swiss cheese
1 cup dill pickle slices
1/2 cup olive oil
DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and Italian dressing. Spread mixture on hoagie rolls. Spread each roll with mustard. On each roll, arrange layers of turkey, ham, and cheese. Top each with dill pickle slices. Close sandwiches, and brush tops and bottoms with olive oil.
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Place sandwiches in skillet. Cook sandwiches for 2 minutes, pressing down with a plate covered with aluminum foil. Flip, and cook for 2 more minutes, or until cheese is melted. Remove from heat, place on plates, and cut in half diagonally.
Cuban bread
Butter, softened
1 pound ham sliced (Use a good quality ham.)
1 pound lechón asado (roasted Cuban pork) sliced
1/2 pound Swiss cheese, sliced (Use a mild Swiss)
Sliced dill pickles
Yellow mustard (optional)
Mayonnaise (NEVER!!)
Preheat a pancake griddle or large fry pan. Cut the bread into sections about 8 inches long. Cut these in half and spread butter on both halves (inside). Make each sandwich with the ingredients in this order: pickles, roasted pork, ham, and cheese. Be generous!
NOTE: Most people use a sweet cured ham (jamón dulce) or bolo ham for Cuban sandwiches. If you can find these hams in your area, great. Otherwise, look for a slightly sweet, soft textured ham with a mild taste. You don't want the flavor of the ham to overpower the rest of the ingredients. Also, never use shaved ham or pork in a Cuban sandwich.
Place the sandwich on the hot griddle (fry pan) sprayed with a little "Pam" or lightly greased. Place a heavy iron skillet or bacon press on top of the sandwich to flatten. (You really want to smash the sandwich, compressing the bread to about 1/3 its original size!) Grill the sandwiches for two to three minutes on each side, until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden. Make sure your griddle or fry pan is not TOO HOT! Otherwise, the crust will burn before the cheese melts. Slice the sandwich in half diagonally and serve.
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Medianoche
Use all the same ingredients, except use a medianoche bread loaf. This sweeter bread, and smaller size, is the only difference between a medianoche and a Cuban sandwich!
Tip: Let your meats and cheese come to room temperature. This way you avoid burning the bread and the cheese melts perfectly! This is especially helpful when you have a lot of meat in your sandwich.
For extra flavor, sprinkle a little mojo (or meat juices if you make the recipe below) on the meat before adding the cheese.
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Roast Pork For Cuban Sandwiches
Ingredients:
2 lbs. boneless center pork loin roast
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp. salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 cup sour orange juice
(If you can't get sour oranges in your area, try equal parts orange and grapefruit or 2 parts orange to one part lemon and 1 part lime)
1 cup minced onion
1/2 cup Spanish olive oil
Mash the garlic and salt together with a mortar and pestle. (A rolling pin on a cutting board works pretty good too.) Add dried oregano, onion and the sour orange to the mash and mix thoroughly. Heat oil in small sauce pan, add the mash to the oil and whisk.
Pierce pork roast as many times as you can with a sharp knife or fork. Pour garlic mixture (save a little for roasting) over pork, cover and let sit in refrigerator for two to three hours.
Using a suitable roasting pan or rack, sprinkle remaining marinade over pork and cook uncovered at 325°F. Roast until completely cooked (160°F), about 20 minutes per pound. Baste occasionally. Bring pan juices to a boil and simmer until the juice is reduced by half. Sprinkle some juice onto the pork when you put it in the sandwich.
?Buen apetito!