Cuban Sandwich and Plantain Chips



Sandwich Cubano con Platanutre

 I think my favorite memories of growing up in Puerto Rico were the trips to el Pueblo.  Not for shopping, but for eating.  The mouth-watering smells of food. Yum, Yum.... I remember our trips to la Panaderia del Pueblo, the freshly baked bread, the sweets and those goey cheesy hot sandwiches.  Bread, cheese and ham heated using a flat press; somewhat like the panini press but without the ridges.  Esos olores y sabores son inconparables.  My challenge today is to make a Cuban sandwich. 

I am using Cuban bread, for us Puerto Ricans we know this bread as Pan de Agua...freshly baked!

A traditional Cuban sandwich does not contain mustard, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomatoes or any other sauce.  I am adding just a bit of mustard on mine.

Then come the pickles...as little or as much as you like....it's all about balance.

Next...the pork.  Instead of using the traditional roasted pork (pernil asado) I was short on time so I decided to go with pork loin riblet instead.  See below for recipe.

Ham slices....I heated the ham slices a bit to bring up the flavor.  Traditional ham to use is jamon bolo...which is sweeter than the regular ham.  I used cold cut ham sold at the closest deli.

Make it cheesy...swiss cheese.

One rule to follow is even proportion of pork, ham and cheese.  The different flavors need to be in harmony, not overpower each other.

Now is time for the press, o la plancha caliente.

This is the funniest part, I do not own a panini press...I am using my griddle and pressing down with a plate.  All you need is a flat surface pressing down...use a pan, a plate, a brick wrapped in aluminum foil or whatever gets the job done...Improvise:)

And a few zizzling minutes later, your sandwich is done.



For my plantain chips:

1 plantain thinly sliced.  Pan fry over medium high heat until golden brown.  Drain.  Season with garlic powder.

For my pork:

1 lb pork loin riblet

2 T olive oil

3 garlic cloves

juice of 1/2 orange

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 T ground oregano

salt and pepper to taste

2 t garlic powder

Procedure:

1.  Rub the garlic over the meat.  This gives it a special flavor.

2. Mix all your dry ingredients.  Rub over meat.

3.  Drizzle the oil over your meat.

4.  Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes.

5.  Bake at 400 degrees F for the first 30 minutes, covered.  Use the orange and lemon juice for basting the meat.

6. After the first 30 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350-300 F.  Cook until done, approximately 1 - 1 1/2 hours.

Bone comes right off.

This was one of the best sandwiches I ever made.  My boyfriend seems to agree.  Too bad there are no left overs.

There is no greater satisfaction than seeing someone enjoy your cooking.  Love what you do.  Do what you love.

Buen provecho,
MJ