The Cuban Sandwich

Ok, here's an example of where I don't have the perfect shot but the recipe is too good to wait. And besides, those perfect shots miss what is really going on in the background... leaving out the love, effort, and balancing act of life that goes into these recipes. As you can see, Koa is waiting for a chance to reenact the Bumpus' dogs famous dinner disaster scene from A Christmas Story and that's one of Morgan's newborn toys making an appearance in the upper right-hand corner.

Traditionally we make a huge Puerco Asado con Frijoles Negro and the following day we use the leftover roasted pork for Cuban sandwiches. I haven't found traditional Cuban bread out here in the DC area so I use Giant's club rolls. My sandwiches have yet to disapoint even the most distinguished Cuban palates.

This is how I assemble my Cuban sandwiches.

1. Drizzle a little mojo on the roasted pork, cover, and warm up in the oven.
2. Preaheat George Foreman or Paninini Press.
3. Slice bread and spread mustard on both sides (optional).
4. Place a generous portion of roasted pork on bottom slice. If you have any left over crispy skin you can chop it up and sprinkle it on top of the pork.
5. Add sliced dill pickles, ham, swiss cheese, and top piece of roll.
6. Place one sandwich at a time in the grill and press down for several minutes. I really press down on my George Foreman to get the sandwich nice and crunchy. This is somewhat of an art because you don't want the fillings to squeeze out of bread... keep an eye on that.
7. I keep the oven at 200 degrees to keep sandwiches warm until ready to serve.

FYI: If you are lactose intolerant use Boar's Head Imported Swiss Cheese.