Welcome to my Wednesday food blog where I share recipes of all kinds from my kitchen. One of my kitchen gadgets I love is my panini press. Where i make my Cuban sandwiches for friends and family. Lisa
Definition of Cuban sandwich
: a usually grilled and pressed sandwich in Cuban-American cuisine served on a long split roll and typically containing roasted meats, cheese, and picklesbroadly
History of nt Cuban sandwich:
The first Cuban sandwich was made more than a quincentenary ago the by Taíno tribe in Cuba. They were one of three different cultures that inhabited the island before Europeans arrived. Jorge Astorquiza, a food chemist in Tampa, says the Taínos used casabe bread, made from yucca, to make the dish. Instead of pork — an unavailable meat at the time — the Taínos stuffed fish and bird meat inside the center of two thin, crunchy slices of casabe, which would taste more like a cracker than a slice of dough.
When Europeans eventually arrived on the island — primarily the Spaniards — meats such as pork and ham were quickly introduced into the native’s diets, transforming the sandwich into a succulent, meaty mass. Casabe was substituted for a doughy, bread-like alternative also, which at the time was easier to make for the islanders. “Traces of the sandwich originate back from the Indians,” says Astorquiza, “but the sandwich was really invented with what was brought from Spain.”
Cuban Sandwich recipe:
- Roasted tenderloin/ sliced
- 1 Cuban Bread Loaf Italian bread will also work
- 1 lb Swiss Cheese sliced
- 1 lb Smoked Ham sliced
- 1 cup Dill Pickles sliced
- 1/4 cup Mustard
- 2 tablespoons Butte
I already had a roasted tenderloin from dinner so I sliced it up for my sandwich. But you can roast one at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes in the oven until done.
Slice the loaf of bread in half lengthwise and then cut into 4 equal parts.
Begin layering the ingredients by adding half of the cheese to the bottom layer of the sandwich bread. Top with the smoked ham, sliced pork, and pickles. Place the remaining cheese on top. Spread mustard on the top piece of bread and place on the sandwich. Melt the butter in a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add the sandwiches and set a heavy skillet, such as an iron skillet, on top of the sandwiches to press them down. Once toasted flip the sandwich and repeat. Slice the sandwiches in half before servings.
Lisa s Everyday Life 