Saturday, June 11, 2011

Cuban Sandwich

Around here in SW Florida, Tampa and Miami as well you can get a Cuban sandwich (we call it a Cuban) most anywhere. It is so easy to find a good authentic, traditional Cuban, you really don't have to make it yourself...but as a food blogger and someone who likes to make it myself I did. When I was at the Sweetbay Supermarket they had some roasted pork on sale in the deli, so I picked some up along with a couple of loaves of Cuban bread.

The traditional Cuban is:


  • a loaf of Cuban bread

  • thin sliced roast pork

  • thin sliced ham

  • thin sliced swiss cheese

  • sliced dill pickles

Some will use yellow mustard, but never use a panini press as a Cuban doesn't have grill marks, and is cut diagonally across... if you don't have a sandwich press you can use a brick wrapped in foil or...

..like I used a small baking stone (upside down on the sandwich) with a tiny skillet...get it?... "tiny skillet" I have to squeeze that in when I can, hehe!


You don't want the skillet too hot or it might burn or crisp too much, some use butter, but I didn't. You want the cheese just melted and the bread slightly hard or firm. A tip that I got from 3 Guys From Miami is to let the meat and cheese come to room temperature so the cheese melts perfectly and the meat is warm...especially for those who like a lot of meat.



I don't use a lot of meat on mine, so I won't rough up the roof of my mouth when eating it... I hate when that happens, it kind of ruins my day.



Don't tell anyone, but I used Genoa salami instead of ham (I'm not a ham fan) ...but I never claimed mine to be authentic....everything else though. I did use some organic yellow mustard, my daughter's favorite, that is all she has on her sandwiches no mayo for her.




My mangoes are getting the size they should be, but see how close the tree is to our pool screen, some will drop on top...


I happened to catch one (a squirrel) running down the screen....



...oh yes, with a mango in his mouth...grrrrr...the will leave the half eaten mangoes everywhere...




...but we didn't leave the Cuban half eaten, it was finished, every last crumb!


You all have a wonderful weekend!
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28 comments:

  1. DianeJune 11, 2011 at 12:04 PM

    Mmmmmmm I love Mangoes they are very expensive here and nothing like as good as the ones we used to pick in South Africa!! Diane

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  2. Belinda @zomppaJune 11, 2011 at 12:51 PM

    What a perfect sandwich!

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  3. Gloria BakerJune 11, 2011 at 1:10 PM

    This sandwich Lyndsey look amazing! gloria

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  4. BrendaJune 11, 2011 at 1:22 PM

    I love Cubans, yours looks delicious! And I'm jealous you can grow mangoes in your yard....

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  5. RitaJune 11, 2011 at 1:49 PM

    I have never had a cuban sandwich; will be trying this one soon. I could make it in my Griddler.Good shot of that squirrel.
    Rita

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  6. Cooking GalleryJune 11, 2011 at 3:42 PM

    Mangoes in a sammie, yum....!! And the squirrel is just too cute (I know a lot of people think they're a pest ;))...! There are quite a lot of squirrels around my place and I used to be very happy when they made a visit to our balcony ;), but now I have 4 rabbits they're no longer the superstar, but I still think they're adorable and I do squeal when I see them around ;).

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  7. MarthaJune 11, 2011 at 7:51 PM

    I love a nice authentic Cuban sandwich, haven't made them myself since probably last summer. So good! I'll have to remember to put these on the menu when I make a pork roast - in fact, I'm just getting ready to sit down to do next week's menu plans, guess what we're going to have :-)

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  8. Lyndsay WellsJune 11, 2011 at 9:43 PM

    That sandwich looks so good. I've never had a Cuban and am thinking it would be a great weeknight dinner - YUMM! And i love genoa salami so will probably make mine like yours.

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  9. Gerry @Foodness GraciousJune 12, 2011 at 12:40 AM

    It's the simple recipes that are sometimes the best. This sammy looks wonderful!
    Thanks for sharing..

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  10. JeannieJune 12, 2011 at 9:39 AM

    I love the way it was done, press it thin huh! Don't have to open up our mouth too big to take a bite:D We have lots of mangoes here too!

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  11. ann lowJune 12, 2011 at 12:13 PM

    Same here Lyndsey...all my mangoes were usually eaten by squirrels too but I would like to eat the Cuban sandwich..looks so yummy!

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  12. Angie's RecipesJune 12, 2011 at 2:34 PM

    Your cuban sandwich looks yummilicious! I love your garden.

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  13. Jayanthy KumaranJune 13, 2011 at 1:53 AM

    lovely sandwich..send me some dear...really tempting..:P
    Tasty Appetite

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  14. IvonneJune 13, 2011 at 2:36 PM

    Oooh, that looks sooo good. I wish I could find Cuban bread here. Now, I'm on a mission! LOL

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  15. MJJune 13, 2011 at 8:29 PM

    Wow. I didn't realize many of these things about the Cuban! Interesting to learn about the elements of the perfect Cuban. And those mangoes...awesome!

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  16. Biren @ Roti n RiceJune 14, 2011 at 1:33 AM

    I didn't know there is a sandwich called a Cuban. The one you made looks really good. Wow...you have so many mangoes on your tree! I hope you get to taste some before the squirrels get to them.

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  17. JoanneJune 14, 2011 at 5:40 AM

    See the REAL reason why you needed to post this was so that all of us non-Floridians could have the experience of eating a tried and true delicious version! Looks so good.

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  18. PamJune 14, 2011 at 9:29 AM

    My gosh, I can't imagine leaving a crumb of this. Cubans are one of my favorite sandwiches and you did it up perfectly even if you didn't use ham! It would be great with salami! We have a squirrel in our back yard who has dark fur all over except for his blond tail. Pretty different! Nice mangoes!

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  19. tinyskilletJune 14, 2011 at 11:36 AM

    Diane - mangoes do taste better fresh picked from the tree.

    Belinda, Gloria - thank you!

    Brenda - It is nice having a mango tree...if I ever get any squirrel leftovers!

    Rita - hope you try it, you can use a soft French bread if you can't find Cuban bread.

    CG - yes they are cute and fun to watch...I just would like some of my mangoes without a bite taken out of it.

    Martha - Glad I could help. The best Cuban I've had was this tiny Cuban restaurant on 301 across from where my DH used to work. The whole place was run by this little old Cuban lady...the food was the best anywhere, then they sold it and it's just not the same.

    Lyndsay - Hope you try it, it's simplicity is so good...shhh don't tell anyone about the salami ;D

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  20. tinyskilletJune 14, 2011 at 11:50 AM

    Foodness Gracious - you are right there, simplicity = goodness!

    Jeannie - I wonder about some of those huge fat sandwiches...how do they get their mouth around it?

    Ann - those pesky squirrels, couldn't tempt them with a Cuban either...hehe!

    Angie, Jay - thanks so much!

    Ivonne - I hope you find some, we are so lucky here with all the Cuban and Latin foods we can find right in the grocery store.

    Melissa - I know, right? so many particulars, they even have a certain ham and pork roast they use. (I didn't get that deep into it) :D
    I should of shown you the proper way to cut it too.

    Biren @ Roti n Rice - it is very popular here, and easy enough to make anywhere. I sure hope I get some of those mangoes. Last year was it's off year, we didn't get any, citrus and oaks do that too.

    Joanne - yes! Ha! That's right...I should of shown a picture of the proper way to cut the sandwich too. It tastes better that first bite into that skinny sliver at the corner.

    Pam - thanks, I have had some stuffed more, but I like it thin. That squirrel sounds funny looking. :D

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  21. MariaJune 14, 2011 at 4:24 PM

    Nice one! This looks so tasty!

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  22. Nami | Just One CookbookJune 14, 2011 at 6:25 PM

    Hi Lyndsey! First time here and I already looked around your blog. You make delicious food (and bento too!) and I envy your neighborhood..so close to the "warm" beach! I'm about 30 mins away from the beach, but it's mostly cold. This Cuban sandwich will make my husband happy with double pork!! It's nice to meet you Lyndsey!

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  23. NoPotCookingJune 15, 2011 at 11:35 AM

    Love it with your substitution!

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  24. tigerfishJune 15, 2011 at 3:46 PM

    I have never tried a Cuban sandwich!!!! And I should!

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  25. chow and chatterJune 15, 2011 at 8:39 PM

    awesome sandwich and wow your mangoes are coming along and the squirrels agree :-)

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  26. claudia lamascoloJune 16, 2011 at 6:26 PM

    I have yet to eat a Cuban can you believe it living here in Florida? You have diffinitely inspired me everything looks drool worthy here!

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  27. Heather S-GJune 16, 2011 at 7:10 PM

    Oh YES! Cuban's are in my top 5 for sammiches...this looks amazing. Durn squirrels ;P

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  28. CatJune 17, 2011 at 9:14 PM

    Have you ever tried Jose's Real Cuban Food in Bradenton?? It is THE BEST... and Jose is a hoot! They're going to be featured on Diners, Drive-In's and Dives.

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