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Sándwich cubano
Cuban sandwich: pressed roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard
This is a pork sandwich. The Cubano was the lunch of cigar workers going between Havana and Tampa, and Miami's Little Havana cafés still press it to order on a hot plancha. Soft Cuban bread is layered with mojo roast pork, boiled ham, Swiss cheese, dill pickles and yellow mustard, then flattened and toasted until the cheese melts and the crust shatters. It is the best use of leftover lechón asado. Drink it with a café cubano. The usual mistake is pressing on too high a heat, which burns the bread before the middle is hot. Chef's tip: butter the outside of the bread, not the inside, and weigh it down with a heavy pan so it crisps evenly.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Split each length of 1 Cuban bread or soft white baguette lengthways. Spread 2 tbsp yellow mustard on both cut sides.
Step 2: Layer the bottom halves with 7 oz roast pork (lechón asado), cooked, 4 oz cooked ham, 3 ½ oz Swiss cheese and 2 dill pickles, in that order, then close the sandwiches.
Step 3: Spread ⅔ oz butter thinly over the outside of the bread, top and bottom.
Step 4: Heat a large frying pan or griddle over a medium-low heat. Put the sandwiches in and press down with a heavy pan (or a foil-wrapped brick).
2 minStep 5: Toast for 3–4 minutes a side, pressing firmly, until the crust is crisp and golden, the sandwich is about half its first height and the cheese has melted. The pork should be steaming hot in the middle.
8 minStep 6: Cut each sandwich in half on the diagonal and serve at once. If your roast pork comes from the fridge, it must have been cooked to at least 145°F and chilled within 2 hours; eat leftovers within 3 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 720 kcal
- Protein
- 46 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 34 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sándwich cubano take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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