Inspired by (or just made really hungry by) the Cuban sandwiches in the movie Chef, the Accidental Locavore crossed a few cultural barriers and came up with her own version of a Cubano, with help from a husband who couldn’t stop tweaking. This makes one sandwich and I’ve been known to make an untoasted version in under two minutes:
- 1 ciabatta roll
- 1-2 slices deli ham
- 4-6 slices smoked pork tenderloin (or roast pork)
- 1-2 slices provolone
- 5-6 dill pickle slices
- Dijon mustard
Untoasted: Cut the ciabatta rolls open and liberally spread the mustard on both sides. Layer the ham, smoked pork, cheese and pickles. Serve and enjoy!
Frank’s toasted version:
Cut the roll in half and slather mustard on one side. Put the cheese on that side, and the ham and smoked pork on the other side. Warm it in the toaster oven until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and add the pickles on top of the cheese. Quickly slap the halves together and press down hard on the sandwich. Slice in half and enjoy!
My verdict: Before you start telling me it’s not authentic, I know that! I saw the movie and I’ve eaten Cubanos in Manhattan. Since we’ve been loving the smoked pork tenderloin so much, I thought it would be interesting to try it in a sandwich. Let me tell you, toasted or even plain, it’s delicious! We don’t have a panini press (and no, that’s not a request for one), so I’m going to try it on a griddle (getting more authentic) and/or our waffle iron. If I do it on the plancha (griddle), I’ll grill the ham and butter the outside of the roll before grilling it. Not sure what the waffle iron will do, but it would act more like a press than the griddle. Either way, it’s time for the third batch of smoked tenderloin.
