Cuban Sandwiches

Cuban bread or (Substitute French bread if you must, but don’t use baguettes)

Butter, softened

1-pound ham sliced (Use a good quality ham.)

1-pound lechón asado (roasted Cuban pork) sliced (See the following recipe)

1/2 pound Swiss cheese, sliced (Use a mild Swiss -- like Baby Swiss -- it has only a few holes.)  I used regular Swiss cheese

Sliced dill pickles (dill "Sandwich Stackers" work great) I used the Claussen Kosher Dill slices – I only buy Claussen!

Yellow mustard (optional)

Mayonnaise (Never!)

To make four generous sandwiches:

Preheat a pancake griddle or large fry pan. Cut the bread into sections about 8 inches long. Cut these in half and spread butter on both halves (inside)  I used a pastry brush and melted the butter. Make each sandwich with the ingredients in this order: pickles, roasted pork, ham, and cheese.

Place the sandwich on a hot frying pan sprayed with a little "Pam" or lightly greased. Place a heavy iron skillet or bacon press on top of the sandwich to flatten. (You really want to smash the sandwich, compressing the bread to about 1/3 its original size!)

Grill the sandwiches for two to three minutes on each side, until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden. Make sure your griddle or fry pan is not too hot, otherwise, the crust will burn before the cheese melts. Slice the sandwich in half diagonally and serve.

NOTE:  I used 3 large Italian loaves of bread; each cut in half and when done, cut into 3rds making 18 small sandwiches

Roast Pork For Cuban Sandwiches

2 lbs. boneless center pork loin roast

3 cloves garlic

1 tsp. salt

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1-cup sour orange juice

(If you can't get sour oranges in your area, try equal parts orange and grapefruit or 2 parts orange to one part lemon and 1 part lime)

1 cup minced onion

1/2 cup Spanish olive oil

Mash the garlic and salt together with a mortar and pestle. Add dried oregano, onion and the sour orange to the mash and mix thoroughly. Heat oil in small saucepan; add the mash to the oil and whisk.

Pierce pork roast as many times as you can with a sharp knife or fork. Pour garlic mixture (save a little for roasting) over pork, cover and let sit in refrigerator for two to three hours.

Using a suitable roasting pan or rack, sprinkle remaining marinade over pork and cook uncovered at 325°F. Roast until completely cooked (160°F), about 20 minutes per pound. Baste occasionally. Bring pan juices to a boil and simmer until the juice is reduced by half. Sprinkle some juice onto the pork when you put it in the sandwich. I didn’t add any pan juice, as I didn’t want mushy bread. I used our meat slicer to cut the meat thin.