Pressed Cuban Sandwich

While I'm on the Cuban food theme, I certainly couldn't leave out the Cuban Sandwich. Lately Tampa and Miami have been feuding over where the first one was made and what the mandatory ingredients are. I don't really care as long as it tastes good and this one is delicious. Puppy daddy swears these are the best!

I believe the secret to a great Cuban Sandwich is the pork and the bread. For my sandwiches I always use my Slow Cooker Mojo Pork and the best Cuban bread I can find. My local grocery store (Publix) makes a pretty good one, but if I could get to the La Segunda Bakery in Tampa for bread, I would definitely have the ultimate sandwich. In fact, I think my next trip to IKEA will require a stop at the bakery!. I know the purists swear by regular yellow mustard and no mayo, but I love the combination of Dijon and mayo, so that's what I use. I also prefer provolone over Swiss, but I've used both. I have also sometimes added salami, which is on a Tampa Cuban. Of, course you must have dill pickle slices.





Start by slicing your bread, adding mustard, mayo and pickles.

I put cheese on both sides of the bread so the sandwich sticks together when it melts. Then add your ham and pork.

Finally, its time to grill the Cubans. I use a flat stove top griddle. Put some softened butter on both sides of the bread. Place them on the griddle and smash them down (press) them with anything you have that's nice and heavy. I use bricks covered with aluminum foil, but you could use a heavy pot, or another griddle if you have one.

Time to eat!

 

 

Ingredients

 

 

Good Cuban Bread

Mayonnaise

Mustard

Sliced dill pickles

Sliced deli ham

Slow Cooker Mojo Pork

Provolone or Swiss cheese

Softened butter

 

Directions

 

Slice bread in half. Slather one inside piece with mayo and mustard. Add pickle slices. Top that half and the other half with cheese. Add ham and pork. Close sandwich. Spread softened butter on the outside of the sandwich. Place it on a medium-high griddle. Press down with a brick until one side is lightly browned. Flip sandwich over and repeat.

 

Try this recipe and let me know what you think!

 

 

 

 



Slow Cooker Mojo Pork

I love, love, love Cuban food. We have lots of great Cuban restaurants in our area, but I love finding ways to cook it at home. This recipe is so easy and the pork can be eaten as is or used for many other recipes, like the best Cuban Sandwiches EVER!


 I use pork butt or picnic shoulder. It's inexpensive and very tasty. Just slice up the orange, lemon, lime and onion. Crush or mince about 5 cloves of garlic, and sprinkle the pork with a seasoning salt. I like Badia's Adobo.

Put about half of the citrus and onions on the bottom of the slow cooker, top with crushed garlic. Put the pork in and cover with the rest of the citrus and onion. Cook on low for 8 - 10 hours. Take the pork  out, shred it and add back some of the sauce left in the slow cooker.

YUM!!!!




Be sure to save your left-overs for Cuban Sandwiches or Mojo Pork Tacos!

Ingredients

Pork Butt or Picnic Shoulder
1 orange
1 lemon
1 lime
1 medium onion
5 cloves of garlic
seasoning salt

Directions

Slice citrus and onion. Layer half in bottom of slow cooker. Top with crushed or minced garlic. Sprinkle seasoning salt on pork. Place in slow cooker. Top with the other half of the citrus and onion. Cook on low for 8 - 10 hours. Remove pork and shred. Moisten with sauce left in slow cooker.

Try this recipe and let me know what you think!

Slow Cooker Cuban Black Beans

I have been on a decades long quest to find an easy, but authentic Cuban Black Bean recipe. I can find them in lots of local restaurants, but haven't been able to recreate them at home. In fact for the last 15 years I have resorted to buying them canned in the Ethnic Foods section of my grocery store. Finally, I have figured it out. I combined the How to Cook Any Dried Beans in Your Slow Cooker recipe I just pinned on Pinterest with my own version of the Cuban Black Bean recipe from Three Guys from Miami. Easy and delicious! I made these last night with rice and Slow Cooker Mojo Pork. Two slow-cookers...I know!!!! It was a perfect meal, but if you don't have two slow cookers you can make either the beans or the pork the day before. Puppy Daddy says they both taste better the next day!

The first step is to cook your black beans. So easy! Put 1 lb of dry black beans in your slow cooker with 6 cups of water. Do NOT add salt yet. It will keep your beans from getting nice and soft. Cook on high for 4 hours.  Done!

If you like a thicker consistency to your beans you can either take our some and put them in a blender, or use my technique that doesn't require dirtying another large piece of equipment. Just mash some of the beans right in the slow cooker with your potato masher. Next add the seasoning ingredients, onion, green pepper, garlic, bay leaf, oregano, cumin, white wine, white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook on low for at least another hour. If you're not ready to serve yet you can go a little longer on low, or turn the slow cooker to warm. The longer the beans simmer in the seasonings, the better they taste! Serve over rice and top with more onion if you like!

 

Ingredients

1 lb dry black beans

6 cups water

1 medium- large onion - diced

1 green pepper - diced

3 cloves of garlic - crushed

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp cumin

1 1/2 TB vinegar

1/4 cup  dry white wine

1 TB olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions

Put dry beans and water in slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours or until beans are soft. If you want to thicken the consistency of the beans, mash some up in the slow cooker with a potato masher. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on low for one hour. Serve alone or over rice. Garnish with onion.

 

Whadya think?