Sandwich Cubano

Memories of a Cuban Kitchen, p. 52

1 loaf Cuban or Italian bread

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 small dill pickles, thinly sliced lengthwise

2 slices Swiss cheese

4 ounces sliced roast pork

4 ounces sliced boiled or baked ham

1 tablespoon butter, melted

We roasted our own pork, and it had bones in it, so it was hard to slice. The chunks ended up adding a nice texture to the sandwich, though.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Trim the ends off the loaf and slice the bread in half lengthwise. 

Like so.

Spread both cut surfaces with mayonnaise, layer one half with pickle slices, cheese, pork, and ham, cover with the second slice of bread, and cut down the middle into two sandwiches.

If you get pre-sliced pickles it's hard to gauge how many equal one whole pickle. I decided that two slices per sandwich would do the trick. 

Keep it together, boys - keep it together.

Place the sandwiches on a lightly oiled baking sheet and brush the tops with butter. 

A shiny sandwich is most likely an amazing sandwich.

Place a heavy cast-iron skillet over both sandwiches to weight them down, and bake until crisp and hot, about 20 minutes. 

We went with a casserole dish. Same difference. 

Smooshed in something much more bite-able. 

Cuba is served!

My Rating: 5/5 "You can actually get two meals out of one of these sandwiches, and it still tastes damn good on the reheat. The combination of the two kinds of pork is the opposite of redundant: they compliment each other magnificently."