CUBAN SANDWICH

 

This Cuban Sandwich is said to have originated in Cuba in the 1800s, although the claim is shared with Miami, Florida, where Cubans often and readily visited. The sandwich is thought to have been a favorite among cigar manufacturing and sugar mill workers in Cuba and Key West. In the mid-1880s, it relocated with the cigar industry to Tampa, Florida.

 

A real Cuban sandwich is a wonderful pressed sandwich made with sliced ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, dill pickles, loads of butter, and mustard on crispy bread.

 

Ingredients

1 loaf Cuban bread (8”-12”) sliced lengthwise

¼ cup unsalted butter softened

¼ cup yellow mustard or to taste

1 pound ham sliced

1 pound roasted pork sliced

8 ounces Swiss cheese sliced

2 dill pickles sliced lengthwise

 

Directions

Distribute the mustard on the insides of both bread pieces. 2 tablespoons of butter should be spread on the interior of the bottom half of the bread.

On both pieces of the bread, layer the Swiss cheese. On the buttered half, add ham and then pork, then gently top with pickles and the top half of bread.

Wrap the sandwich in aluminum foil and gently push it down on the exterior with the remaining butter. If cooking on the stovetop, cut the sandwich in half and wrap each half individually. If using a panini press, leave the sandwich uncovered.