Warm Cuban Sandwich Dip Food

SLOW COOKED CUBAN SANDWICH

Steps:

• Mix the oil, salt, cumin, oregano, black pepper, red pepper, garlic, lime juice and orange juice in a small bowl. Make slits in the pork with a paring knife and rub liberally all over with the oil mixture. Place the pork in a slow cooker and top with the remaining juices from the bowl. Cover and cook on low until tender, flipping once halfway through, about 6 hours.
• Remove from the slow cooker and let cool slightly. Shred the pork into thick chunks with 2 forks. Set the pork aside and keep warm in the cooking liquid.
• Slice the roll open and smear both sides with mustard. Layer on the Swiss, ham, pulled pork and pickles. Place the onions over half the sub and cut into portions. Or, start on opposing ends and race to the middle.

CUBAN SANDWICH

Steps:

• To make the Cuban Roast Pork: Mash the garlic and salt together using a mortar/pestle.
• Place the mash mixture in a small bowl; add in oregano, onion, and sour orange juice; mix thoroughly.
• Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat; add in the mash mixture and whisk to blend.
• Remove from heat and set marinade aside.
• Pierce the pork roast with a sharp knife or fork.
• Set aside a small amount of the marinade for use during the roasting period.
• Pour remaining marinade over the pork, cover, and refrigerate 2-3 hours.
• Preheat oven to 325°; remove pork from marinade and place on a rack in a roasting pan.
• Sprinkle reserved marinade over pork.
• Roast until completely cooked and a meat thermometer registers 160° (about 20 minutes per lb).
• Baste occasionally with the pan juices.
• Remove pork from oven and let rest for at least 20 minutes before thinly slicing the meat.
• Bring remaining pan juices to a boil and simmer until juice is reduced by half; use this juice to sprinkle onto the meat in the sandwiches.
• To make the sandwiches: cut the bread into 4 sections, each about 8 inches long; slice these sections in half horizontally; spread butter on the inside of both halves.
• Generously layer sandwiches with filling ingredients in the following order: pickles, roasted pork, ham, and cheese.
• Spread with the optional mustard or mayonnaise if desired.
• Preheat a pancake griddle or large skillet.
• Lightly coat hot griddle or skillet with cooking spray; add in the first sandwich (make sure that your griddle or skillet is not too hot or the crust will burn before the cheese melts).
• Place a heavy iron skillet on top of the sandwich to flatten it (you want to smash the sandwich, compressing the bread to about a third of its original size).
• Grill the sandwich for 2-3 minutes on each side, until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden.
• Repeat the process for each sandwich.
• Slice each sandwich in half diagonally and serve.
• Note--Additions like Genoa salami, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, and onion have become popular in the past forty years but are considered heresy by purists; in the old days, the sandwich was brushed on the outside with a small amount of pork drippings.

CUBAN-INSPIRED SANDWICH DIP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Add cream cheese and Swiss cheese to a large bowl. Blend well using an electric mixer. Add mayonnaise and mustard and mix until smooth. Stir in ham, pork, salami, and diced dill pickles until well combined. Spoon mixture into an oven-safe dish. Sprinkle remaining 3 tablespoons Swiss cheese over the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until heated through, 18 to 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven's broiler. Broil the dip until the top is nicely browned and bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes. Watch closely, so it doesn't burn.
• Slice the bread in 1/2-inch-thick slices to use as dippers. Serve with the hot dip.

CHEF JOHN'S CUBAN SANDWICH

Steps:

• Mix mayonnaise, mustard, and cayenne together in a bowl to make the sauce.
• Trim off ends of bread. Cut loaf in half and evenly split bread to make tops and bottoms of 2 sandwiches. Spread each half on both sides generously with the mayo/mustard sauce.
• Divide sandwich ingredients between the two bottom halves in this order: 2 slices Swiss cheese, 3 slices ham, hot cooked pork, pickle slices, and 2 more slices of Swiss cheese. Place tops on sandwiches.
• Melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Place sandwiches in skillet and press down with a heavy weight (such as another skillet or foil-wrapped bricks). Toast sandwiches until bread is crisp and filling is heated through, 3 or 4 minutes per side.

CUBAN SANDWICHES (CUBANOS)

Steps:

• Heat a skillet over medium, and add the sliced boiled ham. Cook for about 1 minute on each side, or until brown spots start to appear. Remove to a plate.
• Brush or spread softened butter over the cut side of each roll. Add to the skillet and brown the cut side of the bread until it is golden and starting to toast.
• When the bread is toasted, spread with mustard. Use as much as you like.
• Layer the pork, browned ham, Swiss, and sliced pickles. Top with the bread. Brush the top and bottom of the sandwich with butter.
• Grill the sandwiches in the same skillet, using another heavy skillet to press down the sandwich. Add cans or something else heavy if it's not being pressed well. If you have a George Foreman or a panini press, use that. Cook for about 3 minutes, then flip the sandwich, squish it again, and cook for another 2-3 minutes or so. Keep an eye on it. You want to outside to be crisp and golden and the cheese melted.
• Slice in half and devour immediately!

CUBAN GARLIC SAUCE

Steps:

• NOTE: If you can't find sour orange juice, use 1/2 cup orange juice combined with 1/2 cup lemon juice.
• Crush garlic and salt in a mortar and pestle or in a food processor until it forms a smooth paste. Combine garlic, onion, and orange juice in a bowl.
• Heat oil in a skillet, add mixture, and stir for 3 minutes.
• This sauce can be used immediately or stored in refrigerator and reheated.

VEGAN CUBANO SANDWICH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven at 350°F.
• To make the seitan, in a large bowl add vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, onion powder, sea salt, celery salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, dried thyme, dried oregano, dried basil, ground mustard and ground pepper.
• In a separate bowl add your stock, vegetable oil, soy sauce or tamari, apple cider vinegar and tomato paste. Whisk to make sure it's well combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until a dough forms.
• Knead the dough on a clean surface, folding the dough over itself several times so you can feel the gluten forming. Form the dough into a rectangular log about 3.5 x 5-inches. Transfer the dough onto a large piece of heavy duty foil on a baking sheet. Tightly wrap the log and twist the ends. You may need 2 sheets of foil to make sure it's covered completely and there are no tears in the foil.
• Bake for 90 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature before refrigerating overnight. To use, slice thinly with a knife or on a mandolin.
• To make the vegan roast palm 'pork', take the drained hearts of palm and using your hands, pull the hearts of palm into thin shredded pieces about ⅛ to ¼-inch thick. Then add liquid smoke, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce or tamari, brown sugar, granulated garlic powder, chili flakes, smoked paprika and sea salt. Toss to coat all the pieces evenly.
• Heat up a cast iron pan or a non-stick pan over medium heat. You may need to pan fry the hearts of palm mixture in 2 batches. Add some vegetable oil and the hearts of palm mixture. Pan fry for 8 to 10 minutes until slightly charred in places and warmed through. Set aside.
• To assemble your sandwiches, spread 1 tablespoon of vegan mayonnaise on the bottom of the french roll, then add about 80 g of sliced seitan, some vegan roast palm 'pork', pickle slices, 2 slices of vegan cheese and spread some yellow mustard on the top half of the french roll.
• To grill your sandwiches, put 1 teaspoon of vegan butter in a cast iron grill pan set to medium-high heat. Place 2 sandwiches onto the grill pan and weigh down the top. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until the tops have golden grill marks and the cheese is melted. Add more butter when flipping the sandwiches and turn down the heat slightly if needed. Repeat with the last batch of sandwiches. Slice sandwiches in half and serve immediately!

WARM CUBAN SANDWICH DIP

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees
• In a large bowl, heat cream cheese in microwave for 30-40 seconds until softened. Stir until smooth and add in mayonnaise and mustard. Stir until combined.
• Add all remaining ingredients and mix gently with a spatula until well incorporated.
• Place in an oven safe dish and bake uncovered for 30 minutes
• Remove from oven and let stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving. Serve with toasted crusty bread.