One of my favorite things for lunch is a Cuban Pressed sandwich. The cafeteria at work served them at lunch today and they were OK. The music on the stereo during lunch was 60's and 70's "soul"...Teddy Pendergrass, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Night and the Pips, Smokey Robinson, etc. It was hard to not dance and sing with the music.....I can still hear Marvin's gorgeous clear voice singing..."what's goin' on". And, the thought that keeps running thru my head is "where is the Cuban music"? I can hear the sound-track from the Miami Vice movie playing in my head....Sinnerman, Pennies in My Pocket, Arranca (my favorite and a great dance song), Strict Machine, Mercado Nuevo....and all the other great songs.
I like my sandwiches with pork tenderloin, swiss cheese and black forest ham. I cook the pork tenderloin with a mix of orange and lime zest, minced onion, minced garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. I make a relish to spread on the bread by mixing a jar of sweet pickle relish, with 1 bunch of chopped scallions and a small jar of minced roasted red peppers. I don't have a panini grille, so I use my George Foreman grille to make the pressed sandwiches....it works great (thank you George!!).
I serve plantain chips or traditional tostadas with a sweet lime mayo and mojitos along side and play some great classic Cuban music. I found a few CDs of very old music from the 1920's....they are fabulous.
The sweet lime mayo is made with egg yolks, olive oil. lime juice and just enough sugar to take the edge off the lime. The lime mayo was a very happy (and surprising) accident when one of our cats jumped on the counter to try and catch a squirrel that was sitting on the windowsill over the sink. She came charging through the kitchen, meowing at the top of her little lungs and "SMACK" right into the window at the expense of a cup of lime juice that got tipped right into some mayo that I had just made. Once I made sure that Angelina was OK, I added sugar to take the edge off the lime and voila!!
These sandwiches are fabulous made with Hawaiian sweet rolls.
I hope y'all enjoy!
Susan
Your description left me feeling so hungry.I came across your site from the foodieblogroll and I'd love to guide Foodista readers to your site. I hope you could add this cuban sandwich widget at the end of this post so we could add you in our list of food bloggers who blogged about recipes for cuban sandwiches,Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAlisa - Thanks for your kind words. I have added the widget to my blog and will enjoy visiting the blog myself. As i come up with new variations, I will be sure to send.
ReplyDeleteHave a great evening!!
S.