
The Cuban Sandwich elevates a grilled ham-and-cheese to another level with the additions of roast pork and pickles. The meats and cheese are layered in fresh bread (French baguette works well) and then pressed in a sandwich press until crisped and the cheese melted. The roast pork needs to be cooked the day before, so plan ahead! Be sure to read my post on the Chef Movie. It is a must see for foodies!
250 g boiled ham, thinly sliced
6 x 15 cm long soft baguettes, split lengthwise
Softened butter, for brushing
mustard, for brushing
300 g pork shoulder, thinly sliced (recipe below)
250 g Swiss cheese, e.g. Emmenthal, Provolone
3 to 6 dill pickles, thinly sliced lengthwise
- Heat a sandwich press.
- Add the ham slices to the press and cook over moderate heat for about 1 minute. Transfer the ham to a plate.
- Cut the baguettes lengthwise and butter the cut sides of each baguette.
- Place the baguettes on the sandwich press and toast over moderate heat until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Transfer the baguettes to a work surface and generously brush the cut sides with mustard.
- Layer the ham, pork, Swiss cheese and pickles on the baguette and close the sandwiches.
- Generously brush the outside of the sandwiches with butter and place them on the sandwich press.
- Close the press and grill the sandwiches over moderate heat until they’re browned and crisp on the outside and the cheese is melted – about 2 minutes per side.

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Marinated Pork Shoulder
1.5 kg boneless pork shoulder
Marinade
180 ml extra-virgin olive oil
250 ml lightly packed cilantro, finely chopped
15 ml orange zest, finely chopped
180 ml cup fresh orange juice
125 ml fresh lime juice
60 ml lightly packed mint leaves, finely chopped
8 garlic cloves, minced
15 ml oregano, finely chopped
10 ml ground cumin
5 ml salt
5 ml freshly ground black pepper
- In a bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients except salt, pepper and the pork.
- Transfer the marinade to a large ziplock bag and add the pork.
- Seal the bag and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 220 ° C.
- Remove the pork from the marinade and discard the marinade.
- Transfer the pork to a chopping board and roll the pork into a roll. Tie the pork with string to keep in a neat roll.
- Place the pork on a rack in a roasting tin and season with salt and pepper.
- Roast the pork for 30 minutes, until lightly browned.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 190 ° C and roast for 1 hour and 30 minutes longer. Test the internal temperature of the pork with a meat thermomenter – it should be 70 ° C.
- Transfer the pork to a chopping board and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Discard the string before slicing across the grain.
6 to 8 servings
Both recipes have been adapted from the recipes by Roy Choi.