Cuban Melt Food

CUBAN MINI MELTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Divide quartered bread slices evenly between 2 large baking sheets .
• Combine ham, Swiss cheese, mustard, and mayonnaise in a large bowl and mix well. Place 1 tablespoon of mixture on top of each piece of bread on 1 of the baking sheets.
• Bake topped bread in the preheated oven for 4 minutes. Add baking sheet with plain bread to the oven and continue baking 3 minutes more.
• Remove both baking sheets from the oven. Place a dill pickle slice on each topped bread slice; cover with a piece of plain toasted bread. Secure each mini sandwich with a toothpick.

GRILLED CUBAN SANDWICH (SANDWICH CUBANO)

Steps:

• Assemble the sandwich
• Spread 2 tablespoons of the butter on one half of the bread loaf and a thin layer of mustard on the other. Place 1 to 2 layers of ham, pork, cheese, and, finally, pickles on the buttered bread and top with the mustard-spread bread.
• Wrap the sandwich in foil
• Smear the remaining butter all over the outside of the sandwich and wrap it completely in aluminum foil.
• Press and grill the sandwich
• Heat your grill to high (550°F) and close the lid. Wait at least 15 minutes before lowering the heat to medium-high (450°F) and continuing.
• Before grilling the sandwich, press down on it with your hands to flatten it. Place the wrapped, flattened sandwich on the grill and top with a brick, grill press, or any other heavy, heat-resistant object. Close the lid and grill for 5 to 6 minutes per side.
• Remove the wrapped sandwich from the grill and take off the foil. Return the sandwich to the grill and grill for about 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until both pieces of bread are crispy and golden brown.
• Slice and serve
• Remove the sandwich from the grill and cut at an angle into small sandwich wedges (triangles). Place on a large platter and serve while still hot.

CUBAN SANDWICH

Steps:

• Slice the bread horizontally in half, leaving 1 edge intact. Lay the bread open and spread each side with the mustard. Divide the ingredients evenly among the slices of roll. Start with the ham followed by the pork, cheese, and dill pickles. Bring the tops and bottoms together.
• Heat your panini maker or sandwich press. Butter each side of the press. Place the sandwiches inside, press down and grill until the cheese is melted and the bread is flat and browned, approximately 10 minutes. If you don't have a sandwich press, you can heat 6 fireplace bricks wrapped in foil, in a 500 degrees F oven for 1 hour and then press the sandwich between them for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

GRILLED TURKEY CUBAN SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Mix 1/2 cup mayonnaise and chili sauce in small bowl. Mix 1/2 cup mayonnaise, mint, and next 4 ingredients in another small bowl.
• Spread chili mayonnaise over cut sides of bread. Top each bottom half of bread with 1 cheese slice, ham slices, and 1 turkey slice. Sprinkle turkey with salt and pepper. Spoon mint mayonnaise over turkey. Top with remaining cheese and top halves of bread.
• Working in batches, melt 2 tablespoons butter in large griddle over medium heat. Add 3 sandwiches; top with piece of foil. Place 13x9x2-inch metal pan atop sandwiches. Fill pan with 6 to 8 pounds of canned goods and cook until bread is golden brown, about 4 minutes. Remove pan with weights and foil. Transfer sandwiches to work surface. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in griddle. Turn sandwiches over onto griddle. Replace foil and pan with weights. Continue cooking until cheese melts and sandwiches are golden brown on second side, about 4 minutes. Repeat with remaining butter and sandwiches. Cut in half; serve.

CUBAN MELT

Steps:

• For the pork brine: Whisk together orange juice, vinegar, whisky, salt, sugar, garlic, peppercorns, thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage, bay leaves and 3 1/2 cups water. Add pork to brine and add water to cover if necessary. Refrigerate for 12 hours.
• For the chile honey pork glaze: Cook down honey, lime juice and chile in a saucepot until mixture is thick.
• For the mojo pork: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine pork, cilantro, mint, orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, pepper, coriander, cumin, clove, salt, oregano, rosemary, thyme, garlic and bay leaves together in a large roasting pan with the pork skin-side up. Cover tightly with foil and roast 3 1/2 hours. Remove foil and cook until skin starts to crisp up, another 30 minutes.
• Turn oven to 450 degrees F.
• Remove pork carefully from braising liquid. Strain braising liquid and set aside for mojo mustard. Pull pork off the bone into large chunks, discarding excess fat. Place pork on a sheet pan and toss in chile honey glaze. Add a little more glaze on top and roast until it starts to caramelize, about 5 minutes.
• For the mojo mustard: Whisk together the yellow mustard, herbs, garlic salt, honey and garlic oil in a bowl.
• Whisk together 2 ounces of this mixture with 2 ounces mojo braising liquid (save the rest for another use).
• For the Cubano melt: Place 2 1/2 ounces mojo pork in a foil pouch and place on a hot griddle weighed down with a hot cast-iron press on top to reheat. Remove from foil.
• Butter bread. Layer 2 pieces Swiss cheese one side of the bread, followed by ham and the heated mojo pork. Add a heavy squeeze mojo mustard, 2 Pickles, 2 more pieces Swiss cheese and top piece of buttered bread.
• Griddle on a flat top or griddle on medium-high heat with a heated cast-iron press on top until cheese is melted ooey gooey, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes on each side. Slice on a bias. Enjoy!
• Heat 1 gallon vinegar in a pot with the toasted spices, garlic, salt, sugar and peppercorns. Whisk until dissolved. Combine add the remaining 3 gallons vinegar and the dill. Layer the cucumbers with the brine so herbs, garlic and spices evenly get distributed. Brine, refrigerated, for 2 days.

CUBAN LUNCH CANDIES

Steps:

• Melt together the peanut butter, butterscotch and chocolate chips in top of double boiler.
• Add crushed potato chips and peanuts.
• Mix together with melted chips.
• Spoon into mini cupcake paper cups.
• (You do not even have to put these into mini muffin pans as they do hold their shape while they are being filled. It is best to put the mini cupcake papers on a plain cookie sheet to make them easier to move before chilling.) Chill until set.
• You can also add ½ cup coconut to melted chips and peanuts.
• To speed up chilling time, pop them into the freezer for a few minutes.

CROQUETAS DE JAMóN (HAM CROQUETTES)

Steps:

• In a saucepan, melt butter at medium-low heat. Add onion and cook for 1 minute.
• Slowly whisk in milk, 1/3 cup of flour, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Continue to whisk until it becomes a very thick sauce (a roux).
• Add in the cooking wine and ground ham to the sauce. Mix together slowly until all is combined. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5 minutes.
• Transfer the filling to a bowl. Let it rest at room temperature then refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight (the longer the better). The mixture has to harden in order to form into logs and coat evenly. If this step is skipped, it will be very hard to form logs, coat with the breading, and fry. This is an important step. Don't skip it.
• Remove the filling from the refrigerator. Form logs from the mixture straight from the fridge. It's ok if they are cold, it will be easier to form the logs this way. You want the logs to be approximately 3" long and 1" wide. If the mixture is sticky as you're making the logs, add bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon at a time, to the mixture until it's no longer sticky.
• Continue forming the logs until you have all the croquette logs done then place them back in the fridge to firm up once again, about 30 minutes.**
• To bread the croquette logs, you want to set up a breading station. In one bowl, whisk eggs and set aside. In another bowl, mix the remaining flour and bread crumbs.
• Remove the logs from the fridge. Dip each croquette log in the egg wash and then coat in bread crumb/flour mixture. Repeat with each one until they are all breaded. Let the croquettes rest at room temperature for 5 minutes before frying.
• In a large pot or pan, heat enough vegetable oil to cover the croquettes completely. Fry each croquette until golden brown, approximately 3-4 minutes. Don't crowd the pot too much as you are frying. This will help them all get evenly cooked.
• Remove the croquettes from oil and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Serve with saltines and lime wedges. Enjoy!