A Cubano, or Cuban Sandwich, is a pressed sandwich that consists of ham, roasted pork, swiss cheese, mustard, and pickles. This version swaps the swiss for provolone and adds jalapenos.
I first documented this sandwich back in 2009 when I lived in downtown Chicago. Back then I was making this with chicken and calling them spicy-sweet panini, but it's basically the same idea. Gave the sandwich its own post in 2010. My food photography game has come a long way. (The 2009 post has probably the worst picture I've ever posted.)
I was ready to make it again with chicken, but happened to be in Trader Joe's at the right time and saw their carnitas and it seems like the stars aligned to make a closer to authentic Cuban version. I don't mind swiss, but just bought a pack of provolone and wasn't about to buy a package of swiss just for this.
Assembly: mustard and jalapenos on bottom, garlic+ mayo and pickles on top. Ham, provolone and pork in the middle. Pressed.
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Let's talk cals first.
210 for the roll. Under 200 for the pork. 50 for ham, 70 for cheese. Maybe 30 for the mayo. So only about 550 total. Not bad.
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As for taste, this one was a little flat. Not bad, but not knock your socks off great either.
I had been on a streak of everything I was making turning out really well, so I was kinda surprised when this was sorta meh. I mean, I still ate it in 3 minutes. It's just there's definitely room for improvement. Wasn't near as good as my Italian hoagies, despite sharing a lot of the same components.
First, I'll run through some mistakes and then talk about ways to make it better next time.
The big one was that I didn't salt and pepper the carnitas. I just assumed meat like this is usually loaded with sodium, but I didn't season it and that would have helped a lot. Secondly, the pork was warm/hot when I added it, but the cheese and ham were cold and didn't really warm up or melt in the pressing. Those are mistakes, easily rectified.
But I think I know how to make this even better beyond that.
First, an aside on my taste buds. My sense of taste is not sharp, doesn't respond to subtle flavors. I crave big, loud flavors. Second, I've figured out this year that they really respond to acidic flavors. Lemon/lime has always been my favorite starburst/jelly beans, I love key lime pie. It really clicked that I put sour cream on everything, and I'm like, oh, *it's acidic*.
When I think about what made the hoagie so good, the red wine vinegar and oregano lettuce, contrasted with the rich pepperoni.
Meanwhile, this cubano had no strong acid or herbs. I made this sandwich close to authentic, but now that's done, so it's time to reinvent this into something else.
Instead of mayo or mustard, let's go with lime crema (sour cream + lime juice). Add cilantro. Keep the carnitas but season well and make sure it's hot. Lose the ham and provolone, and replace with pepper jack. Now we've really embraced the Mexican flavor profile. So jalapenos stay, not sure about the pickles yet. Maybe some red onion and/or quick guac could replace the pickles. Instead of pressing, would be better off broiling (or baking) to melt the cheese, then add my fresh ingredients after.
UPDATE: I made that hot carnitas hoagie I just described and it's even better than I imagined.
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