During the summer, Pete and I were lucky enough to spend some time in Padova (Padua). While we were there, we saw one of the greatest masterpieces of Western art, the Scrovegni Chapel, and we had fabulous meals at Le Calandre and Osteria dal Capo. One of the fun spots that we went to for lunch (two days in a row!) was a little sandwich spot which was extremely popular, Dalla Zita.
The sandwiches at this place were great – we could understand why the lineup went out the door. Ever since we went there, I’ve been thinking about panini and other sandwiches. One of my favourite sandwiches is the Cubano, a specialty of Cuba. A year or so ago, there was a movie called “Chef” which starred Jon Favreau. The movie was fun to watch, especially the food porn cooking scenes, but the real star of the movie was the Cubano sandwich. These looked fabulous. You walked out of the theatre craving a Cubano.
[Side note: The funny thing was, I’ve been to Cuba, and sadly the Cubanos I ate there were just okay. This is probably due to the lack of ingredients due to Communist budgets – tiny pieces of pork and one small, thin, almost translucent, slice of ham.]
Since Italy has wonderful porchetta, I decided to make an Italian version of the Cubano using gorgeous porchetta from one of the local spots. If you can’t find real honest to goodness porchetta, use leftover roast pork, or try this recipe for “Porchetta Style Pork Tenderloin”
Here is my sandwich, the Italbano!
What you need:
- 1 slice porchetta or roast pork
- 1 slice cooked ham (I used Prosciutto cotto, but you can use black forest ham)
- 1 slice Scamorza cheese (this is a smoked cheese, you could also use Provolone)
- thinly sliced pickles (I used homemade zucchini pickles)
- mustard
- mayonnaise
- 1 bun (or 2 slices bread)
What you do:
- On one side of the bun, spread mustard; on the other, spread mayonnaise (don’t be shy)
Mustard on the bottom, mayo on top
- Place porchetta/roast pork on the mustard side
- Top with the ham
- Top with the slice of Scamorza cheese
- Add sliced pickles (I love pickles, so I used quite a few)
- Top with the mayonnaise bun
- Place on your heated panini press or on a pan on medium-low heat (if you are using the stovetop method, you will want to weigh this down, so place a smaller pan on top of the top bun/slice of bread to cover and weigh down with something heavy, like a can)
- Here’s the hard part, you have to wait…and wait…and wait. It takes awhile, but the lower slower heat makes the cheese go soft and gooey.
- Slice in half and enjoy!
This sandwich is a meal, but if you want it make it a dinner (or larger lunch), serve it with a salad or a soup.
Want some soup suggestions? Try the What’s Up Doc Curried Carrot Soup, the Black Beauty Bean Soup or the Pumpkin (Lightly) Spice Soup.
You’re making me soooo hungry! The cubanos in Miami are great.
I know you know how yummy these are, you were there for the creation! I love a good Cubano!