Cuban Sandwich With Fresh Goat Cheese Recipes

Steps:

• Make the pickled vegetables:
• Bring vinegar, brown sugar, salt, and 2 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Meanwhile, pack vegetables into jars. Pour brine over vegetables. Cover and chill until cool.
• Make the dressing and assemble:
• Whisk buttermilk, yogurt, lemon juice, and 3 Tbsp. oil in a large bowl until smooth; season dressing with salt and pepper.
• Scoop avocados into a small bowl; add 1 Tbsp. oil and lightly mash. Season with salt and pepper. Mash goat cheese with remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in another small bowl until softened and spreadable; season with salt and pepper.
• Add lettuce to dressing and toss to coat; season with salt and pepper. Spread avocado mixture over 4 slices of bread. Arrange lettuce over and top with cucumber, sprouts, and some drained pickles. Spread remaining 4 slices of bread with goat cheese and close sandwiches.
• Do Ahead
• Pickles can be made 2 weeks ahead. Keep chilled.

Steps:

• To make the Cuban Roast Pork: Mash the garlic and salt together using a mortar/pestle.
• Place the mash mixture in a small bowl; add in oregano, onion, and sour orange juice; mix thoroughly.
• Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat; add in the mash mixture and whisk to blend.
• Remove from heat and set marinade aside.
• Pierce the pork roast with a sharp knife or fork.
• Set aside a small amount of the marinade for use during the roasting period.
• Pour remaining marinade over the pork, cover, and refrigerate 2-3 hours.
• Preheat oven to 325°; remove pork from marinade and place on a rack in a roasting pan.
• Sprinkle reserved marinade over pork.
• Roast until completely cooked and a meat thermometer registers 160° (about 20 minutes per lb).
• Baste occasionally with the pan juices.
• Remove pork from oven and let rest for at least 20 minutes before thinly slicing the meat.
• Bring remaining pan juices to a boil and simmer until juice is reduced by half; use this juice to sprinkle onto the meat in the sandwiches.
• To make the sandwiches: cut the bread into 4 sections, each about 8 inches long; slice these sections in half horizontally; spread butter on the inside of both halves.
• Generously layer sandwiches with filling ingredients in the following order: pickles, roasted pork, ham, and cheese.
• Spread with the optional mustard or mayonnaise if desired.
• Preheat a pancake griddle or large skillet.
• Lightly coat hot griddle or skillet with cooking spray; add in the first sandwich (make sure that your griddle or skillet is not too hot or the crust will burn before the cheese melts).
• Place a heavy iron skillet on top of the sandwich to flatten it (you want to smash the sandwich, compressing the bread to about a third of its original size).
• Grill the sandwich for 2-3 minutes on each side, until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden.
• Repeat the process for each sandwich.
• Slice each sandwich in half diagonally and serve.
• Note--Additions like Genoa salami, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, and onion have become popular in the past forty years but are considered heresy by purists; in the old days, the sandwich was brushed on the outside with a small amount of pork drippings.

Steps:

• For the pickles: Combine the vinegar, dill, sugar, salt, coriander and mustard in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool for 15 minutes. Put the cucumbers in a medium bowl, pour the pickling liquid over, cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
• For the sour orange glaze: Combine the orange juice and lime juice in a small nonreactive saucepan over high heat and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 20 minutes. Whisk in the honey and vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Let cool slightly.
• For the pork: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Season the pork with salt and pepper and rub with the steak rub. Let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature.
• Heat the oil over high heat in a cast-iron pan or oven-proof skillet until it begins to shimmer. Add the pork and cook until a crust has formed on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Brush liberally with the sour orange glaze and transfer the pan to the oven. Brush with the glaze every few minutes, and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the pork registers 145 degrees F, about 10 minutes. Remove the pork to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Slice the pork thinly.
• For the garlic mayonnaise: Combine the mayonnaise, mustard, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Whisk together and let sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
• For the serrano ham: Heat the oil in a small saucepan until it reaches 350 degrees F. Add the ham one slice at a time and cook until crisp, about 30 seconds. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
• To serve: Spread the top and bottom of each bun with the garlic mayonnaise and top each piece with 2 slices of cheese. Put some pickles on the bottom piece of bun. Top with 4 to 5 slices of the pork and 2 slices of the fried ham. Combine the tops and bottoms to make the sandwiches.
• Brush the outsides of the buns with the butter. Heat a cast-iron pan over low heat. Put 2 sandwiches in at a time, top-sides down, and press with a brick wrapped in foil, or put foil over the top of the sandwiches and weigh them down with another heavy cast-iron pan. Cook until the bread is crispy, then flip over and continue cooking until the bottom is crispy and the cheese has melted, 6 to 8 minutes total. Slice in half and eat.

Steps:

• Slice the rolls 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.
• On a flat surface layer the ham, pork and cheese for each sandwich.
• Roll the sliced meat around the cheese and place in the open roll.
• Add 2 slices of pickles.
• Heat your panini maker or sandwich press.
• Drizzle each sandwich with olive oil.
• Place the sandwiches inside, press down and grill until the cheese is melted and the bread is flat and browned, approximately 10 minutes.
• Serve warm.

Steps:

• Sprinkle tomatoes with rosemary and garlic.
• Prepare charcoal or gas grill or traditional smoker for Indirect smoking on Low Heat. Use one layer charcoal for smoker and place food on top grate. For best results for this recipe, use hickory or mesquite wood chips or chunks.
• Place tomatoes on cooking grate cut side up of fully smoking grill or smoker. Smoke 30 minutes to 90 minutes over charcoal or 10 to 12 minutes over gas; remove. Chill tomatoes in refrigerator and drain.
• Meanwhile, spray bread with olive oil. Place bread oil side down on cooking grate. Grill Directly 2 to 3 minutes or until toasted; remove.
• Spread toasted side of each bread slice with mayonnaise; sprinkle with equal amounts of basil. Remove skn which ill just fall away. Cut each 1/2 tomato into 2 slices; place 2 tomato slices over basil on each bread slice. Sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pepper. Top each sandwich with 2 slices of goat cheese.