Once You've Had A Cuban Sandwich You'll Crave Them Forever

I had my first Cuban sandwich several years ago at Porto's Bakery in Glendale California. Since then I've been trying to recreate this sandwich at home. There are so many recipes out there and they all seem to do it just a little different. I got the following recipe from ICuban and added a few personal touches to make what I think is a really good Cuban sandwich. Ingredients

Substitute French bread

1 pound sweet ham sliced (Use a good quality ham.)

1 pound roasted Cuban pork sliced (see the following recipe)

1/2 pound Swiss cheese, sliced (Use a mild Swiss -- we like Baby Swiss -- it has only a few holes.)

Sliced dill pickles

Mayonnaise (NEVER)

To make four generous sandwiches:

Make each sandwich with the ingredients in this order: pickles, roasted pork, ham, and cheese. Be generous!

Place the sandwich on a lightly greased sandwich press. (You really want to smash the sandwich, compressing the bread to about 1/3 its original size!) Grill the sandwiches for two to three minutes on each side, until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden. Slice the sandwich in half diagonally and serve.

Roast Pork for Cuban Sandwiches 1 lb. boneless center pork loin roast 3 cloves garlic 1 tsp. salt 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 cup sour orange juice (If you can't get sour oranges in your area, try 2 parts orange to one part lemon and 1 part lime) 1/2 cup olive oil Preparation Mash the garlic and salt together with a mortar and pestle. Add dried oregano and the sour orange to the mash and mix thoroughly. Heat oil in small sauce pan, add the mash to the oil and whisk. Pierce pork roast as many times as you can with a sharp knife or fork. Pour garlic mixture (save a little for roasting) over pork, cover and let sit in refrigerator for two to three hours. Using a suitable roasting pan or rack, sprinkle remaining marinade over pork and cook uncovered at 325°F. Roast until completely cooked (160°F), about 20 minutes per pound. Baste occasionally. Bring pan juices to a boil and simmer until the juice is reduced by half. Sprinkle juice onto the pork when you put it in the sandwich.