Josh was on an Amy’s Bread kick one week and would stop there every day on his way home to pick up a nice baguette or some tasty baked treats for noshing. One night he picked up a rustic Italian peasant bread with a sturdy crust and we decided to make toasted Cuban sandwiches using some boneless pork chops that I had been marinating in the fridge.
My method for marinating pork chops is really simple. I liberally sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of two boneless pork chops and place them in a quart sized Ziploc bag. I drizzle some extra virgin olive oil into the bag, enough to coat both chops. Then I use a garlic press and squeeze two medium sized cloves directly into the bag and add the leaves from one small sprig of rosemary. I seal the bag with just a tiny bit of air inside and squish everything all around for a minute or so, making sure all the seasoning and herbs are dispersed evenly on both pork chops. Leave for a few hours or overnight in the fridge.
Marinating pork chops
To cook the pork chops, simply put them on a skillet that has been heated on medium high heat. Cook through on one side, then flip over and cook the other side. The olive oil from the marinade is enough to prevent the pork chops from sticking, so you don’t need to add more oil. The resulting pork chops are seasoned throughout and perfectly juicy from the marinade permeating through the meat.
To make the Cuban sandwiches, we cooked up the pork chops and sliced them into thin strips. I slathered some mayo on one piece of sandwich bread, and yellow mustard on the piece. Then I piled on deli ham, salami, the pieces of pork chop, sliced pickles, and swiss cheese. I closed the sandwich, pressing down hard so that it would hold together, and brushed some olive oil on the outside of both slices of bread.
Constructing the Cuban sandwiches
We don’t have a panini press in our apartment so I simply heated the oven to 375 degrees with my pizza stone inside. Once it was heated, I put the sandwiches directly on the stone, topped them with a piece of aluminum foil, and placed a heavy cast iron griddle on top, pushing down hard on the sandwiches. If you don’t have a griddle you can use a heavy pot or a cookie sheet weighed down with a few oven safe pots/pans.
Once the sandwich was nice and toasty and the cheese completely melted, we were ready to eat. The Italian bread was a nice change from the usual Cuban bread, though it was a bit harder and crunchier in texture.
Make sure the bread gets nice and toasty brown
I drew my inspiration for the fillings from Margon, as salami isn’t always a traditional ingredient. For a homemade version of the Cuban sandwich, I thought it tasted pretty good and was really quick and easy to make.
Autopsy shot
Amy’s Bread (multiple locations)
672 9th Ave. between 46th and 47th St.
New York, NY
Tags: Cuban, Pork, Sandwiches