Cooking Tips & Hints
                 Week 82 Featured Recipe
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CUBAN SANDWICHES
(click for printable version of this recipe)
This week we go to Florida to pay tribute to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Miami Dolphins. We found that this sandwich, also known as the Cubano, is a favorite snack in both Tampa and Miami. The key to a great Cubano versus a good one is in the grilling. A heavy press is what is needed to push all the juices and flavors together while still achieving the desired crunch crust. The shredded pork could be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated until you make the sandwiches. Enjoy.
TOOLS:
• Dutch Oven
• 10" skillet
• 8" skillet or
• Grilling machine
• Large Platter
• Medium saucepan
• Cutting Board
• Knife
INGREDIENTS:

For The Pork
• 1 bone-in pork shoulder, excess fat
  trimmed (4 to 5 lbs)
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black
  pepper
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• Vegetable Oil
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup orange juice
• ½ cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 head garlic, cloves removed & peeled
• 1 large onion
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 4 tbsp honey

For The Sandwiches
• 6 whole wheat Hoagie rolls (we did not
  have Cuban style bread available in
  our area)
• ½ pound baked ham, thinly sliced
• shredded pork
• thin dill pickle slices
• ½ pound Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
(CLICK ANY PICTURE TO ENLARGE)

PREPARATION: 

For The Pork: Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Season the pork with salt, pepper and cumin. Heat a few tbsp of oil in Dutch oven until it begins to shimmer. Add the roast and cook until golden brown on all sides. Add the broth, juices, vinegar, garlic, onions, bay leaves and oregano, bring to a simmer, cover and transfer to the oven. Braise until fork tender (between 180 and 190 deg F), appx 1 ½ to 2 hours. Remove from oven, transfer pork to a platter and let rest 15 minutes before shredding. Strain the braising liquid into a medium pan, bring to a boil and let it reduce slightly, stir in the honey. Toss some of the braising liquid with the shredded pork to moisten.

For The Sandwiches:
Slice the bread horizontally to open. Spread a thin layer of mustard if you choose on top and bottom of bread. I used Roasted Garlic-Dijon Aioli for mine (see Hints below). Arrange the ham, pork, pickle slices and cheese evenly over the bread. Cover the sandwiches with the top halves of the rolls. Place sandwiches in a hot buttered skillet and put a heavier skillet on top to press down. (I used the 10" skillet then put the 8" skillet on top and weighted it down with a 6 lb can of tomato sauce (commercial size). Grill the sandwich about 2 minutes on each side and press until it is about 1/4 of its original size. Cut in half and serve.

HINTS: For the Aioli, use 1 cup mayo, 3 tbsp Dijon mustard, 5 garlic cloves roasted and pureed. Whisk together and refrigerate appx 30 minutes to let flavors combine. Also, when grilling each sandwich, make sure you wipe out the skillet after each one & put new butter in or the butter will get too hot causing the sandwiches to burn.
(CLICK ANY PICTURE TO ENLARGE)