does CLT have a Cuban Market? (Charlotte, Matthews: sale, transfer, buy)

[pinkpocketbooks]

i've got my heart set on making Cuban sandwiches for our SuperBowl meal. i've never even made them before. i thought i'd try to get some ingredients at an ethnic market. does a cuban market exist?
any tips or recommendations for my sandwiches? i'm planning on roasting a pork loin for it and i was hoping i could buy a good marinade instead of from scratch.

[Damemeow]

Originally Posted by pinkpocketbooks

i've got my heart set on making Cuban sandwiches for our SuperBowl meal. i've never even made them before. i thought i'd try to get some ingredients at an ethnic market. does a cuban market exist?
any tips or recommendations for my sandwiches? i'm planning on roasting a pork loin for it and i was hoping i could buy a good marinade instead of from scratch.

No Cuban or Latino market that I know of and you will have a harder time finding anything like a cuban bread, but you can probably get some pretty decent marinades and mojo's at Compare Grocers on 74. I have been able to find more "ethnic" products there than any place else. I think its Charlotte, but may be considered Matthews.

[Damemeow]

Here's a basic recipe that you won't need anything special for:

pork marinade

* 1 1/4 lbs boneless pork roast or pork ribs or boneless pork chops or pork tenderloins
* 3 tablespoons garlic, minced
* 3 tablespoons parsley, minced
* 1 tablespoon paprika (preferably hot)
* 2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 tablespoons lime juice
* 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
optional - yellow mustard for layer between pickle and cheese

Sandwich components
* 6 cuban rolls
* 1/3 lb smoked ham, thinly sliced
* 3/4 lb swiss cheese, thinly sliced
* 1 1/2 large dill pickles, sliced
* 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions


1. ROASTING THE PORK: Mix all of the marinade ingredients together (all of the ingredients except the pork), and rub this mixture over all surfaces of the pork. Cover well, and refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours.
2 Place the pork in a roasting pan or ovenproof dish, and roast it in a preheated 425°F oven for 30 to 40 minutes, basting occasionally with the pan juices, until cooked through. Remove the pork from the oven, and cool it completely before slicing thinly.
3. ASSEMBLING THE SANDWICH: Slice the Cuban loaves in half horizontally. Brush the cut surfaces of the rolls with olive oil or melted butter. Layer the sandwiches as follows: Swiss cheese, sliced pickle, ham, sliced roast pork, then additional cheese.
4. Now comes the somewhat challenging part. You want to grill these sandwiches, top and bottom, while at the same time flattening them slightly. This helps meld all of the filling ingredients. Heat two large skillets, or a griddle, to medium, about 325°F Lightly grease the griddle and/or skillets. Brush the bottoms of the sandwiches lightly with olive oil or melted butter. Place them in the greased pan(s). Brush the tops with oil or butter. Top them with a piece of parchment paper or foil, then a flat sheet pan, or other flat, non-meltable object—the point is to provide a flat surface for a weight. Place something heavy atop the pan—a teakettle filled with water makes a good weight, as does a clean brick wrapped in aluminum foil.
5. Grill the sandwiches for 5 to 7 minutes over medium heat, checking often to make sure the bottoms aren't burning. Adjust the heat downward if the bottoms are becoming brown after only a couple of minutes. Turn the sandwiches over and grill for several more minutes, until they're slightly crisp on both sides, and the cheese is melting. Remove from the heat, cut the sandwiches in 2, and serve warm.

[flyingscotsman]

Compare foods will sell you the seasonings and mojo.

The cuban bread is harder to get here look in your local for a take and bake french bread.(best alternative at such short notice)

Plantains are easy to come by for maduros, tostones & maraquitas.

[jlat]

If you are interested in making Pan Cubano, here's the recipe that I use (from the King Arthur Baking Comp). I've been told it is very close to the real deal and I've never gotten compliants. I'm a baker, so to me this seems like a no brainer, but YMMV.

Pan Cubano
4 cups (17 ounces) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
4 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 1/4 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) butter; or 3 tablespoons fresh lard, cut into small pieces
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) water

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or dough-rising bucket, cover the bowl or bucket, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 1 hour, depending on the warmth of your kitchen. Gently fold the dough in upon itself and turn it upside-down after 30 minutes; this "turn" helps eliminate some of the excess carbon dioxide and redistributes the yeast's food, both imperative for optimum yeast growth.

Divide the dough into six pieces, and shape each piece into a rough log. Let the logs rest for 15 minutes, covered, then shape each piece into a smooth batard shape (a log about 8 inches long, slightly tapered at each end). Place the loaves on a parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet.

Let the loaves rise, covered, for 1 hour. Brush or spray them with water, and slash one long lengthwise slit down the middle of each loaf. Preheat the oven to 375°F while the loaves are rising. Bake the bread for about 30 minutes, or until it's golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and cool it on a rack. The loaves may be made one day in advance and stored at room temperature, or several weeks in advance and frozen. Yield: 6 sandwich loaves.

[anifani821]

JLAT and DAMEMEOW - thanks for the wonderful recipes! I, too, make my own Cuban Sandwiches here at home. Got hooked on them years ago . . . I use one of my heavy iron skillets to weight them down. When in a hurry, I have used my panini maker, too (okay - not exactly the same but it works).

[jlat]

Originally Posted by anifani821

JLAT and DAMEMEOW - thanks for the wonderful recipes! I, too, make my own Cuban Sandwiches here at home. Got hooked on them years ago . . . I use one of my heavy iron skillets to weight them down. When in a hurry, I have used my panini maker, too (okay - not exactly the same but it works).

The wife found this old waffle iron at a garage sale that had reversable inserts, one side for waffles the other for sammies, (I guess). Anywho, it makes the best pressed sammies. Makes lousy waffles but great sammies.. My fave is the Penquin's Pimento Cheese between two slabs of homemade sourdough smashed and grilled to yummy perfection....ummm

[anifani821]

Guess what I am eating tonite? Y'all got me craving Cuban Sammiches . . .

[Damemeow]

I don't know why Panera bread doesn't make cuban's... I have yet to find one person who isn't addicted to them.

[CLTKing]

Originally Posted by Damemeow

I don't know why Panera bread doesn't make cuban's... I have yet to find one person who isn't addicted to them.

Panera doesn't sell Cuban sandwiches because they are not "chick" enough. A Cuban is big, crunchy, meaty and messy. Can you imagine a yuppie trying to eat one of those with fork and knife?