Cuban Mini Paninis

I made the following recipe for our annual Holiday Party where our menu highlighted Floribbean cuisine. Cuban culture is definitely prominent in Florida and I just had to include the popular cuban sandwich. I couldn’t find any good, fresh Cuban bread (the Cuban market I went to only had loaves that were day old when I went) so I substituted hoagie bread instead. Not quite the same but it will do. There is controversy in how to make a ‘proper’ Cubano sandwich so this is by no means an authentic recipe. The good thing is that there is a Cuban cafe within walking distance from me where I can get my authentic fix any time! But considering not everyone has that luxury, here’s a recipe I used for my party:

Cuban Mini Paninis
recipe adapted from Homecooking.about.com

1/4 cup (about) butter, at room temperature
1 loaf fresh Cuban bread, sliced 3-inch thick & halved to fill
(otherwise French or hoagie bread can be substituted)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons sweet pickle relish or Vlassic ‘Stackers’
1/4 pound thin-sliced roast pork
1/2 pound thin-sliced ham
1/2 slice swiss cheese
Yellow mustard

Open up the french bread to begin filling and creating the Cuban panini. Spread one side with butter and the other side with mayonnaise. Spread sweet pickle relish/lay a slice of ‘Stacker’ pickle over the mayonnaise side.

Pile roast pork and ham on top of the relish. Top with swiss cheese. Spread dijon mustard on the buttered side and close up sandwich. Continue to repeat until you’ve used up all the bread.

Preheat panini-grill or griddle. When hot, place sandwiches on panini grill and cook until golden brown on each side. Serve hot.