Cuban Sandwich

I love making sandwiches at home. I usually just try to make the different sandwiches I have at restaurants. We have a lot of Reubens, toasted subs, Philly cheese steaks, various grilled sandwiches, etc. As some of you know, I was a cook at IHOP. For real! I was trained by the corporate training team (big stuff!) too because I started at a new IHOP before it even opened. I was only 15. I was definitely the only female and the youngest one by about 20 years. I loved it at the beginning. The were very hesitant about hiring me as a cook, "are you sure you don't want to host or serve?" I was very determined for them to let me cook. So, they said I could get trained and they would see how I did on all the tests. Haha...please know that this is not how all the cooks get jobs at IHOP...obviously. Well, I basically wanted to prove everyone wrong because I hated when people thought girls couldn't do things (used to be a big feminist from about 5th-14th grade, then I realized I really don't want to mow the lawn or have dirty finger nails). There were three exams and I got 100% on all of them. I got a special pin to put on my chef hat. You may be very proud of me, but the truth is, I was just stubborn and memorized the menu and whatever else was on the test. My point is that my main position in the kitchen was the sandwich/salad station. I stood behind the pancake/head cook, who called out the orders. I got him and the grill guy everything they needed to make the food. Then, I made all the sandwiches, salads and a few other things like the pasta dishes. I was legally not allowed to use a knife since I wasn't 16 yet, but they let me anyways. Oh, and I made toast! Huge vat of butter, painted on with brush. Bottom line: I actually did learn how to make some classic diner sandwiches. There are a few little tricks. Ok, so I didn't use any of them for this sandwich, but I just wanted to have a really long paragraph about IHOP. Last thing, the rest of the cooks called be "Boo".

If you are still with me, I would like to tell you about this sandwich. I LOVE a Cuban sandwich. It is pork, ham, swiss cheese, pickles and mustard. It is usually grilled or pressed in some sort of a bun or roll. This was the way to use up some of the rest of the pork tenderloin. I have also made Bobby Flay's recipe for a Miami Burger, which was equally amazing. That would be good if you don't have left over pork. The reason I love it is because I love pickles. And mustard. A lot. I used to drink pickle juice when I was little. So, you just kind of throw all those ingredients together and then you can make the sandwich panini style or grilled. When I make pressed sandwiches, I do the following:

I think sandwich presses are nice, but kind of a one hit wonder. I also don't like how you can only make two at a time (sometimes only one). As I have previously stressed, I like to make sandwiches for dinner, that can be rough on Scot's caloric intake. So, I need to make him at least two. I use my griddle pan. Then, I set my big oval skillet on top with soup cans in for weight. You need a pretty low heat, below medium. And a little olive oil on the griddle.

Lastly, always serve your sandwiches with a pickle. Always.