Cubano

Cubano

OK Every time I go to Tampa office there is this little restaurant in a strip mall that I insist on going to, I always get the Cuban sandwich. So as I watched the Pats defeat Tampa Bay last week I munched on this sandwich. I pretty much followed theirs but made a mistake in the rub and used whole grain mustard instead of ground. I was off just a little bit all weekend. Hey that’s a good excuse to try the pork again right?

Cubano Epicurious | August 2013

by Jose Garces
The Latin Road Home

Yield: Makes 4 sandwiches

ingredients

Roast Pork

  • 2 Tbsp kosher salt + 1 Tbsp
  • 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp ground mustard
  • 2 lb boneless pork shoulder, tied in an even roll
  • 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp ground mace
  • 2 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp Spanish smoked sweet paprika

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Sandwich

  • 4 (6-inch) light crisp-crusted bakery rolls
  • 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 3/4 lb best-quality domestic ham (unglazed), thinly sliced
  • 1/4 lb Swiss or Gruyère cheese, thinly sliced
  • 1 large dill pickle, thinly sliced lengthwise
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter

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preparation

To cure the pork, combine 2 tablespoons of the salt with the sugar and ground mustard. Rub the mixture all over the meat, cover, and set it in the refrigerator to cure for 6 hours.

Place a rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 325°F.

To roast the pork, rinse it under cold running water to remove the seasoning. Pat dry with paper towels. Combine the Dijon mustard, mace, black pepper, paprika, and the remaining 1 tablespoon salt. Rub the mixture all over the meat. Set the pork in a roasting pan, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and cook until the internal temperature reaches 175°F, about 45 minutes. (Mine took much longer) Allow the meat to cool completely before slicing.

To make the sandwiches, heat a sandwich press or griddle to medium-high. Split the bread lengthwise and pull it open. Spread the mustard on 1 side of each roll and layer on the roast pork, ham, cheese, and pickles. Spread the butter all over the outside of the sandwiches and griddle until the cheese is melted and the meats are warmed through, 3 to 4 minutes. (Alternatively, wrap the sandwich in foil and toast in a 350°F oven for 5 to 7 minutes.) Slice each in half on the diagonal and serve.

You can press this as I did, eat it un-pressed or if you don’t have a press take two bricks wrap in tin foil heart in 500 degree oven for about 1/2 hour and use those to press.

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Source Information
Reprinted with permission from The Latin Road Home by Jose Garces, © 2012 Lake Isle Press

Epicurious.com © Condé Nast Digital, Inc. All rights reserved.

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STEAK SAUCE

STEAK SAUCE

Ingredients

  • tablespoons  unsalted butter
  • 2   garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons  onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon  pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon  salt
  • 2 teaspoons  soy sauce

First

Melt butter in 8-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic, onion powder, pepper, and salt and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Pour all but 1 tablespoon butter mixture into bowl and let that cool slightly, about 5 minutes, save to mix in hamburger meat.

From America's Test Kitchen

Then:

  • 2 tablespoons  tomato paste
  • 2/3 cup  beef broth
  • 1/3 cup  raisins
  • 2 tablespoons  soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons  Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons  balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon  Worcestershire sauce

How:

Add tomato paste to skillet and cook over medium heat until paste begins to darken, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in broth, raisins, soy sauce, mustard, vinegar, and Worcestershire and simmer until raisins plump, about 5 minutes. Process sauce in blender until smooth, about 30 seconds; transfer to bowl.

Image from katedeering.com

 

 

Cuts of meat, I know I always have to ask where did it come from

 

butchering-beef

Hard Apple Cider Vinaigrette Dressing

crispin_ciders

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup hard apple cider
  • ¼ cup fresh orange juice (about ½ orange)
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon minced shallots
  • 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (used our 18 year old)
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • Salt and pepper to taste.

How

Bring cider, juice and honey to a boil in a small saucepan.

Cook 10 minutes or until reduced to about 2 tablespoons.

Pour into a medium bowl and let cool slightly. Add shallots, vinegar, Dijon salt and pepper stir with a whisk. Gradually add the olive oil stirring constantly with a whisk.

Set aside.

Dijon Myer Lemon Glazed Wild Salmon

Dijon Myer Lemon Glazed Wild Salmon

Myer Lemons are in season again and Lyn absolutely loves them. We get looks when we practically empty the bin of them at wholefoods and Lyn always has a jar of fresh squeezed in the frig. We have a bag of Myer lemon ice cubes and another of frozen zest. Yes I guess you could say we or Lyn is hooked she is very possessive of her Myer lemons. Salmon was never one of my favorite dishes but I have learned to like it. I have a lot of recipes and this one is sure to be another one that I repeat.

 Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup Myer lemon marmalade ( you could use orange marmalade)
  • 3/4 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
  • Cooking spray

Myer lemon glazed salmon

How:

Preheat broiler.

Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well. Place fish on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush half of marmalade mixture over fish; broil 6 minutes. Brush fish with remaining marmalade mixture; broil for 2 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

Meyer Lemons

Meyer lemons

Meyer lemons, so named because they were identified in 1908 by Frank N. Meyer, are thought to be a cross between Eurekas or Lisbons and a mandarin orange. They have a sweeter and more floral taste than other lemons and can even have an slightly orange tint. They also have very thin skins, making them difficult to transport and store. Most Meyers are grown in backyards, but rising demand and wide culinary interest means they are increasingly available at markets.

 

Meyer lemons are more seasonal than the ubiquitous Lisbon and Eureka lemons, with the limited commercial harvest running from December or January through May

Whole Grain Mustard Encrusted Tenderloin Roast.

Whole Grain Mustard Encrusted Tenderloin Roast.

Twas the Saturday before Xmas the gifts were all wrapped.

The son was coming home and the wife was all smiles.

Yet there was still a big problem, no meal was in play.

All factors were weighed out, all cost taken in to account.

She’s was breaking her strict diet the choice was too hard to make.

There was Meyer Lemon Brisket or Pan Seared Filets or Tenderloin Roast or Almond-Crusted Salmon.

The process has now taken over a week.

Her head was spinning what would she have me make?

I looked at a lot of recipes to get the idea how to cook this meal in the end I went with my gut almost simple but added a twist when I saw the jar of Trader Joe’s whole grain mustard in the pantry. I grew up with a roast beef that had silvers of garlic inserted in the layer of fat on top and was covered with yellow mustard then roasted, I think Paul of Paul’s Market (used to be in north Falmouth MA)  taught her how giving away his trade secrets to her warm smile. Anyway these days I have gotten more adventurous but found that back to the basic with this cut of meat works best. We by passed Wholefoods and went to Wegman’s they have pretty good quality and the prices seem lower. I hate shopping there just too many people all pushing and shoving, but every once in a while won’t hurt me. We still have to try the 6 AM shopping time we hear the aisles are pretty open at that time. Anyway….

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs. center cut tenderloin roast
  • 1 jar of Trader Joe’s whole grain mustard – opened
  • Kosher salt, black pepper and olive oil

tie with twine

How:

Preheat the oven to 425 degree with rack in middle. I used convection cooking this time it affected my cooking time

Rinse and paper towel dry the meat

Season liberally with salt and pepper let and bring to room temp or there about

Pat dry again

Tie with twin every ½” or so to keep the roast evenly shaped for even cooking.

Don’t tell them but I trimmed the skinny side off the roast and stuck in freezer and will make a pan seared oven roasted filet meal at a later date for me, only for me just for me!!

Rub olive oil all over the meat and then season again with some salt and pepper

Spoon the mustard on roast and rub to cover liberally using as much as is required. I think I used about 1/4 to 1/3 cup

rub with mustard

Bring meat to room temperature or there about

Place meat on rack in shallow pan if convention or roasting pan if not

Roast until temp is 120 degree for rare 125 degree for medium rare

Most of the recipes I saw said cook for 25 minutes but it took me about 40-45 minutes in convection oven. Lyn says maybe because it cooks from inside out in convection.

Remove and let sit for 15-20 minutes uncovered.

Roast and let stand

Slice in ½ inch slices

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While this is cooking you can prepare your sides, in this case smashed garlic mashed potatoes and mixed vegetable in a butter sauce. Oh I had put the mashed potatoes in the turned off oven to keep warm and forgot to leave a pot holder on the handle when I took back out to put in serving dish. OW! Cooking battle scars are so much fun.

This was surprisingly easy to prepare and the roast melted in your mouth this got the three heads bobbing approval since Mike was here to share.100_1157

Passes Mustard from Trader Joe’s archives

Trader joe's

In the world of mustard, you’ll find everything from mild yellow to fiery hot brown, as well as varieties with added herbs and spices to enhance the flavor. What you won’t find anywhere other than Trader Joe’s is a mustard quite like our Whole Grain Dijon Mustard.

whole-grain-mustard

Trader Joe’s Whole Grain Dijon Mustard is made in the countryside just outside the city of Dijon, ancestral home of this style of mustard. We work with a mustard maker (moutardier) that’s been crafting quality Dijon mustard since 1840, and while the production techniques have been modernized over the years, the recipe is centuries old – so old, in fact, that it’s classified as à l’ancienne, or ancient. The ancients apparently knew how to make mustard. It’s made with carefully selected, all natural ingredients like brown mustard grains and just the right amount of white wine. Rather than completely grinding the mustard, as is common, the seeds are left whole in this version, giving the condiment a little crunch to go along with its pungent-yet-smooth flavor. Excellent on sandwiches, it’s also a rousing addition to salad dressings and sauces for chicken or pork. We’re selling each 12.3 ounce jar for the excellent price of $1.79, every day.

Culinary Curiosity: While associated with the French city of Dijon, Dijon mustard is not a protected designation under EU rules. Thus, many a mustard is called “Dijon” or “Dijon-style” when in fact it may be made elsewhere. Our Whole Grain Dijon? True to its name and historical origins, it’s made in Dijon, the historical capital of Burgundy.

Turkey Burger

Turkey Burger

I can’t believe I had not posted this before, I thought I did so I never thought to look. This is a pretty standard for us a good red meat alternative. I never make the same but similar so when I had all these left over roasted vegetables the other day I quickly threw them in.

Ingredients

  • 1 Lbs. ground white turkey meat
  • 1-2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • ¼ roasted sweet or red onion minced
  • ¼ roasted red bell pepper minced
  • ¼ roasted potatoes minced
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes
  • Pinch of fresh cilantro minced

How

Combine all ingredients, form patties and pan fry or grill until done.

Real hard huh? Usually we just do the mustard.

Grilling is tricky since the patties can tend to be very loose just be patient and let set before you flip them. I suppose you could add some bread crumbs to bind not sure if that would do the trick or not any suggestions out there?