Viva La Cubano

At the park earlier today, (hubby) RR and I were feeling hungry and as often happens, we were both in the mood for the same thing - we agreed it was a panini kind of day. So I suggested a Cuban. It had been a long time since we last had one, (usually at some Cuban place in mid-town), or made one at home. We quickly looked up a few recipes on the Blackberry for a reminder/inspiration and then RR left to buy the missing ingredients at the corner store: thinly sliced ham, salami, turkey and Swiss cheese from the deli; dill pickles (only instruction: w/out HFCS); and a freshly-baked baguette from our wonderful local French bakery La Marjolaine. When he returned, I set to work cutting tomatoes and onions from the CSA (this addition was a bit of a departure from the more "authentico" version, but it was suggested in this recipe here) and compiling the sandwiches. I used Kosciusko spicy brown mustard and Trader Joe's mayo. There was a bit of a process trying out different pans to see which was the best fit for the job. I decided on the grill pan (hence the cool grill marks) and weighting down the Cubanos with a heavy cast iron pan -- this is key in making these. A copious spray of olive oil, turn once, and voila! They were delicious, esp. accompanied by leftover white wine to make spritzers, a quintessential summer drink. Usually I would add some side like kettle chips, but they sandwiches were pretty heavy. You know the best part? The little bits of grilled cheese left over in the pan.

the finished result