Perhaps you have noticed an increase in the number and type of sandwiches being offered in restaurants both plain and fancy. Industry statistics show that sales have been increasing steadily across the country for what the trade calls “custom-made” sandwiches, some classics and others innovations. Meanwhile, quality-oriented sandwich shops such as Potbelly Sandwich Works are cloning themselves and some, including the Cosi chain, have launched “dinner” sandwiches.
With the fantastic selection of gourmet foods-including deli meats, smoked and cured fish, marinated vegetables and exotic condiments-available in markets all over town, it is likely that more sandwiches are being created in home kitchens as well.
Of course, no sandwich is better than the bread that surrounds the filling. Again, we are blessed with a ready supply of freshly handcrafted breads and the selection continues to improve. Yet certain breads are difficult, if not impossible, to locate, and certain sandwiches, mostly ethnic, taste absolutely wrong unless made with the “right” bread.
I was delighted, therefore, after bemoaning the absence locally of the particularly light and airy product called “Cuban bread,” to hear from Dean Pine, owner of the Las Villas Bakery at 2604 W. North Ave. “Come on in,” he announced, “we’ve got your bread and a lot of other stuff too.”
The bakery, surprisingly large with spartan decor, also functions as a restaurant and catering operation. It produces puff-pastry pastelitos, appetizers filled with guava jelly and cream cheese; sheet and round dessert cakes in a variety of fruit flavors; delicious roast pork, including whole pigs; and Cuban sandwiches.
The bread was fine, a long, large loaf with a thin, crackly crust and soft but tasty interior. Las Villas produces individual, torpedo-shaped loaves as well, but if making sandwiches for a group, the Cuban loaf is the one you should use. (Be aware that this bread goes stale in about as much time as it takes to scoop up a tablespoon of mayonnaise. Buy it the same day you plan to use it.)
A true Cuban sandwich calls for slices of ham and roast pork along with cheese, mustard and pickles. That’s easy enough, you say, but there’s a twist to the final preparation. The sandwich is put into a press, a distinctive piece of kitchen equipment that looks like a cross between a waffle iron and a dry cleaner’s steam press. Presses of various sizes and prices are on sale at some kitchenware shops and restaurant supply firms. They, and the Cuban sandwich, already are on the 15-minutes-of-fame treadmill, so buying one might be the right move if you have a trophy kitchen. Short of that, consider the jury-rig method proposed in the recipe that follows.
JIMMY BANNOS’ GRILLED SHRIMP PO’BOY SANDWICH
Makes four
Jimmy Bannos, a devotee of New Orleans fare, is chef-owner of Chicago’s three Heaven on Seven restaurants.
For the remoulade sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons each Creole mustard, ketchup and finely chopped parsley
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
1/4 cup small capers
1 teaspoon each chopped garlic and hot pepper sauce
For the sandwiches:
More Top Picks Thermostat
12 large shrimp, shelled and deveined
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons Creole spice mix
1 loaf Cuban bread
1 clove garlic, peeled and cut in half
Shredded iceberg lettuce
1 large ripe tomato, sliced thin
1. In a medium bowl, prepare the remoulade by blending mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, parsley, green onions, capers, chopped garlic and hot pepper sauce.
2. In a separate bowl, coat the shrimp with 2 tablespoons olive oil and the Creole spice. Grill or broil the shrimp, turning once, until cooked through, about 3 minutes.
3. Cut loaf vertically into 4 six-inch pieces, then cut each piece horizontally not quite all the way through. If desired, pull out some of the bread and discard. Brush the inside of each piece with remaining oil and rub the oil-coated bread with garlic halves. Toast the bread until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
4. Let the bread cool slightly, then layer lettuce, tomato and shrimp on each piece. Top with remoulade and close sandwiches or pass remoulade in a sauceboat at the table.
CUBAN SANDWICH
Four servings
Tom Valenti, chef-owner of Ouest on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, calls this sandwich “a perfect blend of temperatures, textures and flavors.” Lacking a sandwich press, try his improvised approach. It involves placing a cast-iron skillet atop the sandwiches to help flatten, heat and crisp them. The recipe is adapted from his new cookbook, “Welcome to My Kitchen.”
1 loaf Cuban bread
6 tablespoons mustard, American yellow or grainy
4 ounces ham, thinly sliced
8 ounces cooked pork shoulder or loin, thinly sliced
4 ounces queso blanco or white American cheese, thinly sliced
Sliced dill pickles
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1. Heat an oven with a rack placed in the lower third to 350 degrees. Cut loaf vertically to obtain 4 six-inch pieces, then cut each piece horizontally not quite all the way through. Open and spread both open sides with mustard. Place ham atop one side of each open sandwich and pork atop the other. Place one slice of cheese atop the ham and another atop the pork, then top one side with a line of pickle slices. Close each sandwich, pressing top and bottom together.
2. Melt butter in a pan, non-stick preferred, and place the sandwiches in the pan. (If necessary, use two pans or cook two sandwiches at a time.) Transfer the pan to the oven and carefully place a cast-iron skillet atop the sandwiches. Bake until the sandwiches are crisp on top and bottom, and the filling is warm, 7 to 8 minutes.