Welcome back to the Redneck Cuban Kitchen and another Tuesday video blog. Today we will be making what is probably my second favorite sandwich of all time, and that is the Cuban Medianoche! As with many Cuban dishes preview on my YouTube channel, the Cuban Medianoche Sandwich history is a little murky. That is because it is vital to liberal, socialist, and or communist society to erase history. That way, the new generation never knows, understands, or is aware of how good things used to be. As far as I can tell and research, the medianoche sandwich is a product of Cuba’s capitalist era when a large population sector enjoyed the rich nightlife. From the 1920s to the 1950s, Cuba attracted many famous Americans like Errol Flynn, Al Capone, Ernest Hemingway, and others.
The medianoche is considered by many to be the baby brother or sister of the Cuban sandwich. That is because they share pretty much the same combination of ingredients. That being thin-sliced slow-roasted pork, deli-style sweet Serrano ham, Swiss cheese, mayo, mustard, and pickles. What makes the medianoche sandwich unique is the bread. The medianoche is made with a sweet roll which is a cross between potato bread and a butter roll. The contrast between acidic pickles, vinegary mustard, and sweet roll and ham give this sandwich not only a unique but very distinctive taste.
For this reason, I don’t make medianoche sandwiches as much as I would like it. So, when I ran into some medianoche sandwich roll while doing my weekly grocery shopping, I jump at the opportunity to indulge in this culinary delight! With that said, I know I may offend a few of you, and I am sorry! But, I try my best to be a purist and stick to the original recipes. I am a firm believer in the phrase – if not broken, don’t fix it! Things like tomatoes, lettuce, and salami, as somebody suggested, are not part of the Cuban media noche sandwich recipe. If you want to make yourself a sub on a medianoche roll with lettuce, tomatoes, salami, thin-sliced slow-roasted pork, deli-style sweet Serrano ham, Swiss cheese, mayo, mustard, and pickles, be my guess. However, please don’t call it a Cuban medianoche sandwich because it is not!
- 1 Medianoche Roll
- 2 Ounces of thinly sliced pork
- 2 Ounces of thinly sliced sweet Serrano ham
- 2 Ounces of thinly sliced Swiss cheese
- 5-6 slices of thinly sliced dill pickle
- 1 Tablespoon of mayonnaise
- 2 Tablespoon of yellow mustard
- 2 Tablespoons of butter
Making a Redneck Cuban Medianoche Sandwich
Making a redneck Cuban medianoche sandwich is like many other Cuban dishes, part ingredients, cooking, or preparing procedures. Every time you make a Cuban dish, and it is not on point, you need to take a look at the cooking or preparation procedures. Unlike other types of cuisines, Cuban cuisine is very procedure-oriented. For making an authentic Cuban or Miami style media noche sandwich, you a “plancha.” A plancha is a lot like a panini press, except that it does not have ridges. Living in the Florida keys with limited resources, I learned to get around this like many locals by wrapping a red brick in aluminum foil. This device later became known among my friends as the redneck Cuban sandwich press. You can pick a red brick and any big-box hardware store for like a dollar. If you have a panini press, fine. I think they are overpriced, take too much space, and rarely accommodate the type of sandwiches I like to make.
After you have figured out how you will press your medianoche sandwich, we can start the preparation by making the aioli. Mix one tablespoon of mayo and two tablespoons of mustard in a small container. Cur your roll in half the long way and spread a generous amount of the aioli on both faces. Trim your pork, ham, and cheese so that they a bit smaller than your roll, width-wise and start laying. Start with your cheese, followed by the ham, and then the pork. Top it with a row of pickles the length of the roll, and we are ready for the press. Know that there is no particular order or right or wrong for these ingredients, but I think this is the winning combination!
In a large skillet, melt about a tablespoon of butter. In a microwave-safe container, melt another tablespoon in the microwave. Once your skillet is up t temp, place your medianoche in the center, paint the top with melted butter, and top it with the redneck Cuban sandwich press. Cook on low for about 3 minutes. Then flip it and cook it for another 3 minutes. The objective here is to warm up the meats and melt the cheese without over toasting the bread! Depending on your stove, this may take a little practice. On my stove, 3 minutes is just about right, on the largest burner, on position two!
I hope you try this soon. It is genuinely a fantastic sandwich, with a unique taste profile! I also look forward to having you as a subscriber at the Cuban Redneck DIY Channel, where we do cooking and grilling on Tuesdays and DY projects on Fridays!
