Post by Rinconrolla on Jun 21, 2011 10:48:25 GMT -5
In a recent column, I included a recipe for a grilled Cuban sandwich by Lourdes Castro, author of the new book "Latin Grilling."
I mentioned that the way Castro sees it, every Cuban sandwich should include one or two layers of sweet boiled ham
Reader Gloria Carvajal took issue with that stipulation.
"This is typical of all those out there saying they make a true Cuban sandwich," Gloria writes. "I grew up in Ybor City, of Latin descent, and I've sampled several versions of what people think a Cuban is."
The Silver Ring Cafe used to make the best Cubans, she says. What she remembers most is the flavor of their baked ham, which was sliced for each sandwich.
"A true Cuban does not take butter and, most important, it does not take boiled ham," she says. "Baked ham, yes; boiled, never."
Mary Ellen Ahrens of Greensboro, N.C., said she thinks the Castro recipe left out a few details. The mustard should be mixed with mayonnaise and put on both pieces of bread, she said. Also, Genoa salami must be included.
"I'll be in Florida over the Fourth of July weekend, and the first place I'm heading is to The Silver Ring for a Cuban," Mary Ellen writes. "I can hardly wait!"
Tom P. Stoltenborg in Seffner remembers eating Cuban sandwiches in the 1920s in the old Spanish Park Restaurant.
"Old is the right description because it was a wooden building that leaned backward and seemed to be in immediate danger of collapsing. It was located at the end of the streetcar line.
"There was a window built into the corner of the building, and there you paid 15 cents, waited a couple minutes, the window was raised and a Cuban sandwich wrapped in a sheet of thin, white paper was handed to you," Tom writes.
In those days, he says, sandwiches were neither pressed nor heated. Mustard was spread on the top piece of bread. The rest of the sandwich: a layer of fresh roast pork, ham, a layer of baked smoked ham, a layer of cheese and a couple of slices of dill pickles. The bottom slice of bread was slathered with mayonnaise. The sandwich makers would put two slices of tomato on it by request.
"NEVER, EVER was boiled ham used on those delicious works of art!" Stoltenborg says. "That began to happen after WWII as some restaurants began to try and cut costs and in the process they lowered the quality of the sandwich.
"During the Depression, some of us would eat lunch at the Spanish Park, where a heaping plate of Spanish Beef Stew was 25 cents. Included was a hunk of warm Cuban bread and a glass of iced tea," he says. "Those were the good old days."
Source of this story www2.tbo.com/lifestyles/flavor/2011/jun/21/what-makes-a-real-cuban-pressed-or-grilled-boiled--ar-238716/
I mentioned that the way Castro sees it, every Cuban sandwich should include one or two layers of sweet boiled ham
Reader Gloria Carvajal took issue with that stipulation.
"This is typical of all those out there saying they make a true Cuban sandwich," Gloria writes. "I grew up in Ybor City, of Latin descent, and I've sampled several versions of what people think a Cuban is."
The Silver Ring Cafe used to make the best Cubans, she says. What she remembers most is the flavor of their baked ham, which was sliced for each sandwich.
"A true Cuban does not take butter and, most important, it does not take boiled ham," she says. "Baked ham, yes; boiled, never."
Mary Ellen Ahrens of Greensboro, N.C., said she thinks the Castro recipe left out a few details. The mustard should be mixed with mayonnaise and put on both pieces of bread, she said. Also, Genoa salami must be included.
"I'll be in Florida over the Fourth of July weekend, and the first place I'm heading is to The Silver Ring for a Cuban," Mary Ellen writes. "I can hardly wait!"
Tom P. Stoltenborg in Seffner remembers eating Cuban sandwiches in the 1920s in the old Spanish Park Restaurant.
"Old is the right description because it was a wooden building that leaned backward and seemed to be in immediate danger of collapsing. It was located at the end of the streetcar line.
"There was a window built into the corner of the building, and there you paid 15 cents, waited a couple minutes, the window was raised and a Cuban sandwich wrapped in a sheet of thin, white paper was handed to you," Tom writes.
In those days, he says, sandwiches were neither pressed nor heated. Mustard was spread on the top piece of bread. The rest of the sandwich: a layer of fresh roast pork, ham, a layer of baked smoked ham, a layer of cheese and a couple of slices of dill pickles. The bottom slice of bread was slathered with mayonnaise. The sandwich makers would put two slices of tomato on it by request.
"NEVER, EVER was boiled ham used on those delicious works of art!" Stoltenborg says. "That began to happen after WWII as some restaurants began to try and cut costs and in the process they lowered the quality of the sandwich.
"During the Depression, some of us would eat lunch at the Spanish Park, where a heaping plate of Spanish Beef Stew was 25 cents. Included was a hunk of warm Cuban bread and a glass of iced tea," he says. "Those were the good old days."
Source of this story www2.tbo.com/lifestyles/flavor/2011/jun/21/what-makes-a-real-cuban-pressed-or-grilled-boiled--ar-238716/