Sandwich delight
Tastes from around the world
When I travel, either for business or pleasure, trying local culinary specialties is always at the top of my to-do list.
I enjoy the experience and the food but more often than not there is no way I can find all the ingredients to replicate the result when I get home, so it’s just a road-trip memory.
Sandwiches, on the other hand, are often the most accessible treat a country can offer up, whether or not we ever get there in person.
Given the dropping temperatures outside, I thought I’d pick a couple of hot spots for us to visit together — culinarily speaking, of course.
Medianoche (Cuban Sandwich)
Medianoche is Spanish for midnight, so I can only assume this sandwich satisfied late-night revellers in sultry southern streets. It is not difficult to make with what we can buy in our local grocery stores, and is well worth the effort. When I roast a pork shoulder, the first couple of slices get set aside so I can make one of these the next day. As far as I know you can’t buy Cuban-style bread anywhere close by, but a loaf of Italian — the kind you would use for garlic bread — is perfect. You can cut these in any size you want but I’d allow 1/4 lb. of pork and 2 slices of ham per sandwich (and per person). 1/4 cup melted butter or margarine 1/2 tsp. finely grated orange zest 1/2 tsp. each dried oregano and cumin 1/2 clove garlic, minced 1 loaf Italian bread, split in half lengthwise 1 lb. thinly sliced cooked and cooled roast pork 8 slices sandwich ham 8 slices Swiss cheese 4 dill pickles, thinly sliced lengthwise 2 tbsp. each prepared mustard and Dijon mustard 1 tsp. honey Combine butter, orange zest, oregano, cumin and garlic. Allow to sit at room temperature for half an hour or refrigerate up to a couple of days. Spread about half the butter mixture on the insides of the bread. Layer on the pork, ham, cheese and dill pickles. Combine the mustards and spread on the inside of the top half of the bread. Firmly press the top onto the bottom and brush remaining butter all over the outside. Wrap tightly in a double layer of foil. Place in a dry frying pan over low heat and put something heavy on top — a cast iron frying pan or Dutch oven would work. I leave it alone for 8 minutes and it’s just right on my stove but you should check after 5, just to make sure it’s not scorching on the bottom. Turn it over, replace the weight and cook the same length of time on the other side. Unwrap and cut into 4 crispy, gooey, meaty, satisfying hunks.
Bulgogi Sandwich
I can hear you purists out there saying that in Korea, bulgogi is served with rice, not on a sandwich. When I make this it is always on top of rice for the first meal, but the next day it’s even better on a sub roll. Besides, if we’re going to vacation together you have to keep an open mind. Use any cut of beef you like but a little fat in it enhances the flavour. My preference is ribeye. Whatever you choose, the key is cutting super-thin slices across the grain, and the only way you can do that is to put the steak in the freezer for about 15 minutes to get a really close shave. Grilling the meat over charcoal is the ultimate bulgogi experience but a screaming hot cast iron frying pan is a close second. Peanut oil has a high smoke point so it’s perfect. A box grater or microplane does the job on the ginger, onion and apple, but you can chop them coarsely and give them a whiz in the food processor if you prefer. Allow 1/4 lb. of beef per sandwich, but it is so flavourful you can stretch it along with more peppers and onions. 1/4 cup peanut oil 6 tbsp. soy sauce 6 cloves garlic, grated 1 thumb-sized piece fresh gingerroot, peeled and grated 1 small yellow onion, grated 2 sweet apples, peeled, cored and grated 1 lb. well-marbled, boneless steak, cut into paper-thin strips 1 each small red and green bell pepper, cut into thin strips 6 green onions, white part finely sliced and green part cut into 3inch pieces 1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil 3 tbsp. mayonnaise (not salad dressing_ 1 tsp. sriracha or other hot pepper sauce you like, optional 4 submarine sandwich or Kaiser
rolls, split like hotdog buns Combine peanut oil, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, yellow onion and apple. Add the steak and stir to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate at least a couple of hours but up to overnight. When ready to cook, add the red and green peppers and green onions to the meat in the marinade and stir again to coat everything. Heat an iron frying pan or other pan that can withstand high heat. Drain the meat and vegetables in a colander reserving the marinade. Put the mixture in the hot pan and stir-fry 3 or 4 minutes, just until the meat is brown and the veggies are starting to soften but are still on the crisp side. Stir in sesame oil, cook together another minute then remove from the pan and keep warm. Add reserved marinade to pan and bring to a boil. Simmer a couple of minutes, until the liquid has reduced to little more than a syrup; set aside. Combine mayonnaise and hot sauce and smear on the insides of the rolls. Divide the meat mixture among them and drizzle the reduced marinade on top. Serve with cole slaw or a crunchy green salad.