When you get an email from Pottery Barn with the subject line “Wine + PB + You!” you open it immediately and reply “yes, yes, yes” without fully knowing what you’re agreeing to. At least that’s what I did when the company contacted me in early August, a day before my birthday, asking if I’d like to work on a Cameron Hughes Wine + Pottery Barn shoot. It was the best gift a budding food blogger could ask for!
Soon after, a case of wine and a slew of new Pottery Barn goodies showed up at my door. As much as I wanted to break into a bottle of Cab right then and there, it was time to get cracking cooking! I had so many menu ideas running through my head but finally settled on this casual Latin-inspired spread, which first appeared on Pottery Barn’s Inside & Out blog. It’s easy to pull together whether you’re feeding two or a large group.
What makes these Cubanos unique is the bread – sweet Hawaiian rolls that crisp up beautifully on the outside while staying pillowy soft on the inside when grilled. If you don’t have time or want to make your own rolls, pick up a bag of King’s Hawaiian.
To round out the meal, serve the sandwiches with three easy dips and a big platter of yellow and blue corn tortilla chips. The guasacaca (a Venezuelan version of guacamole), black bean dip and salsa fresca can be prepared hours in advance – just store them in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
If you’re entertaining, you can even assemble the Cubanos before your guests arrive so all you have to do is throw them on the grill. Once the sandwiches are toasted, refill your wine glasses and dig in!
Recipes adapted from Cooking Light, Spoon Fork Bacon, Two Peas and Their Pod and FoodNetwork.com.
- 8 sweet Hawaiian rolls (homemade or store-bought), sliced in half horizontally
- 4 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard
- 8 (1 oz.) slices Swiss cheese, cut in half
- 8 strips bacon, cooked
- 8 slices dill pickle
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 8 ounces thinly sliced roasted turkey breast
- coconut oil, for grilling
- 1 large avocado, peeled, pitted and quartered
- ½ small yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 serrano pepper, halved, seeded and roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
- juice of 1 lime
- 1½ cups fresh cilantro, stems removed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
- ¼ cup diced yellow onion
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ fresh jalapeño, halved, seeded and roughly chopped
- juice of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
- ¼ small red onion, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small fresh jalapeño, very finely diced (remove seeds for a milder salsa)
- juice of 1 lime
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- corn tortilla chips, for serving
- Spread cut sides of rolls with mustard.
- Place ½ slice cheese, 1 strip bacon (cut in half to fit) and 1 slice pickle (cut in half to fit) on bottom half of each roll. Then top each with cilantro, turkey, ½ slice cheese and top half of roll.
- Brush coconut oil on outside of rolls.
- Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Add 2-3 sandwiches to pan. Place a heavy fry pan on top of sandwiches and press gently to flatten. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side, leaving fry pan on sandwiches while they cook, until grill marks appear and bread is toasted. Repeat with remaining sandwiches. Let cool slightly and cut each sandwich in half diagonally.
- Place avocado, onion, garlic, serrano pepper, vinegar and lime juice in a food processor and purée until smooth. Add cilantro and olive oil and continue to purée until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor and purée until smooth. Taste and add additional salt and pepper as needed.
- In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and toss gently. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.
I love that sectioned serving dish and your twist on the cuban sandwich!
Thanks so much, Mary Frances! The serving dish is from Pottery Barn – it’s the perfect size for dips, condiments and snacks: http://www.potterybarn.com/products/great-white-serve-square-divided-condiment-tray/