Some of you may ask, why have a recipe for a
Cuban sandwich, and one for a medianoche? The answer is simple, there is a difference between the two.
The medianoche (midnight) earns its name from the time that it was typically eaten. After a night of dancing, the medianoche is a perfect way to fight off hunger. It's often smaller than a typical Cuban sandwich, and it is made on a sweeter variety of bread (typically a yellow egg bread).
On a traditional medianoche, there should not be any mayonnaise, tomatoes, onions, bell pepper or lettuce. Often times, one can use leftover meats from the fridge for a medianoche. In making a good medianoche, remember this. The Roast Pork is what will make the sandwich, so you can never leave it out.
Medianoche Ingredients:
3 thin slices of ham
3 thin slices roast pork hot or cold (hot, slow roasted pork is best)
3 thin slices of Swiss cheese
3 or 4 slices of pickles
1/3 cut medianoche bread (it has to be sweet yellow egg bread)
You should be using fresh, sweet Cuban bread. If you don't have access to a bakery that sells medianoche bread, an alternative is the Jewish Challah egg bread sold at Albertsons. Or
click here to buy it online from a store I shop at.
Slice the bread open face so that both halves are still barely connected and spread mustard on both halves. Add the ham, and then the roasted pork. When in a hurry, you can use one whole piece of roasted pork. Add your Swiss cheese and then a few pickle slices. Make sure to spray your sandwich press with a little butter flavored Pam, or for a tastier sandwich you can brush some softened butter on the outside of the bread.
Place the sandwich in a Cuban sandwich press and press down until the cheese is melted and the bread is slightly hard to the touch. For those of you without a press, you can also place the sandwich in a hot skillet and press down on it with a heavy kitchen object, maybe a baking pan (some, believe it or not, use a brick wrapped in tin foil when nothing else is available).
For years I've used a Gaunaurd sandwich maker from the
Cuban Food Market, it has removable plates, and is easy to clean. Never use a panini grill, they simply don't heat sandwiches evenly, and a real Cuban doesn't have little lines grilled into it. When finished, slice the sandwich diagonally across the middle so that you have two triangle shaped wedges (as seen in the pictures below). Enjoy!