Oh it’s Cuban week so she has to do a Cuban sandwich right??? It’s that delicious pressed sandwich that features roast park, ham, swiss cheese, pickles and mustard strategically and magically griddled and served warm. She has to do it.
Well, to be honest, I was actually conflicted with doing the Cuban Sandwich. On one hand, it’s pretty much the most well known “Cuban Food” item in the US. Why is that in quotation marks? That was the conflicting part. The history of this sandwich is based in Cuba, but really it lies more in Florida. Both the Spaniards and the Europeans are said to have played in a part in this dish: Spain brought the seasonings and Europeans brought the pork products. The sandwich really grew legs in Florida when both Cuban communities of Tampa and Miami took claim to bringing the sandwich to what it is truly known to be now. So while this is a wonderful dish with Cuban roots, did I want to do this or something more authentic from Cuba?
Why not do both? Like I said in my About You section, I want to keep some things traditional and respect the dish for what it is. But with other things, I want to turn it on it’s head and have a little fun, switch things up. We all love a good Cuban sandwich because it’s a great sandwich! And if that is what most people think of when they hear Cuba and food together, why not? Later this week, you’ll get another dose of traditional Cuban food. But for now, let’s have some fun!
This recipe is perfect for switching up dinner, a party or a movie night. Grabbing a frozen pizza dough is your easiest step for this but if you’d like to upgrade your recipe, you can make your own. Additionally, roasting your pork works wonderfully for this dish but also makes for another delicious meal. The key to this roast pork is to season it with Mojo seasoning. This can be done in either a mojo rub or a marinade. I prefer to marinade the pork and have my own recipe for a Mojo that I will include in this.
Rolling out the dough into a rectangle allows for the spirals to be equal across the board. You actually have two options with the dough. If you enjoy a thinner pizza like a flatbread, roll this dough out thinner. But if you are one that enjoys pan pizza, roll it a little thicker.
While I did add some mozzarella to this for additional cheesiness, Swiss is truly the star. Layering everything will ensure perfect distribution of ingredients for each spiral with the ham, roast pork, swiss cheese, pickles and mustard. The mustard is minimal in the roll because to add a little more fun, we are making a Dijon Mustard Garlic Sauce for the side. Add some garlic butter to the roll as well because… well what isn’t better without some garlic butter?
As stated, layer and distribute all the ingredients evenly. Once everything is spread out, take your time and start rolling from closest end and up. You don’t have to do this too tightly because you want to leave the dough some room to breathe and expand. Just naturally roll without pushing or squeezing everything together.
If you feel that trying to then cut the dough is too tough because the dough is too thin, put it in the fridge for a half hour to solidify up a little bit. This will make it easier to cut but may extend your baking time a few minutes longer.
Lastly, parchment paper works far better for this recipe then aluminum foil if you don’t have a silicone mat. I tried aluminum foil and even sprayed, these stuck quite a bit. I hope you enjoy these and let me know what you think!
Cuban Sandwich Spirals
Serves 4
- 1 Frozen Pizza Dough, thawed
- 4oz salted butter, melted
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp Stone Ground Dijon Mustard, squeezable is preferred
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 6 slices swiss cheese
- 6 slices Ham
- 1 1/2 pounds Roast Pork, shredded or sliced
- 16 sliced dill pickle chips
Preheat oven to 375.
Combine minced garlic and melted butter. Set aside.
Sprinkle clean, hard surface with 1/2 cup of flour. Roll out pizza dough into a rectangle shape in a 14″x18″ for a thinner crust and 13″x15″ for a thicker one.
Brush a thin layer of garlic butter all over dough. Set the rest aside.
Spread dijon mustard across dough or if using squeezable, put in two straight lines. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese evenly all over dough, followed by swiss cheese slices that have been cut in half.
Evenly layer ham slices, roast pork and pickles across dough.
Flour hands and starting from the end closest to you, start rolling dough away from you. Do not squeeze or roll dough tightly. Once rolled, carefully slice two inch pieces down the roll until you have 8 to 10 spiral pieces. If the dough is too soft or fragile to cut, place in refrigerator for 30 minutes and then slice.
Place spirals on a parchment paper lined sheet tray. Brush again with garlic butter.
Bake in oven at 375 for 30 minutes and allow 5 minutes to cool before serving. Serve with Dijon Mustard Garlic Sauce.
Dijon Mustard Garlic Sauce
- 1 cup Mayonaise
- 3 Tbsp Stone Ground Dijon Mustard
- 1 tsp Garlic Butter
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Combine mayonnaise, mustard, garlic butter, kosher salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Mojo Marinade
- 8 cloves of garlic
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 4 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp fresh oregano
- 1 pinch of dried oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
Combine all ingredients in food processor and blend for 1 minute. Use with any seafood, poultry or pork dishes.