Noche De Cubano

I fell in love with Cuban sandwiches at a small Cuban restaurant in Yorba Linda that closed down a few years ago (apparently there are too many Olive Garden-Chilis-Mimis-lovers in Yorba Linda to keep a good foreign restaurant in business). The best is the media noche, which you can still find at Felix's in Orange, although not as good as the one that's long gone.

Tonight, I made my own, along with fried bananas and black beans. The store was out of the right bread, so I used French rolls...so-so.

Here's how it's done:

Media Noche
bread
Pork
deli ham
provolone cheese
pickles

Slice the pork into thin slabs about 1/4 inch thick, and 3"x4". Heat small amount of oil in pan and fry pork over moderate heat. Salt, pepper and garlic, then turn and season again. Make sure the pork is cooked, but not dried out. Meanwhile, butter the inside of the bread and fry it until it's crispy (in another pan). Once the pork is cooked and the bread is fried on the inside, arrange the pork as if making a sandwich, add one or two slices of deli ham, provolone cheese and some sliced pickles. Close the sandwhich and heat it in the bread pan until slightly crisp on top and bottom and heated thoroughly.

Fried Bananas

(Use bananas rather than plantains, because they are softer and stay moist.)

Slice bananas about 1/4 inch thick. Use one per person. Meanwhile, heat fully slathered pan of oil on moderate heat. Add bananas, then shake sugar and cinnamon above. Fry until brown, then turn. These will really start to soften up and will stick, so keep them seperate and handle them one piece at a time. Fry the other side, drain in slotted spoon above the pan and transfer to plate (don't try to drain on a paper towel - they stick).

Black Beans

Buy a can of your favorite black beans. Fry up about half of a handful of thinly sliced pork strips; season with salt, pepper and garlic. Add beans and half diced tomatoe. Season with Thyme and a bit more garlic. Add a few pieces of sliced Anaheim chili. Simmer over low heat at least 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

~ Brock