Why It Works
- Typically made with "pan suave," a type of soft, sweet bread, this recipe swaps easier-to-find challah rolls.
- In lieu of meat taken from a whole roasted pig, this recipe uses quick-cooking pork tenderloin.
Miami's sunny landscape is dotted with palm trees and just as many Cuban cafés like La Carreta, Oasis, and Versailles. These are establishments where you can have a seated meal, but what's more charming is the invitation to walk up to an outdoor counter and order a quick breakfast of café con leche and tostadas, an afternoon caffeine lightning bolt of concentrated cortadito or café cubano, and, late at night, a medianoche sandwich.
This habit of eating on your feet among a friendly crowd, where everyone seems to know each other, and melodious Spanish is spoken almost exclusively, has its roots in Havana. Cubans who fled to Miami brought with them their unmistakable accent, their food, and their gregarious eating customs.
I've heard that after a long night of dancing, people would stop for a medianoche, so named as an allusion to the time it was often eaten: at midnight. The pressed, toasted sandwich is traditionally made with pan suave, a sweet egg bread similar to challah or Hawaiian bread, while the filling is typically lechón (marinated and slow-roasted whole pig), ham, cheese, pickles, butter, and mustard. Sweet, salty, and deeply satisfying, it's a sandwich you'll crave at all times of the day.
For this recipe, I took a a couple slight shortcuts to make this easier for the home cook. First, given that most of us don't usually have lechón sitting around from which to rip off hunks of tender roast pork. Instead, quick-cooking pork tenderloin makes for an easy and still incredibly delicious substitute. I rub it down with mojo, a mixture of orange juice, lime juice, lots of garlic, oregano, and a dash of cumin, then roast it just until perfectly cooked through to prevent it from drying out. Once chilled and sliced, it an ideal stand-in for lechón.
Second, medianoches are usually made with "pan suave," a soft, sweet egg bread. Since it is not widely available, I've substituted it with 6-inch challah rolls, which are sweet and soft like the original. That said, if you can find pan suave, use it.
Once the sandwiches are assembled, it's important to press them well while toasting them. If you have a panini press, you can use that. Otherwise, the easiest thing to do is to set a second heavy skillet on top of the first, and then press down on that. Only with enough pressure will you achieve the sandwich's signature compact, crisp look.
May 2012
This recipe has been cross-tested and lightly updated to guarantee best results.
Recipe Details
Cuban Medianoche Sandwich
Prep15 mins
Cook30 mins
Active30 mins
Total45 mins
Serves4 servings
Makes4 sandwiches
Ingredients
For the Pork:
One pork tenderloin (3/4 pound; 340g)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
2 tablespoons (30ml) juice from 1 orange
1 tablespoon (15ml) juice from 1 lime
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
For the Sandwiches:
4 tablespoons (60g) unsalted butter, softened (divided)
1 tablespoon (15ml) yellow mustard
Four six-inch Challah rolls (see note), split
8 slices deli ham
32 dill or bread-and-butter pickle chips
8 thin slices Swisscheese
Directions
For the Pork: Adjust oven rack to upper middle position and preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set pork tenderloin on it. Poke pork tenderloin all over with a paring knife, then season all over with salt and pepper.
In a 4-cup measuring cup, combine garlic and olive oil and microwave for 45 seconds. Stir in orange juice, lime juice, oregano, and cumin.
Pour garlic mixture over pork tenderloin, rubbing into perforations; lift foil around tenderloin to form low walls around it (this will prevent the sauce from spreading out all over the baking sheet and burning). Roast until temperature reads 145°F (60°C) on instant-read thermometer, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Thinly slice pork on a bias.
For the Sandwiches: In a small bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons softened butter with mustard until well combined. Spread the cut sides of the rolls evenly with butter-mustard mixture.
Top roll bottoms with a layer of sliced roasted pork, 2 slices ham, 8 pickle chips, 2 slices cheese, and roll tops.
In a 12-inch skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat until foaming. Add sandwiches and set a weight (such as a second heavy skillet) on top, pressing down with your hands to compress. Cook until toasted toasted, about 4 minutes. Lift weight, remove sandwiches, add remaining 1 tablespoon butter to skillet, and cook until melted. Return sandwiches to skillet, untoasted side down, and set weight on top once more, pressing down once again. Cook until toasted on second side and cheese is melted, about 4 minutes longer. Alternatively, heat a panini press according to manufacturer’s instructions and cook sandwiches until crisp and golden. Allow sandwiches to set about 2 minutes, then serve.
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Special Equipment
Rimmed baking sheet, foil, large skillet plus a weight (such as a second heavy skillet) or panini press, instant-read thermometer
Notes
Medianoches are usually made with "pan suave," a soft, sweet bread. This recipe calls for easier-to-find 6 inch-long challah rolls, which are sweet and soft like the original. If you have access to pan suave, that will work as well if not better.
Make-Ahead and Storage
The pork tenderloin can be roasted up to 1 day in advance; let cool, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to slice and use.
