Okay, folks, let’s dive into my little culinary adventure today – making Cuban appetizers!
I’ve always been fascinated by Cuban food, and today I really wanted to try my hand at some classic starters. I didn’t have a specific recipe, and I didn’t want to have shoping for that, just used what I got in my kitchen.
Getting Started
First, I rummaged through my fridge and pantry. I found some leftover roasted pork, a bit of ham, some Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard. Perfect! Seemed like I had the makings of some mini Cuban sandwiches. I also found some plantains that were getting pretty ripe, which was perfect.
Making the Mini Cubans
I grabbed a loaf of regular bread – didn’t have any Cuban bread, but hey, gotta work with what you’ve got. I sliced the bread into small, manageable pieces.
Then, I layered on the ingredients: a smear of mustard, a slice of ham, some of the roasted pork, a slice of Swiss, and a few pickle slices. I pressed them down a bit to make them compact.
Next, I heated up a little butter in a pan and grilled the mini sandwiches until they were golden brown and the cheese was all melty and gooey. Gotta say, they looked pretty darn good.
Tackling the Plantains
Now for the plantains. Since they were ripe, I decided to make tostones, which are basically twice-fried plantain slices. I peeled the plantains and sliced them into thick rounds.
I heated up some oil in a pan – enough to cover the plantain slices. Once it was hot, I fried the plantains for a few minutes on each side, until they were lightly golden.
Then, I took them out and smashed them flat. I just used the bottom of a glass for this – nothing fancy. After they were all smashed, I fried them again until they were crispy and golden brown. A sprinkle of salt, and they were done!
The Final Result
Honestly, it all came together pretty easily! The mini Cubans were delicious – the perfect combination of savory, salty, and tangy. And the tostones were crispy, salty, and just a little bit sweet.
It was a fun little cooking experiment, and it definitely satisfied my craving for Cuban flavors. Definitely making these again!
