Going Cuban

Have you seen Chef, the movie? I did, and it blew me away. OK, it's not the greatest film it the world. It hasn't won all the big awards, and it's pretty hokey. That aside, the film is off the foodie charts. Not a surprising thing when the film is called Chef. 

The cooking scenes have been so lovingly framed and filmed that it makes you salivate, and then cook, and then stuff your face. 
I was taken aback at just how beautifully Director, and star, Jon Favreau, captured every element of cooking. Watching the scenes of him in the professional  kitchen made me think back to Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, and his description of professional kitchens working almost as if in a choreographed dance. 



If you haven't seen Chef, you really should. All food is held in reverence, even making a simple toasted cheese sandwich. 

The film also introduced me to the idea of a Cuban sandwich. Ostensibly a working-man's meal of a ham and cheese sandwich. 

Now being a vegetarian I couldn't go the meat route, but I went with something even better, pulled oyster mushrooms. 

'Pulled' you ask? The construction of an oyster mushroom makes it perfect to pull apart with you fingers. Give it a try, you'll see they come away almost like wool being pulled from a jumper. 

The key to making a Cuban sandwich is the mojo sauce and of course the bread. 

For both the bread and sauce, after some hunting around and comparing, I went with the Taste of Cuba website. You might have your own recipes you'd like already, but these ones worked for me.

Putting together each element was pretty simple, and you can load the sandwiches with whatever condiments, fillings, leaves you'd like. 

For the mojo, I loaded up on garlic and chili. I want to be hit with both those flavours when I'm chowing down on my sandwich. I also went with a mature cheddar to give it a more complex flavour. I'm not a fan of a mild cheese. The flavours just don't stand up to the mojo. 

I was initially supposed to marinate the mushrooms for 24 hours, but after some last-minute plans, that turned into 48 hours, which made all the difference. 

The scent coming off the mushrooms was pure sunshine, pair that with a Havana Club 7 year rum, and you have a great lunch/dinner option right there. 

The bread itself is almost sour-dough like in its taste. The bread is soft, and easy to shape. As I don't have a panini press, yet, I went with a simple bun shape for the bread, but usually they take on a more submarine style.