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Posted by Stephanie Meyer on Jul 24, 2006 at 10:10am

Ouch, ouch! It wasn’t just the pork shoulder that got smoked over the weekend, someone carelessly got waaaay too much sun yesterday. Not moderate, Stephanie, not at all! It started innocently enough – a soft, gorgeous morning, cerulean blue sky, warm (not hot) sunshine… I thought I’d head out for a quick swim. Well, two hours later, I finally moseyed into the house, changed clothes, and head out for Nathan’s baseball game. Despite a very exciting game (first playoff game, which they won, by the skin of their teeth, woo hoo!), I could feel my arms and legs sssssssizzlin’ in the afternoon’s now-hot, full-on sun, whew, it was powerful. All I needed was a dry spice rub and I too would be cracklin’ golden brown (see below photo). Instead I ended up sort of pink, exhausted, with a crushing headache. Duuh…

In fact, I damn near forgot about hijinxing with my minxes last night – NO! Nathan and I came home from the game to find John and A swimming with the Brown family, here for a Sunday visit. A little more time outside, chatting, laughing, watching the kids swim, ahhh, I was so relaxed… The Browns took off and I casually came up to prepare coleslaw to accompany my long-anticipated, pulled-pork sandwich (see last two days’ posts!). Quick glance at the clock, 6:35 p.m., hmmm, why do I feel like 6:30 means something, something…? Oh holy shit! I’m supposed to be at Suz’s! Quickly called Suz, I’m on my way, girlfriend! Then rushed to the fridge for a bun and some pork, slammed a sandwich together, nuked it, and ate it in the car. Sans barbecue sauce, sans cole slaw. And it was still KILL. Ha. Just smoky, garlicky pork in a soft bun, baby. Sounds kinda naughty and tasted that way too. Now, today, I will make the slaw, and enjoy it for lunch, and finally complete my weekend pork vision. I’ll check back in with the moans, and recipes, ha.

Ooooh, the ‘wich was fantastic. Crunchy, creamy, tangy slaw, delish on its own but sublime in a bun. Definitely worth the wait, woo hoo! (Recipe posted in comments, below.) Perhaps I’ll continue my slaw-wich run with Zabar’s corned beef on rye for lunch tomorrow (I have a little stash in the freezer, heh, heh, heh).

Tonight I think I’ll use the rest of the pork on one of my (other!) favorite sandwiches, a Cubano: crusty bread (baguette unless you, unlike I, have a line on fresh Cuban bread…) lined with a few thin slices each of roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, and pickle. Toasted and pressed in a hot pan, under a weight of some sort, until crisp, melty, and salty… OMG. While a salad on the side is fine, no slaw goes on this sandwich, nor tomato, mayo, lettuce – a true Cubano (sandwich) is meant to be enjoyed pure of heart (and condiments; recipe posted in comments, below)…

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  1. By Stephanie on July 25, 2006 at 9:51AM

    Cubano Sandwich
    Serves 4

    1 baguette (good French bread)
    soft butter
    12 thin slices pork roast
    12 thin slices ham
    12 thin slices kosher dill pickle
    12 thin slices Swiss cheese

    2 baking sheets and a heavy pan

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the baguette into four equal pieces, then slice each of the pieces in half lengthwise, creating four equal sandwiches. Spread butter generously on the inside and outside of the bread. Layer each sandwich with 3 slices each of pork roast, ham, pickle, and cheese. Lay out the four completed sandwiches on a baking sheet. Put another baking sheet on top of the sandwiches, then lay the heavy pan on top of that, weighing the sandwiches down. Carefully place in the oven and bake until the bottoms of the sandwiches are lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Remove the heavy pan first and set it safely aside, then the top baking sheet, and flip the sandwiches. Return the baking sheet and heavy pan to the top of the flipped sandwiches and bake for another 5-7 minutes until browned and cheese is melted. Let cool for 5 minutes, cut in half with a butcher’s knife (they’re crusty), and serve.

  2. By Stephanie on July 25, 2006 at 9:37AM

    Crunchy, Creamy, Tangy Coleslaw
    Stephanie Levy
    Serves 4-6

    1 head white (and/or red, your preference) cabbage, cored, quartered, then sliced thinly
    ½ large sweet onion, sliced thinly
    3 scallions (or a small bunch of chives), minced (about ½ c.)

    2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
    2 Tbsp. buttermilk or sour cream
    1/3 c. mayo
    1 tsp. salt
    1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
    1 Tbsp. sugar

    salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

    Put cabbage, onion, and scallions/chives in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, buttermilk/sour cream, mayo, salt, cayenne, and sugar. Pour over the cabbage mixture and toss. Season with more salt and pepper to taste, if needed.