A Little Taste of Havana

 A Little Taste of Havana

     Do you ever have one of those days where you just don’t know what to fix for dinner and you are tired of the same old stuff? I know I do and it drives me crazy. I have a freezer full of pork from the early summer slaughter and I never know what to do with it. Yesterday I got out a pork shoulder and threw it in the crockpot. I didn’t want to have just a roast of it so I did some research on how to make Cuban sandwiches.

     Now if you have ever had a great Cuban sandwich you know how delicious they are. We have a great Cuban sandwich place in Atlanta that my hubby use to frequent a lot when he was younger and we have eaten there a few times when we venture down that way. "The Havana Sandwich Shop" It was a place that made you think you were in Cuba sitting at a table eating your favorite Cuban treats. They had a small area that had groceries you could buy and the older folks there were all part of the restaurants family in some way. The place was always packed. And don’t forget the music and all the awards for great food! Family tradition. If you are ever in town and you want a truly amazing lunch  check it out.  HavanaSandwichShop

     A few years ago the place burnt to the ground and they moved it to a new location. We visited there also but it did not have the charm of the old place. One of the other family members had started the new place and there wasn’t that flair.  They still had great food but it wasn’t just the same.

I heard they had so many neighbors and patrons that helped the original family members get the old place back together and started a new. I haven’t been there since but I bet the place is close to the old way of doing things

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     Any way I looked for a recipe to use for my pork shoulder and I came up with one that I combined a few for.I had cooked the meat enough to cut it off the bone and I sliced it up.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons of Himalayan salt (called for Kosher but we use Himalayan)

2 tablespoons of cumin

1 teaspoon pepper (I grind mine fresh and use the multi colored kind.)

¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes

7-8 cloves of garlic finely chopped

2 tablespoons each of lime juice, lemon juice and orange juice

A few bay leaves

A finely chopped small onion

I cooked it until it was falling apart for the most part.

To serve it, place on a sub roll with a piece of Swiss cheese some mustard and a garlic dill spear. I am not one for Swiss cheese so I used white American on mine.

I served it with homemade coleslaw and black beans.

I know I could never make it as good as they do down in at Atlanta but it was a great dinner. So if you are tired of the same old meals here is a great way to add some zing to your taste buds.

My version of the cuban sandwich lunch.

Quote of the day:

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”
― Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own

Scripture of the day:

Matt 4:4 But he answered: “It is written: ‘Man must live, not on bread alone, but on every word that comes from Jehovah’s mouth.’”