Recipe of the week: The traditional Cubano gets a makeover

Chef Zac Pelaccio grew up nurtured on his mother’s homemade Italian

carbonara and gnocchi, said Melissa Clark in The New York Times. Later,

after living and working in Malaysia and Thailand, he developed a passion

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for Southeast Asian cuisine. As a result, the chef of New York’s Fatty Crab and 5 Ninth restaurants often finds that “the siren song of the weird trumps the lullaby of the familiar.” A case in point is his makeover of the familiar Cubano. The result is a sandwich just as comforting as the usual Cubano, but “far more interesting and complex.”

Recipe of the week

5 Ninth’s Cubano

For the pickled jalapeños:

4 or 5 jalapeño peppers

2 cups white vinegar

1/2 small white onion, thinly sliced

1 tsp salt, more to taste

For the aioli:

2 egg yolks

1 small garlic clove, chopped

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup canola oil

Freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 lemon

Salt to taste

For the sandwich:

3/4 pound pork shoulder, shredded

2 baguettes, ends trimmed, halved crosswise and lengthwise

1 cup grated aged Gouda cheese (about 4 oz)

12 slices prosciutto (about 5 oz)

1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

At least 2 days before serving time, prepare jalapeños, if desired; place peppers in heatproof bowl. In saucepan, warm vinegar, onion, salt over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring to dissolve salt. Pour liquid

over jalapeños, let cool to room temperature. Cover, refrigerate for at

least 2 days.

To make aioli in food processor, combine egg yolks, garlic, mustard. With motor running, add oils in slow, steady stream. Blend in lemon juice and salt. Refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to make sandwiches seed 2 jalapeños, cut lengthwise into thin strips (alternatively, use purchased pickled jalapeños). Warm roasted pork in microwave or small skillet. Spread inside of baguettes with aioli. Divide remaining ingredients (except oil) among 4 sandwiches, layering cheese, jalapeños, prosciutto, pork. Top with remaining baguette half.

Heat large skillet over high heat. Place second skillet, preferably a cast-iron one, over high heat at same time (it should be slightly smaller than first skillet). When pans are very hot, add oil to larger skillet. Place each sandwich in oil (cut sandwiches in half if they do not fit), press second skillet on top, weighing it down with heavy item to flatten. Cook until bread is golden and cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes each side.

Serves 4.