Tour of Fifty States: Florida's meal

When Bridget picked Florida as our next state meal, we all thought -- Key Lime Pie!  But no one else could think of what the Main dish should be.  I shared with everyone about the Cuban sandwich (having lived in Florida for 4 years, I remembered that they were very popular, even where we lived, in Gainesville.)  The Cuban or cubano is basically a sub sandwich (see New Jersey.) What sets the Cuban apart from other subs is that it is pressed very firmly on a griddle or skillet until it’s flattened and crisp and the cheese is melty inside.

Cuban cigar factory workers immigrated to the Key West and Tampa areas to work in the cigar factories beginning in the 1860s and the sandwich was served there. Now it’s popular not only in Tampa, but in Miami, where many more Cubans immigrated in the 1960s.  The Tampa version of the Cuban includes Genoa salami (as a nod to Italians living in Tampa), and the Miami version omits it.  Since Matthew and Amanda live in Tampa with their father, we are adding the Genoa salami to our Cuban sandwiches.  J

Tostones (twice-fried plantains) are another dish influenced by the Cuban, Puerto Rican, and several other Caribbean islands’ immigrants that flooded into Florida in the last century – today their influence has led to a “Floribbean” style of food.

No fresh milk, no refrigeration, and no ice were available in the Florida Keys until the opening of the Overseas Highway in 1930. The original recipe was uncooked; canned sweetened condensed milk was “set” in reaction to key lime juice.  When looking up recipes for Key Lime Pie, I came across so many recipes!! Graham Cracker vs. pastry crust? Meringue vs. whipped cream?  Well, we are making 2 different pies and we’ll see which one we like the best!  Both variations are given in the recipe.  Check the Outcome to see which one each of us liked the best. 

Menu:  Cuban Sandwiches, Tostones (Fried Plantains), Key Lime Pie

Outcome:  The sandwiches were really good – Bill did a wonderful job pressing them with a heavy skillet on the griddle for us and got them very flat with the cheese melted just right.  I fried the plantains and Bill mashed them flat with a drinking glass and I fried them again.  They were kind of like potatoes in consistency and taste.  Bridget said they reminded her of pistachios as you chew them, with a little graininess and sweetness.  None of us were really blown away by the tostones, but at least we tried something we’d never had before. 

On busy Saturday, after Brandi’s upstate archery tournament, Bridget’s basketball practice and friend’s birthday party, Ben’s volunteering at a robotics competition, and Bill being on call, we made the first of the Key Lime pies in a Graham cracker crust with meringue.  Sunday Ben had a history project to work on at his school, so he missed dinner and the second pie (pastry crust and whipped cream.) His mom picked him up from school and came to our house to get the girls and we had a piece of pie and a fork waiting for him.   At this point, the rest of us were divided 50/50 on crust and topping.  See the table:  

  

	Graham Cracker Crust	Pastry Crust	Meringue	Whipped Cream
Bill	X		X
Paula		X		X
Bridget	X			X
Brandi		X	X
Ben	X			X

Graham cracker crust and whipped cream wins!  That’s how we’ll make Key Lime Pie from now on!
Next up:  Brandi’s turn!  She chose Pennsylvania!  She is the first one of us to pick a state that touches another one we’ve picked (she had also picked Ohio).  With Brandi, this finished up our rotation of names (middle names by ABC order.) We played a dice game called Farkle, one of our favorites, and our placement from winner to loser decided our next rotation.  Brandi won the game by a landslide, so she gets to choose next time. J

Florida's Meal

Cuban Sandwich

Prep time:  5 min.  Cook time: 10 min.

Ingredients

• 2 loaves Cuban bread, cut in thirds to make six sandwiches (available at Publix)
• 1 lb. sliced ham
• 1 lb. sliced Genoa salami
• 1 lb. sliced Spanish roast pork or lechon (available at Publix)
• 12 slices Swiss cheese
• ½ cup yellow mustard
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• sliced dill pickles

Before pressing

Directions

1. Mix together mustard and mayonnaise in a small bowl.
2. Split the Cuban bread in half lengthwise, spread mayo mixture lightly on each piece. Top each with ham, salami, roast pork, Swiss cheese and pickles.
3. Heat a large cast iron skillet or griddle to medium; place each sandwich in the pan, and top with another heavy bottomed skillet and press for 5 minutes, flip and press for another 5 minutes. You could also use a Panini press or a waffle iron with smooth plates or a George Foreman-type grill.

Serves 6. 

Squashing them flat!

Tostones (Fried Plantains)

Prep time:  5 min.  Cook time: 10 min.

Ingredients

• 3 Green plantains, peeled and sliced diagonally
• About ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
• Salt

Directions

1. Heat about ½ inch of oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the plantain slices to the hot oil and fry, turning frequently for about 5 minutes, until they begin to brown on all sides. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate and repeat with the remaining slices.

   

   Bubbling away!

2. When all the slices have been fried, dip the slices in salt water. Fill a small bowl with water and a few shakes of salt. One by one, dip the plantain pieces in the saltwater. This process softens the plantain pieces a bit so that they end up creamy on the inside.  Use a glass or small plate to press each slice to a thickness of about 1/3-inch.
3. Return half the flattened slices to the hot oil and fry again on each side until well browned and crispy. Drain on paper towels and repeat with the remaining flattened slices.  Sprinkle with salt and serve hot.

Key Lime Pie 

Prep time:  15 min.  Cook time: 22 min.

Ingredients

• Crust:
• 5 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
• ½ cup slivered almonds
• Filling:
• 1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
• ½ cup Key lime juice
• 1 tsp. grated lime zest
• 2 egg yolks
• Meringue:
• 2 egg whites
• ¼ tsp. cream of tartar
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tsp. grated lime zest

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 º F.
2. For the crust: Combine ingredients and pat down into a 9" pie pan. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes.
3. For the filling: In a medium bowl, combine the milk, lime juice, and 1 tsp. zest; blend in the egg yolks. Pour the filling into the crust.
4. For the meringue: Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the sugar and zest until the mixture is stiff. Spread the meringue over the filling; spread it to touch the edge of the crust all around.
5. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown. Chill for several hours. Serves 8.

   

   Key Lime Pie! 

   

   Graham Cracker Crust with Meringue

   

Alternate version:  Use a frozen pie crust, baked according to the package directions.  Add the filling, chill for several hours, and top with whipped cream.

Pastry Crust with Whipped Cream

Key Lime Pie!