A great wine should always be accompanied by great food — but that doesn’t mean you have to cook up a Thanksgiving-style meal every time you want to pop open a bottle of good wine. We love how Alison Strickland of Two of a Kind put together this casual, delicious looking spread with a grilled Cubano sandwich, chips, three homemade dips and served it with a bottle of exceptional Cameron Hughes Wine. Take a look at her recipe, and some of our favorite serveware, below!
Served with Pottery Barn’s Salerno Glassware, Belgian Linen Everyday Table Runner, Great White Rectangular Serving Platter and Great White Square Divided Condiment Tray.
“This Latin-inspired spread is perfect for two to four people, or can be doubled (or quadrupled) for a larger party. Make the dips in the morning and meal prep is a breeze. (Don’t worry about the guasacaca, a Venezuelan version of guacamole — it will retain it’s bright green color for days.) You can even assemble the sandwiches ahead of time and grill them just before serving, leaving plenty of time to kick back with a glass of Cameron Hughes Wine while entertaining.” -Alison
Grilled Cubanos + 3 Easy Dips
Makes 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
Grilled cubanos:
8 sweet Hawaiian rolls (homemade or store-bought), sliced in half horizontally
4 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard
8 (1 oz.) slices Swiss cheese, cut in half
8 strips bacon, cooked
8 slices dill pickle
4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
8 ounces thinly sliced roasted turkey breast
coconut oil, for grilling
3 easy dips:
Guasacaca:
1 large avocado, peeled, pitted and quartered
1/2 small yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 serrano pepper, halved, seeded and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons white wine or rice vinegar
juice of 1 lime
1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro, stems removed
tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Black bean dip:
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 small fresh jalapeño, halved, seeded and roughly chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salsa fresca:
4 ripe tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
1/4 small red onion, finely chopped
1 small fresh jalapeño, very finely chopped (remove seeds for a milder salsa)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 garlic cloves, minced
juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Corn tortilla chips, for serving
INSTRUCTIONS:
Make the grilled cubanos:
Spread cut sides of rolls with mustard.
Place 1/2 slice cheese, 1 strip bacon (cut in half to fit) and 1 slice pickle (cut in half to fit) on bottom half of each roll. Then top each with cilantro, turkey, 1/2 slice cheese and top half of roll.
Brush coconut oil on outside of rolls.
Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Add 2-3 sandwiches to pan. Place a heavy fry pan on top of sandwiches and press gently to flatten. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side, leaving fry pan on sandwiches while they cook, until grill marks appear and bread is toasted. Repeat with remaining sandwiches. Let cool slightly and cut each sandwich in half diagonally.
Make the guasacaca: Place avocado, onion, garlic, serrano pepper, vinegar and lime juice in a food processor and purée until smooth. Add cilantro and olive oil and continue to purée until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Make the black bean dip: Combine all ingredients in a food processor and purée until smooth. Taste and add additional salt and pepper as needed.
Make the salsa fresca: In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and toss gently. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.
