A Taste of Cuba

A birds eye view of Pegasus at anchor in Norman's Cay, Exumas, Bahamas

We went up to the boat yesterday. The plan was to have her in the water and to be motoring down to Ft Myers by today. As boat projects go, I guess we should have expected it. Dave found out earlier in the week that the stringer to the cutlass bearing was damaged and needed to be repaired. Not to mention a hefty bump up in sticker price. It needs to be done, has been our hesitant answer to all of the incidental projects that have been coming up. I sat in Eric's office, the boat yard manager, shaking my head with my hand over my face. I guess we are keeping this boat for a looong time! He laughed and felt our pain and told me to get a beer out of his college dorm style refrigerator to help ease my woes. It started out with simply having the bottom painted, then Dave wanted to get a thru hull fixed, then he thought about the cutlass bearing and the stuffing box, now as it seems, we have "issues." All I could think was $ then $$ then $$$! The green stripe around her hull needs to be painted, whoever did it last time, didn't do it properly. So that is a project for us to do sometime this week.

But we love that boat. Each time visit her, stand on her deck and smell her familiar musty interior we are bought back to some of the best times of our lives. She just doesn't move right on the hard. I find myself loosing my balance as I stand on deck, perched high above the ground. I have conditioned myself to counter balance her movements in the water, but as she sits rock solid, my mind and body are deceived. Why aren't you moving? I am anxious to get her down to the Naples City Dock. Each visit to the dock makes us long for that boating community once again.

On the way to the boat, Dave was giving me the cue that his stomach was talking to him and telling him it was lunchtime. Since the drive from Bonita Springs to Indiantown dissects the state of Florida, we are driving through some true country towns. The radio stations are a mix of country, rap and mariachi, if that gives you a clue as to the demographics. It's farm owners and the field workers. As we drove through the town of Clewiston, Dave actively looked for a Subway. After a very large steak dinner the previous night, I was not hungry. We were nearing the end of town when Dave spotted what looked like a mini-mart that advertised Cuban Sandwiches. If you've never had an authentic Cuban Sandwich, the time is now. We made a quick U-turn and went back to La Fontera. La Fontera was a hodge podge of signs in Spanish, colorful beer posters and phone company advertisements. Directly across the street was an entirely different venue. Dixie Fried Chicken and Seafood, advertising frog legs and gator. We walked in and quickly realized we were the only white, English speaking folks in the store. No matter. We strolled to the back, past unidentifiable groceries, all imported from Mexico and Puerto Rico. Dried corn husks for tamales, huge containers of cumin, dried chili peppers and Jarritos soda.

Enjoying beers on the patio of a cafe in Barcelona

The rear deli had meats of all kinds, pulled pork, whole fried fish and slow cooked chicken. I decided that since this was pretty authentic, I'd better belly up and get over the fact that I wasn't that hungry. The menu written on the white board was entirely in Spanish so we we ordered dos sandwiche Cubanos, por favor. The vinegar from the mustard, the tangy dill of the pickles and the saltiness of the ham blend together in perfect harmony. If you happen to live in a region of the U.S. where authentic Cuban sandwiches are just not available, here is a recipe so you can make them at home. It helps if you have a panini press, but hot bricks work well too.

Sandwiche Cubano

Serves 2

2 hoagie rolls

Yellow mustard

4 thinly sliced pieces baked ham

4 thinly sliced pieces roast pork

4 slices provolone cheese

8 thin dill pickle slices

1 tbsp butter, at room temperature

Slice the bread horizontally in half, leaving one edge intact. Lay the bread open and spread each side with desired amount of mustard. Divide the ingredients evenly between the slices of roll. Start with the ham followed by the pork, cheese and pickles. Fold together.

Heat your panini maker or sandwich press. Butter each side of the press. Place the sandwiches inside, press down until the cheese is melted and the sandwich is pressed flat and bread is browned. About 10 minutes.

If you don't have a sandwich press, you can heat 4 bricks wrapped in foil in the oven at 500 degrees for 1 hour. I did this last time I tried a panini and it worked well, but you might have to hold the brick with an oven mitt so it doesn't fall off. Press together for 10 minutes.