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Bocadillo,
Spain
A bocadillo or bocata is typically just ham on a crusty rustic
baguette. Can we get one with Swiss and Creole mustard?
Gatsby,
South Africa
This Cape Town specialty is similar to our French fry po-
boy, but instead of roast beef debris gravy and Tabasco, it’s
made with fried bologna and a Portuguese hot sauce called
piri-piri. (We sell a dry piri-piri seasoning at Rouses.) The
Gatsby was the brainchild of Rashaad Pandy, proprietor
of Cape Town fish and chips shop. Faced with a crowd of
day laborers — and no fish — he punted and came up with
this huge French bread sandwich, which he quartered so
customers could share. Bologna is the most common order,
but Gatsby’s are also made with fish, calamari, chicken,
eggs, sausages and steak. They are always dressed the
same, though, with French fries and piri-piri. Also in South
Africa: Over in Durban, they eat Bunny Chow or Bunnies
— hollowed out loaves of bread filled with spicy curry (the
sandwich was created in Durban’s Indian community).
Think of it as South African-Indian version of the stuffed
BBQ Shrimp po-boy at Liuzza’s by the Track in NewOrleans.
—Marcy, Rouses Creative Director
Mitraillette,
Belgium
Yet another take on the French fry po-boy, in this case,
French fries and fried meat on half of a baguette. Can be
served dressed with grated carrots, lettuce, tomatoes and
cheese.
Chip Butty,
England
French fries, ketchup and bread. That’s it.
Yakisoba,
Japan
A convenience-store staple that’s basically a fried noodle
sandwich. Our nutritionist, Esther, does not recommend
this one!
Zapiekanka,
Poland
An open-faced baguette with meat and vegetables topped
with melted cheese.
Roti John
, Malaysia/Singapore
Yet another open-faced sandwich, in this case a baguette topped with minced
meat, sardines, eggs, chopped onions, and some kind of spicy sauce.
Donny Rouse’s Cuban Sandwich
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
1
8-inch Cuban roll (any crispy bread roll with soft
interior), split
3
slices Rouses deli ham
½ cup leftover roast pork shoulder, shredded
3
slices Rouses Swiss cheese
10 dill pickle chips
Rouses Yellow mustard
Butter, for cooking
HOW TO PREP
Top the bottom slice of bread with ham, pork, cheese
and mustard. Spread a small amount of mustard on the
top piece of bread, and cover bottom. Lightly butter
the outside of both pieces of bread. Place the sandwich
in a 10-inch cast iron skillet and cover with a smaller
skillet, which will work as a press. Cook the sandwich
over medium-high heat, turning once, until the bread is
toasty and cheese is melted, about 8 to 10 minutes. Slice
sandwich diagonally; serve hot.
The Cuban,
Cuba
“Last year my wife and I visited Havana, Cuba. We toured historic sites — the
old hotels, the old US Embassy, Hemingway’s house and his favorite bars; at
the El Floridita I sat where Hemingway sat and drank what he drank, the Papa
Doble or Hemingway Daiquiri, which is a double shot of rum, grapefruit juice
and maraschino liqueur. We ate in several restaurants (a lot of rice and beans
and plantains), but mostly, we ate in people’s homes. Like here on the Gulf
Coast, in Cuba, the best food tends to be home cooked.
The Cuban sandwich — bread, smoked ham, roasted pork butt, cheese, pickles
and yellow mustard — is more associated with Miami’s Little Havana than
Havana-Havana, but I did manage to find one at a sandwich stand definitely
not meant for tourists. It cost 25¢.”
—Donny Rouse, 3
rd
Generation
SANDWICHES