This month we've picked a nice film called Chef. 

  

It's written, produced, directed and stars Jon Favreau, and co-starring Sof�a Vergara,John Leguizamo,Scarlett Johansson,Oliver Platt,Bobby Cannavale, Dustin Hoffman,and Robert Downey Jr. 

 

Favreau plays a professional chef who, after a public altercation with a food critic, quits his job at a popular Los Angeles restaurant and returns to his home town of Miami to fix up a food truck. 

 

He reconnects with his ex-wife and invites their young son to join him in driving the truck back to L.A. while selling Cubanos in various cities along the way. It's a delightful film about a father & son bonding. Make yourself a Cubano (see recipe below) and watch the film with someone special

  

Cubano Recipe - courtesy of Food52.com

Makes 4 sandwiches

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely diced ( about 3/4 cup)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 cup juice from 1 orange 
•  Kosher salt and black pepper 
• 1 pound blade-end pork chops bone removed ( about three 1-inch thick chops) 
• 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
• 4 loaves Cubano bread, high quality hero rolls, or small ciabatta
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 4 kosher dill pickles, thinly sliced lengthwise
• 2/3 pound sliced cooked ham 
• 1/2 pound Swiss cheese slices ( about 8 slices) 
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

 1. Heat the olive oil in a small heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the onion, garlic, and oregano. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add the orange juice and simmer until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer half of the mixture to a medium bowl and reserve the remainder at room temperature. Add the pork chops to the bowl and rub the marinade all over them with your hands. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours.

2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat until shimmering. Remove the pork chops from the marinade and pat them dry with a paper towel. Add the pork chops to the skillet and cook without moving until well browned, about 2 minutes. Flip the chops, reduce the heat to medium, and continue to cook until the chops register 140 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 4 minutes longer. Transfer the chops to a cutting board and allow to rest at least 5 minutes.

3. Heat the oven to 250 degrees F. Split the rolls in half. Spoon the reserved marinade over the cut side of the rolls and spread around with the back of the spoon. Divide the mustard evenly among the rolls, and add a layer of pickles. Slice the pork thinly on a bias and lay the pork slices on top of the pickles. Layer on the ham and cheese and close the sandwiches.

4. Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed skillet until the foaming subsides. Add two sandwiches and press down firmly with a second skillet. Cook until the bottom bun is crisp, about 5 minutes. Flip the sandwiches, press again, and continue to cook until the second side is crisp and the fillings are heated through, about 5 minutes longer. Wrap the sandwiches in foil and transfer to the oven to keep warm while heating the other two sandwiches. Serve immediately.