Tampa-Style Cuban Egg Rolls :: Super Bowl 2021!

Tampa-Style Cuban Egg Rolls

Tampa-Style Cuban Egg Rolls for the Super Bowl 2021!

Hey guys! So the #Superbowl 2021 is near and I am so excited that it’s going to be in #Tampa, Florida this year, because this is MY TOWN now, and I can’t wait for the festivities to begin! (GO BUCS!!!) I was recently invited to participate in the Twin Dragon Blogger Challenge, and I decided to make these Tampa-Style Cuban Egg Rolls to celebrate the occasion as well as my city, using their Twin Dragon Egg Roll Wrappers.

Twin Dragon Egg Roll Wrappers

I love these egg roll wrappers, because they are basically an empty canvas for any appetizer and you can get creative and fill them with anything you like! Whether you fry them or bake them, they are super easy to work with and come out perfectly crispy and delicious every time.

Tampa-Style Cuban Egg Rolls

I’m sure you have all heard of the famous Cuban sandwich right? Well these delicious crispy egg rolls are a spin-off on the Tampa-style sandwich and they taste just as amazing!

Cuban Sandwich
photo: Columbia Restaurant

Over a century ago, Spanish-Cuban immigrant Casimiro Hernandez Sr. created a sandwich at his famous Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City in in Tampa, Florida called the ‘Mixto’. He wanted to honor the immigrants who first moved into the neighborhood, and a tribute to the city of Tampa. This famous sandwich has layers and layers of good things all baked into a crispy sandwich on Cuban bread: Ham for the Spaniards, Genoa salami for the Italians, Mojo roast pork for the Cubans, and Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard for the German and Jewish immigrants.  

My Tampa-Style Cuban egg rolls are the absolute perfect appetizer – made with juicy roasted Mojo pork, ham, melted Swiss cheese, Genoa salami, dill pickles and a drizzle of mustard – all wrapped up in a crunchy baked egg roll. They’re served with a tangy dipping sauce I made with three types of mustard (yellow, Dijon and grainy), mayonnaise, a dash of hot sauce and chives…delicious little bites for the #Superbowl or any game day, party or gathering!

Cuban Mojo Pork

#Mojo is a classic #Cuban Garlic-Citrus marinade used in traditional Caribbean and Spanish cooking for added zest to chicken, shrimp, and pork. It’s made with (key) lime juice, orange juice, onion, garlic, salt, oregano, cumin and olive oil; and is an essential ingredient for the classic Cuban sandwich and of course, my Egg Rolls! I used Nellie + Joe’s Key West Style Mojo Criollo which you can find at Publix grocery stores or buy online. You can also choose to make your own Mojo marinade – here is a great recipe online.  

Cuban Mojo Pork

First, cut a few slits in the pork, pour the marinade over the pork in a plastic baggie and seal up to let marinate for a few hours up to overnight in the fridge. Roast the pork in a dutch oven for about 35-45 minutes until the pork is at least 145 degrees F in the center. (Rule of thumb for pork loin is approximately 20 minutes per pound and this was a 2 pound boneless roast). Let the roast cool a few minutes, then slice into thin pieces.

Prep ingredients

Cut the other ingredients (ham, swiss, salami, pickles, yellow mustard) and get ready to make the egg rolls. This is the fun part!

Prep Egg Rolls

Start a little egg roll making station like I did above and get movin’ on these delicious crispy bundles of goodness.

build egg roll with layers

First, lay the egg wrapper on a baking sheet or tray and wet the edges all around with some water. Start layering the ingredients in the center bottom of the wrapper: ham, cheese, salami, pork, pickles and a top with a drizzle of mustard.

Wrap egg rolls

Roll up each egg roll wrapper from the pointy end at the bottom, fold in the sides and roll up to seal.

Prep egg rolls to bake

Place the egg rolls seam side down on a parchment (or foil-lined) baking sheet. Brush the egg rolls lightly and evenly with oil or melted butter. Bake for 10-12 minutes, then flip and cook another 10-12 minutes more, until they are crispy and golden brown. 

Make the Mustard-Mayo sauce

Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce with the Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, hot sauce, yellow mustard and grainy mustard. Throw a few chives in there too, and set aside in the fridge until ready to serve. Bake the egg rolls

Once the egg rolls are done, let them cool for a few minutes before serving.

Place egg rolls on a platter with sauce on the side

Serve them on a platter and garnish with more chives…serve the dipping sauce on the side.

Tampa-Style Cuban Egg Rolls

Absolutely delicioso and totally addicting! And you’ll be able to celebrate the Superbowl in style, Tampa-style that is 🙂

Tampa-Style Cuban Egg Rolls :: Super Bowl #2021!

Yield: Makes 8 egg rolls or 16 egg rolls (cut in half.)

Ingredients

  • Egg Rolls:
  • 1 cup Cuban Mojo marinade (store-bought or homemade)
  • 2 pounds boneless pork loin, thin sliced
  • Garlic salt, to taste
  • Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
  • 8 slices Black Forest ham, thin sliced
  • 8 slices Swiss cheese, thin sliced
  • 16 small slices Genoa Salami with peppercorns
  • 16 dill pickle slices
  • Yellow mustard, for drizzling
  • 8 Twin Dragon Egg roll wrappers
  • Melted butter or oil, for brushing
  • Spicy Mustard Sauce:
  • 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
  • 1 teaspoon grainy old-style mustard
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 1-2 tablespoons fresh chives, minced

Instructions

  1. Make Mojo Pork:
  2. Cut small slits all over the pork roast with a knife and place the roast in a large resealable baggie. Pour the Mojo marinade over the top; season with garlic salt and pepper. Seal and let marinate in the refrigerator for 3 to 6 hours, up to overnight. (See notes below*)
  3. When ready to cook the roast, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the pork on a small rack or cut vegetables in a roasting pan or casserole dish and roast for about 40-45 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the middle registers 145 degrees F. (cooking time is approx. 20-25 minutes per pound so adjust accordingly depending on the size of your pork roast.)
  4. Cool roast completely and cut into 8-12 thin slices, and store the leftover roast in the fridge for up to 1 week.
  5. Make the egg rolls:
  6. Turn the the oven heat up to 425 F. Cover a baking sheet with non-stick foil or parchment paper.
  7. Cut the ham, salami, Mojo pork and cheese into medium-size slices, about 2”x3”” wide (small enough to fit diagonally inside the center of the egg roll wrappers with room around to fold..eyeball it.)
  8. Layout the egg rolls flat on a work surface with a small cup of water nearby. Layer 2 slices each of ham, salami, pork, cheese and 2 pickle slices diagonally across the center of each wrapper, add a small drizzle of yellow mustard on top.
  9. Moisten the edges with water and roll the egg roll wrapper from the bottom, folding in the sides and rolling wrapper tightly to secure the edges. Lay the rolls flap side down on the baking sheet.
  10. Continue with the remaining egg roll wrappers.
  11. Lightly brush the egg rolls with melted butter or oil, evenly on both sides.
  12. Bake for 10-12 minutes, then flip and cook another 10-12 minutes more, until crispy and golden brown.
  13. Make the dipping sauce:
  14. Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce by mixing together the Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, yellow mustard, grainy mustard, hot sauce, and chives; cover and set aside in the fridge until ready to serve.
  15. Serve the egg rolls on a platter or tray with mustard-mayo dipping sauce on the side. Garnish with additional chives over the egg rolls, if desired.

Notes

You can double or triple this recipe for a larger crowd.

Mojo is a classic Cuban Garlic-Citrus marinade used in traditional Caribbean cooking for added zest to chicken, shrimp, and pork. It’s made with key lime juice, orange juice, onion, garlic, salt, oregano, cumin and olive oil; and is an essential ingredient for the classic Cuban sandwich. I used Nellie + Joe’s Key West Style Mojo Criollo which you can find at Publix grocery stores or online. If you choose to make your own marinade here is a recipe online.

https://www.theartfulgourmet.com/2021/02/tampa-style-cuban-egg-rolls-super-bowl-2021/

Tampa-Style Cuban Egg Rolls

Look at all this

Tampa-Style Cuban Egg RollsCRISPY. CHEESY. SAVORY. GOODNESS.

Tampa-Style Cuban Egg Rolls

Serve them with the tangy Mustard-Mayo Dipping Sauce..sooo good!

Cut egg rolls

Cut the egg rolls in half if you want smaller pieces…

DELISH!

Oh, and you may want to double or triple the recipe for a larger crowd – beware…I could eat the entire tray myself these are so good!

Tampa-Style Cuban Egg Rolls

If you want to make these yourself, you can find JSL Twin Dragon wrappers at Albertsons, Amazon, Instacart, Shaw’s, Von’s, Stater Bros, Lucky’s, Food Maxx, Fred Meyer, QFC, Target, Cub Foods, Rainbow Foods, Safeway, Associated Stores, Price Rite, Winco, Price Chopper, and Gelson’s.

For more great recipes and products by Twin Dragon, please visit them online at: 

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#ChefYaki #TwinDragon #JSLFoods #BloggerRecipeChallenge #TheArtfulGourmet #artfulgourmet #kristenhess

Spring Fever! Spicing It up with Caribbean Flavors

caribbeanchicken1

Caribbean Chicken w/ Guava Pan Sauce, Caramelized Mangoes, Black Beans and Rice

caribbeanchicken1

Since I have lived in New York City, this has probably been the longest winter known to man. Last week on another cold, rainy, dismal day I started dreaming about going somewhere warm, sunny and tropical. Where the skies and sea are blue, the sand is white and the warm tropical air breezes through the palm trees and you don’t have a care in the world. I started having flashbacks of a trip I took to Jamaica a while back where the islanders greet you with a smile and the pace of life is laid back, jovial and carefree. One of the things I remember most about my experience there was the food and how delicious it was.

 

They use unique fiery blends of spices (typically Jerk which is used as a rub on grilled meats) accompanied by an abundance of tropical fruits such as citrus, bananas, mangoes, pineapple, coconuts, papaya and guava. Caribbean cuisine is a unique blend of hot and cool, savory and sweet, and a refreshing burst of flavors reflecting the tropical climates in the region.

 

I suddenly had a strong urge to cook a Caribbean dish and I wanted to try my new spice blend from Instant Gourmet, Caribbean Isles. This seasoning is a delicious blend of salt, bell peppers, garlic and onion, paprika and chili pepper and some additional spices – it really is great to use as a Jerk seasoning when you want some spicy flavor that isn’t too hot but very flavorful. You should try some of Instant Gourmet’s other spice blends too – they have an Original Spice blend, a Butter, Garlic and Parsley blend, a Spicy Coffee Steak blend, an Italian blend and a Southwestern Spice blend – all delicious and great on everything!

 

I had some chicken breasts on hand and thought I would pair it with some black beans and saffron rice as a side dish. I also wanted to experiment with some of the tropical fruits from the region and incorporate them into my dish somehow so I decided to get a mango and some guava paste to caramelize and make a pan sauce for the chicken.

 

I also marinated the chicken in lemon juice, garlic and parsley and used an infused lemon oil in the saffron rice to give it a nice lemony zing to round out the tropical flavors in the dish.

Traditional Jerk Chicken is usually rubbed with a dry spice blend and then grilled over hot coals to give it a crunchy blackened flavor. I decided to saute the chicken instead and make a savory pan sauce with wine, broth and guava paste to drizzle over the chicken and the rice and caramelized the mangoes by sauteing them in brown butter, brown sugar and a dash of salt and pepper. The black beans were canned (Goya brand) but to make them more flavorful, I added some sautéed onions and garlic, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper and a dash of the Caribbean Isles seasoning.

The dish turned out to be a great combination of flavors – the sweetness of the caramelized mangoes complimented the spicy savory flavors of the chicken and black beans and the lemony saffron rice gave it a fresh kick of citrus to round out the dish. It was light, refreshing and a definite departure from this dreary, rainy, cold weather city I live in, a sliver of sunshine for my day – if even for a moment.

Caribbean Chicken with Guava Pan Sauce and Caramelized Mangoes with Black Beans and Saffron Rice

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice plus some lemon zest from 1 lemon
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Instant Gourmet Caribbean Isles Spice blend
4 large skinless boneless chicken breasts
2 tbsp guava paste
1 1/2 tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 tbsp butter (1/2 stick)
1-2 tbsp brown sugar
1 large mango, halved, peeled, pitted, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
Salt and pepper
1 package of Goya Saffron Rice (Spanish style)
1 can Goya black beans
1/2 onion, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, chopped fine
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 green onions, sliced fine

Whisk first 4 ingredients together to make the marinade in a large bowl. Add chicken breasts to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and Caribbean Isles Spice blend on both sides. Cover chicken and chill for 2-3 hours, turning occasionally.

 

When chicken is done marinading, boil a pot of water and prepare the Saffron Rice per the box instructions and cook about 45 minutes until fluffy.

 

Remove chicken breasts from marinade, scraping excess off the chicken. Heat 1 tbsp canola oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken breasts to the skillet and cook until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Add wine and broth to the skillet along with the guava paste and stir until paste is dissolved and blended to the liquids. Bring to a boil. Add chicken breasts to the wine/broth/guava mixture in the skillet and cover, reducing heat to medium and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes (basting occasionally). Transfer chicken to a work surface and let stand for 10 minutes.

 

In a medium stovetop pan, saute some chopped onion and garlic in some canola oil until lightly browned. Add black beans (don’t drain), and 1 tbsp vinegar and a few shakes of the Instant Gourmet Caribbean Isles spice blend and a dash of salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes and keep warm.

 

Meanwhile, melt butter in another heavy medium size skillet over medium-high heat. Add mango slices, 1-2 tbsp brown sugar, a pinch of salt and stir. Saute until browned, about 2 minutes per side.

Boil juices in skillet until slightly thickened and sauce is reduced, about 3 minutes. Drizzle guava pan sauce over the chicken breasts and serve with caramelized mangoes, black beans and saffron rice. Garnish with chopped green onions, parsley and serve with a crisp white wine.

Serves 4.

Recipe inspired by a Bon Appetit recipe for Guava-Stuffed Chicken in Tastes of the World, 2008

Find out more about Instant Gourmet spices online at www.instantgourmetspices.com