For those of you that live in Seattle you have probably heard of Paseo in Fremont. If you haven’t it is a Cuban sandwich shop that may have the best sandwiches ever. We actually go quite often and recently I thought, why not give it a try at home. It is a bit of a process because you have to roast the pork as well as garlic, but it is totally worth it. Just think about it, slow roasted pork, roasted garlic mayonnaise, perfectly caramelized onions and jalapenos, lettuce and cilantro sandwiched between two pieces of crusty french bread. Sound good? Thought so. :)

Now I know people have some pretty strong feelings when it comes to Paseo, so let me say this, for those of you that have had the opportunity to go there, this recipe is not an exact duplicate, I am pretty sure they guard that one pretty heavily, but this recipe is pretty darn good. For those of you that have yet to get your hands on a Paseo sandwich, you’ll enjoy this too :)

Makes: 5-6 sandwiches

You will need:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 onions, sliced
• 3 jalapenos, sliced
• About 3-4 cups shredded roasted pork shoulder (recipe follows)
• 1/2 cup roasted garlic mayonnaise (recipe follows)
• 2 french baguettes, cut into 5-6 (6 inch) pieces, halved lengthwise
• 5-6 sprigs cilantro, stems removed
• 5-6 romaine lettuce leaves

1. In a frying pan, heat olive oil and butter together. When butter has melted add onions and jalapenos. Cook over medium heat for 20-25 minutes, or until onions and jalapenos are soft and caramelized.
2. To assemble the sandwich, spread garlic mayonnaise on each half of the bread slices. Layer pork, caramelized jalapenos and onions, cilantro sprigs and romaine lettuce leaves on bottom bread slice and top with the remaining slice. Serve hot.

Roasted Pork:

• 1 (2.5) boneless pork shoulder
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
• 3 cups beef broth

1. Make 15 or so small incisions all over the pork and massage 2  tablespoons oilve oil, salt, oregano, celery salt, pepper, garlic and corriander seeds into the meat. Place in a resealable plastic bag and marinate in the refrigerator for at least two hours, turning once.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. In Dutch oven or other large oven proof dish, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the pork shoulder on all sides, about 10 minutes total. Pour the beef broth over the meat. Roast in the oven for 3 hours, or until the meat is cooked through and shreds easily.
4. Remove from oven, let cool about 15 minutes. Shred.

For Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise:

Makes: 1/2 cup

• 1 bulb garlic
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• kosher salt
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut 1/4 inch off the top of the bulb of garlic to expose the cloves beneath, but do not peel the garlic, you want to roast it in the skin. Place clove on a piece of aluminum foil, place butter on top, pour lemon juice over the garlic and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bring up all sides of aluminum foil and twist together to close. Cook for 60 minutes or until garlic cloves are soft and golden in color. (Note :If you want to roast the garlic at the same time you are roasting the pork that is fine, it just may take a little longer for the garlic to roast.)
3. Let the garlic cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Squeeze into mayonnaise and stir to combine . Chill until ready to use.

Yes, this recipe does take some time and makes quite a bit, but invite some friends over, open a couple of beers and enjoy! If you happen to have some pork left over make another meal out of it! Try my recipe for Shredded Pork Burritos.