Recipe: Cuban Sandwich Pizza

One of the reasons pizza restaurants do so well on Super Bowl Sunday is that pizzas are easy (and inexpensive) to make. Another reason is that they taste good.

Keep in mind that a good pizza starts with a good crust. Pizza dough — risen, punched down and shaped into ready-to-roll balls — stores well in the refrigerator or freezer, so you can always keep some on hand for a quick dinner.

When it comes to toppings, the sky's the limit. But whatever you choose, try to use a light hand with the quantity. Pizzas cook better when they're not overloaded. 

This dish is just like they make the sandwiches in Tampa, except on a pizza crust (and without the press). 

Don't be put off by the lengthy cooking time; the majority of it is the pork slow cooking.

Hands on time: 30 minutes  Total time: 10 hours  Serves: 8

Ingredients:

• Dough for 1 pizza 
  2 to 3 tablespoons Mojo Sauce (recipe follows), divided 
  1 cup shredded Swiss cheese, divided 
  1 to 2 slices deli ham, cut into strips 
  2 ounces Slow-Cooked Cuban Pork (recipe follows), sliced 
  1 ounce Genoa salami 
  1 dill pickle, thinly sliced lengthwise 
  2 tablespoons yellow mustard 
  
  FOR MOJO SAUCE: 
  Makes 1 cup 
  Hands on: 5 minutes Total time: 5 minutes 
  
  1/2 cup olive oil 
  Juice of 2 limes 
  Zest and juice of 1/2 orange 
  1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 
  4 garlic cloves, minced 
  1 teaspoon dried oregano 
  1 teaspoon ground cumin 
  1/2 teaspoon salt 
  1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 
  
  FOR SLOW-COOKED CUBAN PORK: 
  6-8 entree servings 
  Hands on: 10 minutes Total time: 10 hours 
  
  1 (4-pound) pork shoulder picnic roast 
  8 garlic cloves, peeled 
  2 to 3 tablespoons adobo (this seasoned salt is often sold in the Latin section of the grocery store)

Instructions:

For the pizza: 
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. If you're using a pizza stone, preheat it. Roll out the dough on a floured surface. Transfer the rolled dough to a pizza pan or pizza peel (if you're using a baking stone). Lightly brush with Mojo Sauce. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Arrange the ham, pork slices and salami on the pizza. Lightly brush the pork slices with Mojo Sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake until the dough is cooked and the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Top with pickle slices and drizzle with mustard. 

For the Mojo Sauce: 
In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lime juice, orange juice and zest, cilantro, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 
Serve this sauce with any leftover Slow-Cooked Cuban Pork. 

For the Slow-Cooked Cuban Pork: 
With a small, sharp knife, make 8 deep cuts into the roast. Push a garlic clove into each of the holes. Rub the entire roast with adobo. Place in a slow cooker, fat side up. Cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours, or until meat is very tender. Pull the meat in large chunks from the bone (discard bone and fat) and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. When the meat is cold, cut on the bias into thin slices.

Notes:

Total time listed above includes slow cooking and cooling time for the Cuban pork.

Nutrition:

Pizza, per serving (based on 8): 252 calories (percent of calories from fat, 33), 11 grams protein, 30 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 9 grams fat (4 grams saturated), 21 milligrams cholesterol, 594 milligrams sodium. 

Mojo Sauce, per tablespoon: 67 calories (percent of calories from fat, 92), trace protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, trace fiber, 7 grams fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 68 milligrams sodium. 

Pork, per entree serving (based on 6): 580 calories (percent of calories from fat, 70), 40 grams protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 43 grams fat (14 grams saturated), 161 milligrams cholesterol, 210 milligrams sodium

Cox Media Group