Sandwichitos de Mezcla (Puerto Rican Party Sandwiches)
Crustless bread triangles with the creamy cheese, luncheon meat and pimiento spread of every Puerto Rican party.
Recipe in testing: I'm cooking it in my TM7™ and will update the steps and the photo with my own.
Sandwichitos de mezcla are the little sandwiches of every Puerto Rican party, from baptisms to graduations and Christmas parrandas. The mezcla is a creamy, orange-pink spread of processed cheese, luncheon meat (jamonilla), pimientos and mayonnaise, spread on soft white bread, trimmed of its crusts and cut into triangles. Somebody always asks for the recipe.
The mezcla used to be ground in a meat grinder or in a food processor in batches. In the Thermomix® TM7™, the whole batch blends smooth in less than a minute. Chill it so it spreads neatly, then set up an assembly line: spread, top, trim and cut. One batch makes about 80 triangles.
Made in the Thermomix® TM7™
Sandwichitos de Mezcla (Puerto Rican Party Sandwiches)
Makes: About 80 small triangles (20 sandwiches)
- Prep30 min
- Cook0 min
- Total1 h 30 min
- Serves20
Ingredients
For the mezcla
For the sandwichitos
To dress them up, optional
Instructions
- Place the luncheon meat in the mixing bowl, chop 5 sec/speed 6 and scrape down the sides with the spatula.
- Add the cheese, the pimientos with their liquid and the mayonnaise and blend 30 sec/speed 5. Scrape down the sides and blend 20 sec/speed 6 more, until smooth and evenly orange-pink.
- Transfer the mezcla to a container, cover it and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, so it firms up and spreads easily.
- Spread about 3 tbsp (50 g) of mezcla on a slice of bread, all the way to the edges. For heartier sandwichitos like the ones in the photo, add a thin slice of luncheon meat, a few pimiento strips and some jalapeño slices. Cover with a second slice.
- Trim off the crusts with a serrated knife and cut each sandwich into 4 triangles.
- Arrange them on a platter, cover with plastic wrap or a barely damp paper towel so the bread does not dry out, and refrigerate until serving.
Tips
- The mezcla keeps 5 days in the fridge, so make it ahead and fill the bread on the day of the party.
- Cheese at room temperature blends smoother. Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before you start.
- Food safety: keep the tray out no more than 2 hours, or 1 hour outdoors on a hot day.
- Save the trimmed crusts in the freezer for a Puerto Rican bread pudding (budín).
