Pasta de Bocadito
(pahs-tah deh boh-kah-dee-toh)
Almuerzo y La Merienda (The Midday Fuel & The 3 PM Pick-Me-Up)
If you grew up going to Cuban birthday parties, you know the magic of the cajita—a little cardboard box handed to every guest holding a slice of cake, a croqueta, and the undisputed star: a soft roll overflowing with Pasta de Bocadito. Born of 1960s diaspora ingenuity, when immigrant grandmothers combined their beloved island flavor profiles with the unfamiliar canned hams and cream cheeses found in American supermarkets, this spread is the ultimate taste of home. It hits every necessary note: savory, sweet, tangy, and unapologetically rich. This recipe skips the complicated steps, utilizing standard supermarket ingredients to deliver that exact, nostalgic punch of flavor on a busy weeknight.
Ingredients
- cooked ham12 oz
- full-fat cream cheese8 oz
- mayonnaise1/4 cup
- jarred roasted red peppers1/2 cup
- sweet pickle relish4 tbsp
- yellow mustard1 tsp
- Hawaiian sweet rolls12 small
Method
- 01
Pulse the ham in a food processor until finely ground.
Add the roughly chopped ham and pulse five to six times until it breaks down into very fine, granular pieces. Breaking the meat down first ensures you don't over-whip the dairy later.
- 02
Build the emulsion.
Add the softened cream cheese, mayonnaise, drained roasted red peppers, drained sweet pickle relish, and mustard. Blend on high until the mixture is completely smooth and cohesive, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula at least once.
- 03
Adjust the consistency if necessary.
The paste should look like a thick, spreadable cake batter. If it is too stiff, add the reserved liquid from the roasted red peppers, one teaspoon at a time, pulsing until it reaches the correct texture.
- 04
Chill the spread for at least one hour.
Do not skip this step. The friction from the food processor heats the cream cheese; chilling allows the fats to re-solidify and the flavors to beautifully meld together.
- 05
Assemble the sandwiches with a gentle hand.
Slice the sweet rolls in half and spread a generous two to three tablespoons of the chilled paste onto the bottom halves. Place the tops back on gently—never press down on the bread, or the filling will ooze out and ruin the pillowy texture.
Notes
Embrace the grandmother shortcut.
To push the nostalgic flavor profile even further, substitute a four-ounce can of deviled ham for a portion of the cooked ham.
Mix in olives for extra brine.
Many regional variations fold a quarter cup of finely chopped pimento-stuffed green olives into the finished paste before chilling.
From Cook Cuban in America.