The Foodie Boyfriend Has a Request

As you may have gathered,

the Foodie Boyfriend eats dinner

with us quite often.

Recently, he asked me if I would

make a dish if he could get the recipe for me.

It seems that one of his superiors at work

has a Filipino wife who is an excellent cook,

and the Foodie Boyfriend loves many of the

dishes that she has made for him.

One such dish is Pork Adobo.

Adobo is the Spanish word for marinade,

but in the Philippines,

adobo refers specifically to the process

of cooking food in soy sauce and vinegar

and other spices.

One historical advantage of this dish

is that it has a long shelf-life

because the vinegar prevents bacterial growth.

This dish can also be made with chicken

and is even sometimes made

with both chicken and pork.

Pork Adobo served over Basmati rice.

The Foodie Boyfriend was able to get the authentic

family recipe from the Filipino lady for Pork Adobo.



Additionally,

I was given permission to share that recipe with you.


Our mise en place consists of:

1 1/2 lb. pork shoulder or butt cut in 1 1/2" cubes

1/3 c. vinegar (sugar cane vinegar best, but any will do)*

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. salt

3 gloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp. pepper corns

1/2 c. water

2 tbsp. cooking oil



*I had to go to two ethnic grocery stores in town before

I was able to find cane vinegar.

The trimmed and cut pork is placed in a non-reactive pot.

Do not use an aluminum or copper pot

as the vinegar will react with the metal.

That is not good eats.

Then the vinegar, soy sauce, salt, garlic, bay leaf,

pepper corns and water

were added to the pot.

Let stand for at least one hour.

We later learned that

the lovely Filipino cook lets this sit

in the adobo overnight in the refrigerator.

Then simmer,

covered for one hour (or until meat is tender).

Drain and keep sauce.

Heat cooking oil in skillet and brown meat on all sides.

Since I used the same pan,

I seared the meat in batches.

Place the meat in a serving dish

and pour off any remaining cooking oil.

Add reserved sauce and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

Be sure to scrape all the browned bits sticking to the pan.

Pour sauce over the meat and serve.

Raw sugar snap peas added

a nice crunch to this meal.

Even the dear husband,

who had originally decided that he wouldn't like this dish

before he had even taken a bite,

agreed that we could make Pork Adobo again.

I do believe that we will be letting the meat

sit in the adobo overnight the next time, though.

Thank you, Foodie Boyfriend,

for getting this recipe for me,

and thank you, lovely lady, for sharing this recipe

with us.

I hope we did it, and you, justice.