Pork Adobo

Another basic, simple, yet flavorful Filipino dish that I tried recreating over the years using different techniques.  Somehow, I never made it "perfect" to my liking until this last one.  I did a complete different method this time and the result was spot on!  Ok, I'm not trying to boast proclaiming I make the best "Pork Adobo" but I let my dear husband be the judge.  This man, who is a pizza-lover by nature obviously will prefer to eat pizza in a heartbeat over anything else (well, that's what I thought) but historically picked my pork adobo for dinner?   Yes.  Needless to say, I was flabbergasted.  Why on earth would he do that?  Simply because "they are soooo gooood!", according to him and couldn't stop raving about it.  And I have to agree with him.  It's by far my best pork adobo I've made.   Other than its goodness, the best part about it is that you can control the consistency of its sauce to your liking.  The sauce itself is so good that it's best drizzled over hot steamed white rice.  In our family, cooking is an art and discovery, and it should be fun.  Many times they turn out great, many times they turn out okay, or sometimes even worse.  But we never give up, we keep cooking and trying new things for as long as we breathe and eat.  This time though, I have to say it's one of our best!   


Ingredients

3 pounds pork shoulder or butt (cut in bite-sizes)
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 cup water
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil


Combine all ingredients in a pot (except olive oil) and let it marinate for 1 hour or overnight.  Cover, and let it simmer in low heat for about an hour (or until meat is tender).  Spoon out meat in a bowl, save sauce in a separate bowl.

Heat oil in medium high in a frying pan.  Brown meat on all sides, making sure not to cramp them altogether, doing in batches.  Place in serving dish.  Put reserved sauce into the pan, gently scraping off the brown bits on the pan.  Let the sauce cook for 2-3 minutes.  The longer it cooks the less runnier it will be depending on your preference, your choice.  Note, the sauce makes really good accompaniment to the white steamed rice.  Pour sauce over your rice and voila!  Enjoy your best adobo!


Yield:  5-8 servings

Note:  You can cut this recipe in half for smaller portion.

French Onion Soup

Ooh la la....french onion soup!  It's one of our family's repertoire dishes during this time of the year.  Yep, it's that time to take those hidden ramekins out because this soup can't be done without those.  They are individually divided into those tiny ramekins, topped with toasted bread and cheese and put under the broiler for few minutes to perfect its beauty.  I've decided to incorporate two different cheeses on this recipe for the topping (thanks to Auntie Jane's wonderful suggestion).  It really added a whole new dynamic to the soup.  The long cooking time is very important here, also.  It gives the ingredients time to express themselves into the soup and I'm telling ya', the end result is ah-mazing!


Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 Vidalia onions, sliced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
4 cups beef broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
ciabatta or baguette bread, cubed and toasted (about 4 slices)
2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese
4 ounces fontina cheese, sliced
4 ounces gruyere cheese, sliced
Special equipment: 4 (1 1/2 cup) ovenproof ramekins


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Slice bread into cubes, spread on cookie sheet, sprinkled with parmesan cheese.  Toast bread in the oven for 10 minutes or until brown.  Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions, salt and pepper.  Reduce the temperature to low heat.  Cook onions, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender, about 1 hour or longer.  Slow cooking is the key to this recipe.  When onions are tender, add white wine to deglaze the pan, then add thyme and broth.  Simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes.

Divide the soup between the 4 ramekins.  Divided the cubed bread among the ramekins.  Top each with slices of cheeses.  Place under the broiler, until the cheese is golden and bubbly, about 4 minutes.  Serve immediately!


Yield:  4 servings