Adobo Pasta learned from Cirio Cinco

Pasta Sauces

This pasta dish has become a family favourite and a favourite amongst guests to our home or whenever we bring it to potluck parties.  We love it so much, we eat it whole year round even if it's officially a summer dish.

I learned it from Cirio Cinco, a former officemate from DYR-Alcantara, who brought it for one of our potluck Christmas get-togethers.

Cirio Cinco

1. Cook your adobo the usual way. You can use either pork belly only (with a little fat), chicken drumsticks only or a combination of chicken & pork. My only problem with chicken, which I know is healthier, is that I have to remove the bones before I can flake.  And no, there is not enough punch if you use skinless chicken breast :(
Since I got my slow cooker/crockpot, I have started using this to stew the meat. I don't even have to cut the pork belly in cubes. I plonk the meat in the slow cooker, along with all the other adobo ingredients. Slow cook it on high for 4 hours, until pork belly is tender.
2. When meat is tender, drain all the sauce (including oil!) in another container. You can use the adobo sauce for your adobong beans or okra or whatever else veggies you adobo. You can include some of the adobo sauce in cooking your rice, either steamed or fried!
3. I leave 1 sandok- or cooking spoon-full of sauce/sabaw in the cooked meat. You can use either big frying pan or wok for the next step. "Fry" the meat & the small amount of adobo sauce in high heat. Shred the meat in the process so I suggest you use 2 cooking spoons, better if flat spatula-like cooking spoons. Do this for about 12-15 minutes, constantly tossing while shredding until the meat is a wee bit crunchy. I usually do this days before serving so the adobo will "age". Before storing in the ref or freezer, I add a wee bit more vinegar & olive oil.

Ideal Cooking Spoons to Shred the Meat

4. "Topping" - for 1 lb/500 g of meat, 1 1/2 boxes of pasta > I would concasse (de-skin & de-seed then slice) 5-6 par-boiled tomatoes; roughly chop a handful of coriander (including the thinner part of stems), add diced feta cheese or duck/red eggs (anything salty) 5. cook & drain pasta, toss in your flaked adobo very well and then either toss in gently your topping or just scatter on top.

Pork Adobo Pasta with Topping

How Is Philippine Adobo Different from Spanish and Mexican Adobo

I picked up some interesting nuggets of information from +Serna Estrella's post on www.pepper.ph, "The History of Adobo". 

The post says that Spanish adobo is intensely spicy with three types of chilli with the addition of tomato paste and cinnamon. The Mexican version has lemon juice as the souring and tenderizing agent plus cumin and Mexican oregano.

Even if the word adobo comes from the Spanish word "adobar" (to marinade or to pickle), the Philippine version is really different.  The dish existed already when the Spanish colonizers first arrived.  The warm Philippine climate needed ways to preserve food against bacteria growth.

Basically, this is how Philippine adobo is prepared and each household has its own tweaks and secret ingredients which are passed on from generation to generation.  When I was just starting out to cook, +Nora V. Daza's "Let's Cook With Nora" was my bible.  Here's the basic recipe found in page 51 of the Improved Edition:

1/2 k beef                      1/2 to 1 c vinegar

1/2 k pork                      1 small head garlic

100 g beef liver                1/2 t black pepper

200 g beef heart                1 t salt

   3 T atsuete or annatto soaked in 1 c warm water

• cut all meat in serving pieces
• in a saucepan, combine vinegar, smashed garlic, pepper, salt
• put in beef and beef heart
• let cook for 20 minutes
• add pork, beef liver and atsuete water and simmer until tender
• strain sauce
• brown the garlic and then the meats in hot oil
• return to saucepan
• cover and simmer until sauce thickens