My Knives Need Sharpening: Pork Belly Adobo

It seems like forever ago, but I Kickstarted a cast-iron Dutch oven. I needed an (affordable) enameled one because I have ceramic cooktop on my electric stove and it came at last on 8/31.

If you're not familiar with chicken or pork adobo, you are missing out. It's a zing of soy sauce and vinegar with earthy undercurrents of bay leaves and pepper. Since I first tried adobo at Bilao, a Filipino restaurant about a mile and a half from me, I've been testing and searching for recipes. I've tried several, making them with chicken thighs, but it was my friend Scott who found this one. 

I'll get right to the ingredients, but do read the whole story at the link.

Serves 4 to 6

• .25 c. neutral oil
• 2 lbs. pork belly, skin removed, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 3 tbsp. minced garlic (about 10 cloves) (I think I used 12 or 13)
• .25 c. shoyu (soy sauce) (I bought a dark, Filipino soy sauce brand called Da Puti from Amazon)
• 2 tbsp. oyster sauce
• .25 c. cane vinegar (This was the Da Puti again. This has a softer taste to it and I really like it)
• .25 c. apple cider vinegar (Extra zing!)
• 3 bay leaves
• .25 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 3 c. halved cherry tomatoes (about 1 pound), for serving (This is the first time I've seen tomatoes added to the serving of adobo even after looking at multiple recipes. More on that later)
• Cooked rice, for serving

In a large, deep skillet, wok, or Dutch oven, heat the oil over high heat until shimmering-hot. Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Sear it in the hot oil, turning, until evenly browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the shoyu, oyster sauce, both vinegars, the bay leaves, and pepper and toss to coat the pork belly. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the pork has started to soften and most the fat has rendered, 40 to 50 minutes. What you’re going for is not a melt-in-your-mouth bite, but rendered fat and meat with some texture to it, like spareribs almost.

Once the pork is cooked, remove it with a slotted spoon and set aside. If desired, skim off some of the rendered fat and discard (I usually keep it) (I did too). Increase the heat to medium and reduce the sauce, stirring constantly, until a sticky glaze starts to form. Return the pork belly to the sauce and toss to coat.

Serve with tomatoes and cooked rice.

Things I Will Not Buy Again: Salad Dressing

I started making my own salad dressing when I lived in Tennessee. If you've spent a lot of time in the American South, you'll know that ranch dressing is featured almost everywhere. Generally speaking, dressings are often creamy and most of them, no matter how good they taste are terrible for you. The sugar content alone is enough to make you scream.

At a large party a long time ago, there was a salad on the table and of course we served ranch. One of the attendees strongly disliked ranch and asked for vinaigrette. The hostess was not about to go and buy some. I dashed into the kitchen and made this in 30 seconds. It was something I'd watched my father make multiple times

• 1 Tablespoon vinegar (my friend had red wine in the house)
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil (a light one is good here)
• Pinch Salt
• 4 grinds of Black Pepper (or three shakes)
• 2 shakes dried Oregano
• Pinch of sugar

I tend to save glass iced tea bottles for making dressing because then I can shake the hell out of it to blend and then taste. 

Yes, there is a touch of sugar in here, and if you're avoiding it altogether, you can leave it out. I do find it makes a nice addition, and you only need a tiny bit to work against the tartness of the vinegar.

The 3:1 base is good for starting all kinds of experiments.

I haven't made my own creamy dressing in a while, but it starts with mayonnaise and milk. Unfortunately, I do not remember the proportions I used, but I can tell you there were a lot of herbs and no sugar. 

It's easy. You probably have the ingredients for a good dressing in your pantry already. Feel free to mess around!

Things I Will Not Buy Again: Cocktail Sauce

I have a secret. I hate commercial cocktail sauce from bottles and jars. They're oversweet and not very exciting. When I go to good restaurants, theirs, well, aren't. I wanted to figure out for myself how I can improve on shrimp delivery, so I did.

Ingredients:

• 6oz of unsalted, unsugared tomato paste. Canned is fine.
• 4 Tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce.
• 1-2 Tablespoons of white wine vinegar.
• 2-4 Tablespoons of grated horseradish, again from a jar. 

Mix the ingredients in a suitable container, being sure to get everything mixed thoroughly. I used my fancy-pants $5.99 glass 2-cup measuring cup. Serve chilled, probably.

What to do with leftover cabbage

When we last left our intrepid heroine, she was serving fish tacos with a lovely cabbage slaw. Now that recipe only required 4 cups of cabbage, so I had a ton left over, even after removing the outer leaves. 


One of my favorite dishes on an Indian buffet is curried cabbage. It's not a creamy recipe like many curries, but vinegar-based. This one has quite a bit of mustards. Here's our ingredient list:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup minced shallots
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard (I used a beer mustard that I picked up on my last trip to New Orleans)
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 12 cups thinly sliced green cabbage (about 3 pounds)
• 1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add mustard, curry, and turmeric; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in cabbage and remaining ingredients; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.

.................
I think this one needs a little bit of tweaking, even as I enjoyed the results. The mustard was a little bit overwhelming to me, though my sweetie liked it quite a bit. I'm thinking a touch more curry and tumeric, perhaps another teaspoon each.


Some news on a personal level. I just recently had some braces installed on my teeth, so my posts are going to be changing slightly. There may be a few more soft foods than usual, as quiche and soups are easier on my mouth than say, lamb or beef. Next post will be my first attempt in over ten years making a yeast bread. Flatbread, specifically, cooked in a dry pan on the stovetop.


I will be going away for a week next month on a cruise and also participating in Nanowrimo, so I may be a bit distracted. Okay, I'll be a lot distracted and living mostly on coffee, tea and red wine in approximately equal amounts. Fortunately, vanilla protein powder makes a semi-decent coffee creamer.


Until next time, thank you for reading and your comments are always welcome!