QUEEN VICTORIA'S BAKED ADOBO

 by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

Adobo is a very popular Filipino cuisine, which involved stewing with vinegar. In the late 1500s and early 1600s, the Republic of the Philippines was colonised by the Spanish, who encountered an indigenous cooking process, which they then referred to as 'adobo'. A Spanish word for seasoning or marinade.

This is a meal that uses sauce and seasoning on meats. The common way of cooking this recipe is to fry the meat first in oil and add the sauce mixture afterwards.

In this recipe, I grilled the meat and then, baked it in the oven! !

Main Ingredients:

• 3-4 pork chops
• a dash of salt & pepper Grilling

Sauce Ingredients:

• 4 tbsps. of Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsps. of Wine Vinegar
• 2 tsps. of Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 ½ tbsps. of Extra Virgin Oil
• 1 teaspoonful of ground pepper
• ¼ tsp. of cayenne pepper
• vegetable stock granules to taste
• a pinch of mixed herbs
• 1 medium-sized onion, cut into 4 (separate each layer)
• 2 cloves of garlic, crashed
• 2 medium- sized potatoes, peeled and cut into 4 

Sauce Preparation and Cooking:

1. In a bowl, mix the soy sauce, wine vinegar, worcestershire sauce and extra virgin oil until well blended.
2. Add the ground pepper, cayenne pepper and vegetable stock granules that serve as additional flavours.
3. Sprinkle the mixed herbs in the mixture. Mix all until well combined.
4. Cook the mixture in a saucepan on a moderate flame for 2 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
5. Add the garlic, onion and the potatoes.
6. Cook again for another 2-3 minutes.
7. Cover the grilled meat with the sauce mixture.

Grilling and Baking Procedure:

1. Thaw your meat, if needed.
2. Preheat the grill to 110ºC.
3. Using your chopping board, place the meat on it and rub it with salt and pepper.
4. Prepare a cooking dish (Pyrex-glass cooking dish is good), grease it with oil and lay the prepared meat on it.
5. Place it under the grill for 30 minutes. Turn it over every 15 minutes to grill the other side. While waiting for the meat, prepare the 'sauce mixture' below.
6. Once the meat is grilled and both sides are cooked, remove from the grill.
7. Pour the sauce mixture evenly over the meat.
8. Place it in the oven and BAKE for 10-15 minutes. Adjust the heat to 90ºC.
9. Once cooked, dish it out of the pyrex-glass and you can use either your choice of traditional food serving bowl or the tomfoolery saucepan to present it on the table.

DELIGHTFUL SUNDAY

by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

It started at 13:00 but I appeared around 14:00, in my coordinated pink outfit... 

(Aunt Zeny's cute dog)

The weather was very mild outside as I walked towards a friend's house. It was a grey and damp day, so I was looking forward to the warm welcome I would receive. Upon my arrival at their home, I rang the doorbell and was greeted warmly by the lady of the house, Miss Rosa Constantinou. I was soon having a lively chit chat with the people I know and met before, that made me feel very homely. It was as if we were bonded by blood and not just our common interests in life.

I heard the kids voices upstairs and to see them again all grown up was so astonishing. Why would I not be mesmerised as most of them were the same height as me in my 3 inches stilettos or taller than their adorable parents. It was like being with some of the kids in my home town who are no longer dependent children.

I handed over the cards to the people who are very close to my heart and after that, I headed to the festive dining room which had been decorated with all the usual Xmas colours; greens, golds and shimmering reds. I wasn't talking about the dance floor... Lol!!! 

(Aunt Liway, Sister Tina and I)

(With the Blooming Aunt Liway)

(Aunt Zeny, Sister Tina and I)

(With Forever Sistah Tina)

The buffet was scrumptious, specifically the king prawn dish; the rice noodle with shredded broccoli and the fried chicken pieces. Despite it being 'finger licking good', I didn’t eat much as prior to my arrival I ate 2 slices of cake. Silly me! Which filled me up but did give me the energy to walk to Miss Rosa's home. 

 (Miss Colombia, Miss U.S.A and Miss Philippines)

There were gathered 3 groups of people in the house which was predictably common; handsome men, beautiful women and the lively children... 

All the women settled in the dining room where we tasted the delicious food in front of us. When I say, in front of us, it was literally in front of us on a family table. The men behaved themselves in the living room which overlooked the back garden. Where they watched a show on the television and chatted as they enjoyed the Filipino cuisine. The children were enjoying themselves too, catching up and playing games like no tomorrow. We could hear them shouting and laughing, even though they were upstairs. 

The party yesterday which started at 13:00 and finished later in the evening was filled with delicious food, loving people, a home-made yet entertaining trivial pursuit night as well as the very welcoming hosts.