Adobo: a Mexican seasoning sauce for shrimp, chicken, rabbit or meat
Adobo is a traditional seasoning sauce and arinade based on the chile ancho. This recipe was given to me by Estela Salas Silva. Having learned the culinary arts from her grandmother, Chef Doña Eulogia Silva Castillo, she is now sharing them with students at her school, Mexican Home Cooking in Tlaxcala.
Ingredients
- 4-5 ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
- 1/4 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4-5 small tomatoes, charred on the comal
- 4-5 cloves garlic, charred on the comal
- dried oregano
- cumin seed
- thinly sliced meat or whole shrimp
- olive oil
- butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- vinegar
- 1 cup chicken or meat stock
Cook the chiles with the onion and 2 fresh garlic cloves in a small amount of water for 10-15 minutes (until soft.)
Blend the chile mixture with the charred tomatoes and garlic. Add a little water or stock and the dried oregano and cumin seed.
Fry the meat in oil with a little salt.
In a large pot, heat a little olive oil with butter, add the sugar, and caramelize; keep stirring until the sugar melts.
Add adobo sauce; if the sugar re-crystalizes, keep stirring until the sugar re-melts.
Add water or stock for consistency and keep stirring occasionally for 10 minutes as sauce simmers on low heat.
Add a little vinegar, 1 cup stock and the meat. Use some of the sauce to rinse out the pan where the meat was cooked, to get all the juices. Simmer for about 15 minutes.
Garnish dish with onion and avocado slices on top, and radish slices and lettuce leaves on the side. It may also be garnished with fried pineapple or apple slices.
Traditional Mexican cooking school in Tlaxcala: an interview with recipes
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