Fall Sammies, Filipino Style!

Posted by hisweetsweet on September 27, 2013 in Food, Recipes | 4 Comments

I had a hankering for more pork and apples after making the Apple Pie Sandwich for September’s Let’s Lunch post. So I bought a couple pounds of cubed pork butt and stewed up some adobo for a fall twist on a Filipino classic.

The hallmarks of traditional Filipino adobo — at least the way my mom and my lola taught me to make it — are garlic, soy sauce, vinegar and whole black peppercorns.

But getting a mouthful of black peppercorns isn’t everyone’s idea of a delicious time, so I removed them after cooking the adobo and made rolls lightly sprinkled with pink peppercorns, which impart a pop of fruity, floral flavor instead.

I also tarted the adobo sammy up for the fall with fresh slices of Gala apples, which offset the super-saltiness of the adobo.

Liz, another awesome People person, picnicked with me at one of the fountains along the Avenue of Americas.

I pulled out two cans of grapefruit seltzer from my picnic backpack. “It’s like a store in there!” said Liz. “And your rolls look professional.”

“Wow, thanks,” I said. “I really owe it to the Master Boule Recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day.”

I then explained the national Pinoy dish and how I wanted the juicy sweet apples to play off the spice of the peppercorns and the salt of the adobo.

“The apple slices are a great accompaniment to the pork,” said Liz. “And the meat has a lot of flavor. This is delicious. Thanks so much!”

I thought I probably cooked the pork too long and I should have brought more broth so we could dip the sammies. But catching up with fellow golf lover Liz while we sat out in the warm autumn sun was terrific.

To make the adobo, just use 1/8 c. olive oil, sauté two cloves of chopped garlic until golden brown, then add the cubes of pork and brown them on each side (about 3-4 minutes each).

Then add equal parts soy sauce and vinegar, stir and bring to a soft boil, then set heat on low and cook for an hour. Make sure to set aside some of the broth for dipping the sammy.

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