Pork Estofado

Copyright 2012 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

I remember having this dish in one of the parties my Mom used to drag me to. I was probably 7 to 10 years old at that time and since then, I have had my taste of this dish every so often. I was however reminded of its existence since it seems to be a very popular dish in the City where I now live when I am working in the University during the week. Most of the social functions here serve this dish and I really fell in love with it again. The only concern I have is that it uses a fatty cut of pork meat although this can be easily remedied. I know you can prepare this using chicken but the traditional choice of meat seems to be pork. 

There is a Spanish version of this dish which uses saffron and paprika to bring the dish to life. Here in the Philippines, soy sauce is used to give it its rich brown color that is thickened with bread crumbs. I have seem traditional recipes which uses toasted bread as the thickener but the Estofado I'm familiar does away with this ingredient. No matter how you prepare this dish, I think that you will end up with one tasty dish. My version is quite simple but I like it for that reason. I hope that you will too. 

Pork Estofado

2 lbs pork butt or shoulder, sliced thinly
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, sliced
1/4 cup brandy
2-3 cups broth
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
6 ripe saba bananas, peeled and sliced thinly
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup bread crumbs
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp pepercorns
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 cup brown sugar
salt
4-5 tbsp vegetable oil

1. In a frying pan over medium heat, fry the banana slices until lightly 
    browned on both sides. Set aside. 

2. In the same pan, add the garlic and onions and saute until softened. 
    Season with salt and the peppercorns. Add the bay leaves and saute for 
    one more minute. 

3. Add the pork and season with salt and paprika. Add the brandy and 
    bring to a boil. Add the broth, soy sauce and vinegar and bring to a 
    boil. Lower the heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes.

4. Add the sugar and continue to cook until slightly thickened. Add water if 
    needed. 

5. When the pork is tender, add the bread crumbs and mix well. Add more 
    water if it thickens and adjust both the flavor and texture of the sauce. 

6. Add the bananas and cook until heated through. Serve immediately.