Spices and Stilettos: Adobo Seasoning

I don’t know what kicked off my long term love affair with adobo seasoning – but I can assure you that ever since I started cooking, my pantry has never been without a jar of it. I often use it in many dishes much like my beloved Aleppo Chili and Garlic Gold but those are confessions for another day.

I remember when I first learned to cook, one of the best pieces of advice I got from my friends Maria and Milly were “Don’t forget the Adobo” and I couldn’t believe how much flavor this little spice blend brought to my dishes. Recently, I was leafing through Ingrid Hoffmann’s cookbook and Daisy Martinez’s cookbook and I saw that both of my fave Latina chefs had recipes for adobo.  I thought “hmm…. it doesn’t seem complicated to make, I have most of the ingredients on hand” and a culinary experiment was born.

I merged the two recipes and, as I am awaiting my order of Mexican Oregano from Dean & Deluca, I decided to substitute Greek Oregano. I also didn’t have dried parsley as Ingrid’s asks for so I decided to play without it. Finally – I always have annatto seeds on hand for Daisy Martinez’s Annatto oil, but ground annatto?  Why hello Mr. Spice Grinder! Needless to say – my kitchen had a bit of a red dust problem but it all worked out. So, before you head out to buy that big brand adobo, check your pantry – I’m willing to bet you can make your own.

Does this look familiar?

OK – experiment time – let’s gather the ingredients

Ahhh – no achiote – well then time to whip out the spice grinder and grind those annatto seeds.

The end result – and great for gifting as well!