Adobada or Adovada?

Hey everyone thanks for stopping by. I have a few bits of advice if you’re traveling by car right now in the age of Covid 19. One is no matter where you are , unless it’s Antarctica, when you’re going out in public I urge you to think about wearing a mask. For whatever reason America is having another surge of the virus. Some say it’s because of more testing, others say it’s because states opened up to quickly without proper guidelines. I’m not going to debate why but I will tell you of my friends that caught it, the recovery was no picnic so please take the proper precautions. Also when you’re driving through El Paso DO NOT SPEED! On a short ten mile stretch of highway going through downtown El Paso I saw 6 motorcycle cops and 2 cruisers all having pulled over vehicles for speeding. Be careful once you pass the city there’s still one more motorcycle cop under a tree on the outskirts of town, she caught a kid in a nice Dodge Charger thinking the speed zone was over! It’s not easy for me to go the speed limit when I hit El Paso because it’s the last city in Texas and I’ve been driving through the state for so long I can’t wait to get out of it. Not because I hate Texas, I actually love it for many things, but because I’m going to be in New Mexico and can stop in Las Cruses for some Adobada!

Adobada or Adovada, both mean the same thing, good eating! Actually the word translates to “marinade”. The marinade uses a dried chili base (dried New Mexican red chilis, Pasilla chilis and Guajillo chilis), with vinegar, oregano, cumin, garlic, salt and limes all mixed together and the meat usually pork cut into strips or cubes is placed in the marinade overnight in the refrigerator. The combination of chilis varies from region to region so if you can’t find a certain chili it’s ok to experiment. In New Mexico the dish is usually called Adovada and is a defined dish that is a kin to Texas style chile, ie… meat cooked in chilis with no beans or tomatoes! In New Mexico it is cooked slowly in a covered dish to keep the meat moist while the marinade tenderizes and enhances the flavors. It’s slightly sour from the vinegar and can also be a little sweet from the peppers. Since the recipe varies so does the flavors , this may be one of the hardest dishes to explain.

One of our readers was recently heading to New Mexico and I had told her not to miss The Mesilla Valley Kitchen when going through Las Cruses, they made a great Adovada. She later informed me that the Mesilla Valley Kitchen had closed it’s doors after 30 years! The owner said it was simply time to try something new. I was saddened by the news as I loved that place! He was correct because now I had to find someplace new to get my Adovada before heading off to Tucson. I drove to a little drive-thru place and saw Adobada on the menu and ordered it up. During my drive across the country I didn’t have much need to go inside anywhere. I felt safe enough ordering from a drive-thru when the occasion arose.

I wasn’t knocked out of my seat with this drive in concoction but it did do the trick of getting me ready for another 4 hour drive and excited my taste buds just enough to let them know I was headed to the land of chilis and spices! I’m not anywhere near a stove or I would have made some Adobada for you complete with pictures, but right now I’m on the home stretch and ready to get to my final destination. You may think this is crazy but I’m telling you the outside temperature was 94 degrees on the East side of the Welcome To Arizona sign and 102 degrees once I crossed an imaginary line into Arizona! I didn’t believe it either , yet it is what it is, I guess it’s just mother natures way of saying, “Yep you’re in Arizona now”. Stay tuned for more restaurant reviews tossed in with a few recipes and stories from the Old Pueblo. As always if you have any questions or comments please leave them in the box below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Until next time Boone Appétit!