Maine’s ‘one true love’

As February brings in the romantic mood, TV darling Maine Mendoza (photo) finally opens up about her long-time love affair — with cooking, that is.

A Culinary Arts graduate from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Maine doesn’t hide the fact that she enjoys experimenting recipes in the kitchen, her “happy place” long before showbiz. She might be enjoying her fame as a sought-after celebrity endorser, but Maine never stayed far from her one true love. She is also successfully running her fast food resto outlet in her hometown.

Recently, Maine also guested in The Jolly Show wherein she showed off her culinary skills. “We all have that creative passions in life. Mine is cooking at home. It is definitely one of my greatest sources of joy,” she says.

While the Adobo has many regional variations, Maine’s version calls for a secret ingredient: mushrooms.

“Adobo is my absolute favorite! It’s one of the easiest dishes that you can make any time. Whenever I cook it, I make sure that my main ingredient, the meat, is fresh, of good quality, and well-marinated to lock in flavor, aroma and to make it delightfully tender. Of course, to level up the dish, I always add Jolly Mushrooms to give it a tasty twist,” says Maine.

Here’s her Jolly Pork and Chicken Adobo with Mushrooms recipe: Ingredients 1 400g Jolly Whole Mushrooms, drained

3 tablespoons Jolly Heart Mate Canola Oil 1 head garlic, crushed ¼ kilo pork liempo, cut into pieces

¼ kilo chicken, cut into pieces ½ cup soy sauce ½ cup vinegar ½ cup water 2 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns 2 pieces bay leaf Preparation 1. Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Fry garlic until brown. Set aside.

2. In the same pan, panfry pork and chicken until light brown in color.

3. Add Jolly Whole Mushrooms, soy sauce, vinegar, water, sugar, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Simmer over low heat until pork and chicken are tender.

4. Sprinkle with fried garlic on top just before serving.