This recipe makes an adobo (marinade) for pork, though I’ve used it in this photo for some chuck roast leftover from the Twice-Cooked Beef recipe. It originally comes from Quinta Brava in Oaxaca and calls for a teaspoon of orange, though I’m not sure if this is meant to be orange zest or part of a slice. Since it also uses orange juice, I’ve omitted this step — though you can try to add in the orange to be more authentic. A lot of the ingredients in achiote paste are already in this recipe, so if you don’t have it on hand, you can try adding some paprika and vinegar to round things out.

1 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp pepper
4 bay leaves
1 small onion or shallot
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp. achiote paste (or substitute a pinch of paprika and a splash of white vinegar)
6 tbsp. orange juice
1 pinch salt

Grind all ingredients (down to orange juice in the list) in a blender, then add some salt. Marinate slices of pork or beef with the adobe overnight.

Pan fry and serve with tortillas.

You can cook the marinade with the meat for a spicier filling. Cook until the sauce boils down to a thicker gravy. In the top photo, I sauteed it with an onion. minced garlic, an anaheim pepper, and two roma tomatoes. Serve with avocados, cheese, sour cream, and/or cilantro.