MAKE your child?s baon more appetizing by putting the filling in a more trendy type of bread. Try pita pockets, a round-shaped Middle Eastern bread, similar to what would be used for a shawarma.

To balance the meaty flavor of the adobo, tuck in a banana in your child?s lunchbox, too. As with the sandwich, the banana can be made more appetizing when sliced into thin circles and sprinkled with sugar.

Adobo Pita sandwich

Makes four half-sandwiches

1-2 pita pockets
2 c shredded adobo meat (chicken or pork)
? c chopped tomatoes
1-2 bananas (lakatan variety), sliced into thin rounds
1-2 tbsp sugar

Cut each pita pocket in half horizontally. Open each sliced half on the cut end. Heat lightly in a nonstick pan about 1 minute on each side or toast lightly in a toaster oven. Set aside.

Make sure there are no meat bones in the shredded adobo. Remove also any large peppercorns which may be difficult for kids to bite (and which most kids hate). Combine adobo with the chopped tomatoes.

Fill each pita slice with the adobo mixture. Wrap carefully in waxed paper or greaseproof paper. If desired, put in brown paper bag or plastic ware.

Spray a nonstick pan with nonstick cooking spray or coat a pan with little butter. Add bananas and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Cook bananas for about a minute, then turn them over and sprinkle with additional sugar if desired. Cook for 30-45 seconds more. Remove from heat and transfer to a spill-proof container. Tuck carefully into lunch bags together with the pita sandwich.

Tips

Pita pockets are available in the bread section of large supermarkets.

Toast or heat the pita bread only lightly. Over-toasting it makes it brittle.

Grease-proof paper makes the sandwich less messy to handle. In addition, grease-proof paper with an attractive design makes the sandwich more appetizing (and it looks more presentable to your child?s classmates, too). You can buy large batches of grease-proof paper in RM Box Center, 3132 First St., Sta. Mesa, Manila. Call 7138547, 7138548.

Bananas go well with adobo. They balance the meaty and slightly oily taste of the adobo, and good for the health, too.