By LYNNE ROSSETTO KASPER
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Dear Lynne: I use a couple of slices of bacon at a time, and not very often. The rest of the package gets forgotten, and I usually find it months later looking like a science experiment. Is there any way to keep the bacon? _ Brent in Chicago
Dear Brent: Cooks Illustrated magazine came up with an excellent solution. Roll each slice up. Store in a plastic freezer bag. When you put each roll-up in the skillet to cook (no need to defrost), you can easily uncurl it as it cooks. This way, slices don't stick together as they freeze, and you don't find science experiments in the back of the refrigerator.
Dear Lynne: You talked about an improvised chicken-thigh recipe on the show that I tried and partially love. You said to cook the thighs in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, pepper and bay leaves. Then you are supposed to boil the liquid to a syrup as you brown the chicken. The syrup was way too salty, but the thighs were delicious. I was making fast notes in my car (a no-no, but I couldn't resist). Can you help? _ Katie, in Her Car
Dear Katie: My apologies for your not getting totally fine results. It was an improvisation that worked, but I have now goof-proofed the recipe with a few tweaks.
This is a version of a favorite dish in the Philippines called adobo. It can be done with chicken as here, with chicken and pork, with solely pork, with beef, and even with fish. I loved it when I first tasted it many years ago.
It came back into my life when we were in Hawaii taping our Honolulu special. In Honolulu's Chinatown, you can find the Maunakea Marketplace at 120 Maunakea St. First, it is walking into another world; secondly, much of the market and its food court is Filipino, a cuisine and culture we rarely see on the mainland. In that food court I had my first adobo in decades, and was hooked all over again.
This is the tested _ and retested _ tweaking of that dish I mentioned on the air. Know you could substitute pork Boston butt cut in 1-inch pieces for the chicken; just simmer another 30 minutes, or until the pork is tender. Another classic method is to start the dish with the pork, cook for 30 minutes, add the chicken, and finish cooking. One cooking technique that sets Filipino adobo apart is that you brown the meat after it is cooked, not before. I love the result.
CHICKEN ADOBO _ FILIPINO STYLE
(Chicken in Tart Garlic-Pepper Sauce)
Serves 4 to 6
Marinating overnight helps the already juicy chicken thighs pick up the tang of the vinegar and pepper. It is a good trick to remember for other rich cuts like pork shoulder or beef chuck. You could easily cook this up to the point of browning the chicken, and keep it overnight in the refrigerator. The meat will pick up even more flavor from the cooking liquid.
Serve the adobo with rice and a slaw of Napa cabbage dressed with fresh ginger, scallion, rice vinegar and a little Asian sesame oil.
1/4 cup soy sauce
10 large garlic cloves, chopped finely
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1-1/4 cups Filipino palm vinegar, or cider or white vinegar (See note)
1 cup whole canned tomatoes with their liquid
2 bay leaves, broken
3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 8)
Good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
Scallions, thinly sliced (optional garnish)
Note: Find palm vinegar from the Philippines in some Asian markets. It is made from the sap of palm trees throughout the Pacific. Cider or white vinegar is a respectable substitute.
The day before cooking the chicken, take a large glass or stainless-steel bowl and combine in it the soy sauce, garlic, black pepper, vinegar, tomatoes (break them up with your hands as you add them to the bowl) and bay leaves. Add the chicken, making sure it is almost completely submerged in the marinade. Lightly cover and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours.
When ready to cook, turn the mixture into a heavy 4-quart pot. Bring to a gentle bubble, cover and cook 25 minutes, or until the center of a chicken thigh is heated to 175 degrees on an instant-reading thermometer.
With tongs, remove the chicken to a plate. Skim as much fat as possible from the cooking liquid, and start boiling it down by half. Meanwhile, film a 12-inch straight-sided saute pan with the olive oil. Heat over medium high. Arrange the chicken pieces skin down to brown, standing back because they may spatter. Adjust heat so chicken doesn't burn.
When they are a deep rich brown on one side, turn the pieces and scatter the onion around them. Brown, adjust the heat, and move the onions around so pieces don't burn. Then, with a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken and onions to a serving bowl. Pour the boiled-down pan juices over them and serve. You could garnish the adobo with a scattering of thinly sliced scallions.
(Lynne Rossetto Kasper hosts "The Splendid Table," American Public Media's weekly national show for people who love to eat. For more information, visit www.splendidtable.org or call 1-800-537-5252.)
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