blue artichoke

I had a great weekend, culinarily and otherwise. First, there was no Sunday Muffin post, not because I didn't make muffins, but because they weren't good enough to share the recipe. I made banana-blueberry muffins in my little toaster oven to avoid heating up the house. I had to make them in batches, but they baked up just fine, except that the banana flavor was missing and they weren't great as just a blueberry muffin. So, no recipe.

Saturday night I made a Gentleman Caller's Request dinner to celebrate his birthday from earlier in the month. He chose my Pork Adobo tacos and his mama's Chess Pie. Both were excellent, as usual, and I'm polishing off the last piece of pie right now for breakfast. Sweet! After dinner we went to watch some amateur mixed martial arts cage fights, which were awesome.

But on to the best meal of the weekend, the Wandering Gullet: Philippines. This is a recipe that I actually wasn't really excited about because I couldn't imagine how it would turn out. I've had it in the roster for several weeks, though, but it kept getting pushed aside for other, perhaps more exciting, countries. Finally, though, I had all the fixins and the entire afternoon at home, free to spend in the kitchen. Though the recipe takes a long time to make, it doesn't actually require a whole lot of time in the kitchen. Just time near the kitchen, like, say, on the hammock in the back yard with a good book. The recipe uses chicken and pork, but GC and I both agree that the pork is far and away superior to the chicken, which is still very good. But the pork is awesome. The next time I make this (and there will definitely be a next time), I'll use only pork.

Chicken & Pork Adobado

Philippine-Style Braised Chicken and Pork

All About Braising: The Art of Uncomplicated Cooking by Molly Stevens, 2004

6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
½ c. white wine vinegar
½ c. water
2 T. soy sauce (not “lite”) -I used low sodium
2 t. grated lime zest
2 bay leaves, each torn in half
2 t. brown sugar
½ t. coarse salt
½ t. cracked black pepper
6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, ~2 ¼# total
1 ½# boneless country-style pork ribs -I cut each rib into thirds for easier handling
2 T. peanut oil
Tomato relish, optional* -Relish is wholly unnecessary. Don't bother.

Prepare the marinade, 1-2 hours in advance: In a gallon bag, combine first 9. Zip bag and shake to dissolve sugar and combine all ingredients. Rinse the chicken thighs and pork ribs; dry thoroughly with paper towels. Add the meats to the marinade in the bag, turning to coat; set aside to marinate 1 hour, turning every 20 minutes. If your kitchen is hotter than 75°, marinate in the fridge for 2 hours.

The braise: Transfer the chicken and pork, along with all the seasonings and liquid, to a large lidded skillet or other shallow braising pan (12-13” skillet or 4 ½-qt capacity). Put the pan over med-high heat and, as soon as bubbles appear, lower the heat to a quiet simmer and cover tightly. Every 10-15 minutes, get off of the hammock and return to the kitchen to lift the lid and turn the meat so that they braise evenly. Continue to braise at a gently simmer until the chicken and pork are tender and the meat pulls easily away from the bone, 45-50 minutes total. If at any time the liquid is simmering too aggressively, lower the heat or set a heat diffuser beneath the pan.

The sauce: Using tongs, transfer the meat to a shallow platter to catch the juices. Skim the surface fat from the braising liquid and bring to a boil over med-high heat. Boil the sauce until reduced by ~2/3 to the consistency of a thin syrup, 12-15 minutes. If you happen to have your back to the oven and let the sauce reduce a bit too much, add a tablespoon or so of water to bring it back to the desired consistency. Taste. It should be quite sharp and lively. Remove the bay leaves if desired. Keep the sauce warm over low heat.

Meanwhile, brown the meat: Heat the oil in a large sauté pan, preferably nonstick, over med-high heat. Pat the chicken and pork thoroughly dry with paper towels. When the oil is shimmering, add as many pieces (skin side down) as will fit without crowding; fry until they acquire a crisp, lacquered crust, ~3 minutes/side. The meat will splatter quiet a bit as it fries; if you own a splatter screen, this is a good time to use it. Transfer to the same large plat and repeat with the remaining pieces of chicken and pork.

Finish: Slip the browned meat into the sauce and add any accumulated juices. Turn each piece of meat to coat with sauce; heat through over med-high heat. Serve over rice and spoon the sauce on top. Pass the relish, if using, at the table.

Serves 6

Wine Notes: Lightly and fruity red without too much tannin, such as a lighter-style Shiraz (Syrah) or Shiraz-Grenache blends from Australia; or lighter easy-drinking Zinfandels from CA

Tomato Relish

¾ c. finely chopped white onion
2 ripe tomatoes, ~1#, cored and chopped into ¼” dice
1/3 c. loosely packed chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems
1 T. fresh squeezed lime juice, plus more as needed
Coarse salt

Put the onion in a strainer and rinse well with cold water. Transfer to the center of a clean dishtowel. Bring up the edges and squeeze the onion to eliminate as much moisture as you can.

Place the onion in a med bowl. Add the rest and stir to combine. Season with salt. Taste and add additional lime juice or salt as needed.

Serves 6.

The tomato relish is unnecessary, and perhaps a bit of a detractor. I wouldn't bother with it. This recipe does create an awful lot of dirty dishes, which isn't such a problem for those civilized folks with a dishwasher, but for those whose dear husband is the dishwasher, it seemed a mountain. But worth it. This recipe is going into my Top 5.

Getting to Know All About You: How was your weekend?