Author: Tulip

Previously, I promised to explain how I translate a dish into my cooking method. I made a Chicken Adobo inspired dish using a chicken thigh. It deviates from the general steps I outlined because I don’t reduce, then extend the sauce before returning the chicken thigh to the pan. Instead, I return the chicken right away and bring the liquid to a boil, then let it reduce while the chicken cooks. I also don’t add extra vegetables. I serve the chicken and sauce with some rice. When the rice is done, I added a drizzle of olive oil, some chopped parsley and squeezed a lime over it.

This is good example of how to come up with a sauce. I saw a Chicken Adobo challenge on “Eat Your Words” a Netflix show. It looked good and I thought I would give it a try. So I went online and searched for Chicken Adobo recipes. I flipped through quickly because I wasn’t going to make any of the actual recipes. Instead, I was looking for what they had in common. I found that they all used vinegar, garlic, and soy sauce. Some used white vinegar and some used apple cider vinegar. They all used LOTS of garlic. A very few (and mostly the ones that had low ratings) used onions. Almost all used black peppercorns, although a few used ground black pepper. All had bay leaves. Some used red pepper flakes or added a habanero. I was surprised that none used ginger. The majority of the recipes boiled the chicken in the sauce, and some broiled them at the end to crisp the skin. I thought about what I had found and came up with a plan.

I decided to use apple cider vinegar and soy sauce. I used a rough proportion of 2:1 vinegar to soy sauce. I used three garlic cloves (the recipes call for a LOT of garlic). I used two green onions and chopped the white part and put it with the garlic. I chopped the green part and set it aside for a garnish with some chopped parsley.

My method was as follows: I put a little oil in the pan. I seasoned a chicken thigh and added it to the pan skin side down. I wanted that skin really crispy. When it was brown and crispy, I set it aside and added the garlic and green onions to the pan.

Once I could really smell the garlic and before it got brown, I added apple cider vinegar and soy sauce. I added a bay leaf, a pinch of red pepper and some peppercorns.

The liquid came to a boil almost immediately and I turned it down, returned the chicken thigh to the pan and covered it loosely. A loose lid helped the thigh to cook through and still allowed the sauce to reduce.

By the time the chicken was cooked, (as always, use a meat thermometer – 165 degrees F) the sauce had reduced to a syrupy consistency. I plated it with some rice and sprinkled the remaining green onions and some chopped parsley over it.

Last time I explained the brown and bake method which is so simple it doesn’t even feel like cooking. Another simple dinner method is to saute a protein and then make a pan sauce. This is one of the most versatile methods I know, and is perfect for chicken breasts or thin pork chops. Both can become dry and tasteless. This method adds flavor and moisture.

One thing I like about spontaneous cooking is that I am not tied to a specific recipe, I can buy whatever looks good at the store. This week, the asparagus at the market looked sad, but the green beans looked good, so that’s what I bought.

The method follows a general set of steps, but they are not hard and fast. The steps are:

• Brown the protein and set aside.
• Add aromatics to the pan. Aromatics are things like garlic, ginger, shallots, onions, celery and carrots.
• Deglaze the pan and reduce the sauce by half
• Extend the sauce
• Finish (braise) the protein and vegetables.

Start with your mise en place (French for put in place). I have a bunch of small glass bowls that I got at the dollar store. They are really useful, and I recommend that anyone who loves to cook get some. First, I wash and trim the green beans I think I will eat. I get some salted water boiling while I prepare the rest of the mise en place.

Take a shallot and chop some fine and set aside. You’re cooking for one – so you don’t need much. The shallot you don’t use will be ok covered in the fridge for a few days. Mince a clove of garlic and set aside*. Next clean and slice a few mushrooms. By now the water should be boiling and I add the green beans and just cook until they are bright green. I then remove them and add to a bowl with ice water to stop the cooking. I will finish them in my sauce.

Brown the pork chop on both sides but don’t cook it all the way through. Remove it from the pan and set aside. Add the shallots to the pan and let brown. Shallots brown much more quickly than onions which is why I am using them here. When the shallots are browned, add the mushrooms and garlic and cook until the mushrooms are browned and softened.

Now start the sauce. Add a little white wine to the pan and swirl it around to deglaze the pan. Next, I add a little dijon mustard and some stock. Because I want this to be a cream sauce, I will add the chop and beans back to the pan now. Normally, I would wait until I extended the sauce, but I don’t want to curdle the cream.

Once I add the chop and beans back to the pan, let the sauce simmer and reduce by at least half. Watch the beans and chop carefully and remove when they are done. You don’t want to overcook.

Once the sauce is reduced to a syrup – if you coat the back of a spoon you should be able to draw a finger through it and leave a clean streak- it is ready. Add a dollop of cream, swirl and plate over the chop and beans. Garnish with a few slivered almonds.

This type of sauce – wine, mushrooms, dijon mustard, is flexible. Swirl in a little butter instead of cream to create a classic sauce. You could also pan fry a steak and make the sauce with red wine and serve with mashed cauliflower.

Other Variations:

Another classic is a piccata sauce and it works well with pork, chicken or fish. Deglaze with white wine and add lemon juice. Reduce, then add some broth before returning the protein to the pan. Garnish with capers. I like to do that with chicken and asparagus.

Another classic is the sauce for coq au vin. That uses a little bacon (when done, remove from the pan and crumble), add onions and mushrooms and deglaze with red wine.

Chicken cacciatore uses wine, onions, peppers and tomatoes. Add onions and peppers as your aromatics, deglaze with wine and extend with tomatoes and their juice.

Next time I’ll break down how I translate a recipe to my cooking method.

* This is a LOT of garlic for a single serving, so I set some of the minced garlic aside for a dressing.