Mike, Miguel, Miggie, Migs - a.k.a. the heart of our D.C. urban family. I met Migs in the summer of 2003 and immediately fell in love with his sweet nature and easy smile. Besides being the guy who's always willing to help you move, paint your house, or drive your car to New York, he's an amazing singer and excellent cook. I got to enjoy both his musical and culinary prowess when he invited a friend and I to dinner at his place a couple of years back.
When we arrived, Miggie had the place decked out. He had unearthed his best dishes, put out cloth napkins, and lit candles. And oh, the smells that wafted out of his kitchen!
"Oh, that's just adobo."
Just adobo? Oh honey, no. This was the adobo. One bite in and I was hooked. The chicken was the right balance of salty and sweet and was cooked to tender perfection. It really, honestly, truly did melt in my mouth. Served with white rice, it was an explosion of goodness that I have never forgotten.
After dinner, Miggie played the piano and we sang old soft rock hits (my favorite). We looked at high school prom pictures and laughed until our sides hurt. When it was time to leave, being the good Filipino boy he is, Miggie offered us his leftovers. You know that I jumped all over that adobo.
Chicken Adobo
1 cup of water
1 cup of soy sauce
1.5 cups of apple cider vinegar
4 bay leaves
2 tablespoons of blackcorn pepper (whole ungrinded)
pinch of salt
2 cloves of garlic
1 onion sliced
2 tablespoons of honey
8-10 pieces of uncooked chicken (thawed)
In a pot, mix all of the ingredients except for the chicken and bring to a low boil. When the adobo sauce starts boiling, add the chicken, and boil on medium heat for about 1 hour. Add honey. Cover the pot with a lid.
Unknown My lola (grandmother) often breaks 1-2 star anise pods into the pot for extra aroma. Also, brown sugar works as a nice substitution for honey. Yay for Mike and the Food Auntie!