CHICKEN ADOBO (Filipino braised chicken, for four)

In Spain, adobo implies that something has been cooked in wine.  When the Spanish reached the Philippines, they called the native braises, which used vinegar and soy, adobo.

one 3 to 4 pound chicken, cut into serving pieces

1-½ cups soy sauce

¾ cup cider vinegar or white wine vinegar

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 tablespoons minced fresh gingerroot

1 bay leaf, crumbled

20 black peppercorns, crushed

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1.  Put all the ingredients in a pot.  Bring to boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for an hour, or until the chicken is tender.

2.  Preheat the broiler.

3.  Remove the chicken pieces to a broiler pan and run them under the broiler until they are brown.  Meanwhile, strain the sauce into a small saucepan, put it over high heat and reduce the sauce by half.

4.  Put the chicken pieces on a serving platter.  Either spoon the sauce over the chicken or serve it on the side, accompanied by white rice.

adapted from Raymond Sokolov, The Cook’s Canon