Last Night's Dinner #54: Pochero

Filipino week has been extended because there are a few more recipes I'd like to test out and share.



Last night's dish was a first for me. I don't remember ever eating it, let alone cooking it. I'm also starting to realize that most Filipino dishes are orange in color and have a tendency to all look alike, even though each one has a very distinct flavor.

The use of plantain and anatto seed powder really sets this dish apart. I love how the sweetness of the plantains cuts right through the tomato base giving it a really round and robust flavor. I also love the potatoes and cabbage, making it unnecessary to whip up a side dish. Like most Filipino dishes, this one throws in a whole bunch ingredients so when you get bored with the chicken, you can dive right into the cabbage, or the plantain or the potato. However, the best way to eat this dish is to take a little bit of everything with every bite.

After cooking Filipino food for over a week now, I can finally understand why my sister has a hard time translating the recipes into precise measurements. It's a very forgiving cuisine, that really allows the cook to sense and taste their way to perfection. Of course I'll provide detailed instructions, but the best way is to really just provide you with a list of ingredients, some basic guidelines and then allow you to explore your taste buds. Which to me, is the true joy of cooking!



You'll need:
5 chicken thighs (preferably with skin/bone on)
1/2 teaspoon anatto powder
1 tbs of patis (fish sauce), more or less according to taste
1/2 tomato or a handful of grape tomatoes cut into chunks
2 tbs of tomato paste
4 cups of low sodium chicken broth
1/2 head of cabbage, cut into quarters
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 riped plantains, boiled with skin on then skinned and cut into 3" pieces then cut lengthwise
1 potato, peeled and cut into big chunks
freshly ground black pepper to taste
kosher salt to taste

Basic Guidelines:
Boil chicken, bacon and vegetables separately in chicken stock until tender. Set aside. Brown chicken in oil and set aside. Sauté onion, garlic, tomatoes, anatto powder, tomato paste and add broth. Add chicken and vegetables back in. Season well with patis and salt. Serve over rice.



Detailed instructions:
step 1. Boil water and add plantains with skin on. Boil for about 5 minutes. Remove from water and set aside. Once cooled, peel and cut.

Add broth, chicken and bacon to a pot. Once the broth boils, lower heat to a simmer and continue to boil for 30 minutes or so. Remove chicken and bacon and place in a strainer to drain. Cut bacon into 1/2" pieces. Add potatoes and increase heat to medium. Boil for 10 minutes then add cabbage and boil until potatoes are fork tender. Remove vegetables and set broth aside.

step 2. In a separate large pot, heat up a tablespoon of canola, grapeseed or vegetable oil. Add chicken skin down and brown both sides. Remove and set aside.



step 3. [image "1"] Add onions and garlic. Add anatto powder and stir. Cook for 2 minutes then add bacon pieces. If you notice that the garlic is burning, immediately add tomatoes. Cook for a couple of seconds then add about 1 cup of the reserved broth. Scrape bottom of pan and mix well. Once it starts to dry up, mix in tomato paste.

step 4. [image "2"] Once that starts to dry up, add remaining broth and mix well. Add chicken pieces back in. At this point, you want to season with both salt and fish sauce. I say start with 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt and about 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce. You'll more than likely need to adjust according to taste. Don't be shy with the seasoning since you will be serving this over rice. I thought that I had gone over the salty threshold but once served, I realized that I could've seasoned it better (oh well!) - so don't be afraid to season your food. The perfect amount of saltiness can make or break your cooking. Turn the pepper grinder a couple of times (the coarser the better).

step 5. [image "3"] Add plantains and potatoes - cook for 5 minutes then add cabbage. Serve over rice.