The Perfect Pantry®

Recipe for Penang-style baked chicken

Cousin Martin recently traveled to Borneo by way of Singapore, and wonderful cousin that he is, returned laden with wooden spoons and a handful of cookbooks for moi. A little book titled Eurasian Favourites features the centuries-old East-West cuisine that dates from the Portuguese colonization of Goa. As more European colonists married local women, the cuisine began to adapt through the substitution of local ingredients: coconut milk for cream, Chinese sausage for chorizo. The influence worked both ways, with Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and English mustard finding their way into traditional Asian recipes like this Penang-style baked chicken. The recipe calls for many condiments from East and West, and the result is a chicken dish that can crown a salad, snuggle in a pita, or perk up a bowl of noodles. For me, it was love at first salty-spicy-vinegary-sweet bite.

Recipe for oven-braised apple cider brisket

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but here I am, an old dog when it comes to certain recipes, telling you that I have learned a new trick, and it is good. The beef brisket recipe I make came from my mother, who got it from her mother, and except for updating the braising wine from sweet to dry, I've stuck by that recipe for more than 30 years. But. A few weeks ago, while driving home from the local apple orchard, I had a brisket epiphany. Why not, I thought, combine wine and cider in the braise? When I got home, the (wine) cupboard was bare, so I moved on to Plan B, a cider-and-herb combination with onion and garlic. Wow. I won't say I'll never go back to my grandmother's recipe, but I'm definitely putting this apple cider brisket into frequent rotation.

Slow cooker recipe for Filipino chicken adobo

For one of the very first food stories I ever wrote, I interviewed a woman living in a halfway house where formerly-incarcerated parents stayed while working to regain custody of their children. The residents, adults and their kids, shared the duties of the house, including cooking. As a volunteer, I often taught cooking classes there, but on that day I was the student, and the lesson was a Puerto Rican-style pork adobo. It was very similar to this recipe from The Philippines, both with vinegar as the base of the stewing liquid. Adobo originated in Spain, and Spanish settlers (adventurers? conquerors?) brought it to other parts of the world, where each region put its own spin on the basic marinade. In this slow cooker version, the meat marinates as it cooks. Most chicken adobo recipes call for a whole chicken, cut up and cooked on the bone, but boneless, skinless chicken thighs work perfectly. Serve over steamed rice.

Recipe for pan seared salmon with tomato-caper relish

When guests come for dinner, I go out of my way to accommodate their likes and dislikes. Sometimes menu planning that takes into account who doesn't like what can be a challenge, especially when I'm trying out new recipes to share with you on The Perfect Pantry. The fresh topping on this salmon dish could be called "Bob's Nightmare Relish"; it includes fresh tomatoes, olives, and capers, all of which are on my friend Bob's cross-the-street-to-avoid list. Fortunately, they're on my love-'em-lots list, and in combination they brighten up even the most simply prepared fish, chicken or vegetables. I used canned black olives, because they're mild and because I always have them in my pantry; if you prefer Kalamata olives, be sure to rinse them to remove excess brine. Fresh tomatoes are a must.