In the Kitchen with … Maribeth Macaisa

Maribeth Macaisa has lived on the Island full-time for about six years now. Her background is in IT and fine art photography. “I do technology for the Charter School here,” she says. “I hopped off the corporate world. I was looking for community and peace, and I found it here.” 

Macaisa is Filipina, but grew up in the States. She gets the question “Where are you from?” quite a bit: “I used to feel defensive when people asked me that. A typical conversation went like this. Them: ‘Where are you from?’ Me: ‘Chicago. Born and raised. Cubs fan for life!’ Them: ‘So where are you really from?’ Me: ‘Oh, you’re right! I have lived in Massachusetts for almost 30 years now, so I’m basically from here.’ Them: ‘But where are your parents from?’ Me: ‘Oh, I see. You’re asking about my ethnic background?’ Them: [Silence.] Me: ‘My parents emigrated from the Philippines.’ Them: ‘Why didn’t you just say that?’ I never did figure out an answer to the last one.”

Macaisa grew up in a house where food was a love language: “My aunt and mother were big cooks. When my mom passed away, I feared that we might have lost the strongest connection to our heritage. In conversations with younger relatives, I was stunned to hear that some of them did not identify as Filipino, despite their parents having been born in the Philippines. ‘Except for food,’ we all agreed. We all have vivid memories of Filipino meals prepared and shared with love.”

For our “In the Kitchen with,” Macaisa made Chicken Adobo. “This recipe is handwritten from my aunt, and I use it as a guideline. She writes things like, ‘Taste if it’s good’ instead of giving a specific amount for something. Chicken Adobo is a national dish of the Philippines,” she says.

Chicken Adobo is simple to make, and has a short list of ingredients. “You literally just dump things in a pot and cook it. And it seasons even more overnight, so it’s even more delicious the next day. It’s comfort food,” Macaisa explains. “Sour is a common flavor in Filipino food. Sour and tangy, stewy, then balanced by pork or fatty fish.”

To honor her mother, last summer Macaisa and her nieces held a Filipino-American pop-up at Orange Peel Bakery. The pop-up offered a variety of choices, including Ning’s Beef Short Ribs, Chicken Adobo, a chef’s sampling of multiple dishes and finger foods presented on banana leaves, vegan bowls, and a variety of desserts such as Bibingka and Ube Biko — a slightly sweet snack cake baked in banana leaves and sweet sticky rice, topped with coconut caramel. 

It was a hit, and a healing experience for Macaisa and her nieces, who felt more connected to their ethnicity afterward. In the menu for the event, Macaisa noted, “In the years since I washed ashore on Noepe (commonly referred to as Martha’s Vineyard), I’ve witnessed the honor, and responsibility, of what it means to be indigenous to a place. As a guest of the Wampanoag nation, especially this night at the bakery that welcomes us on ancestral land, I’ve learned a better way to join dialogue that begins with the question, ‘Where are you from?’”

I hope Macaisa holds another pop-up so I can taste everything, but until that time, I will enjoy the Chicken Adobo. For the recipe, Macaisa used chicken breast, bay leaves, peppercorns, soy sauce, and garlic. She put everything in a pot and cooked it. It literally could not have been easier, and it was delicious. The chicken nearly melted in my mouth, the bok choy was mild but added a layer of flavor, and in this case she added a little coconut milk as she reduced the sauce, to make it a little thicker. 

Macaisa showed me the handwritten recipe from her aunt. “She didn’t always give exact amounts. And she didn’t have the language to explain everything,” she says. Macaisa has transcribed it for our readers, keeping her aunt’s words just as she wrote them. Enjoy!

Chicken Adobo

chicken or pork (“depends on how much you want to cook”) — I usually make with 6 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on

10 whole peppercorns

½ head of garlic: Crush cloves with skin on

1 Tbsp. ground pepper

1 tsp. salt

⅓ cup soy sauce or tamari

½ cup vinegar

½ cup water

2 bay leaves

¼ cup full-fat coconut milk 

Mix all ingredients in a pot, cover, and bring to a boil for about five minutes. Stir, cover again, turn heat to low, and simmer until meat is tender, about 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the cut. (“Let it boil in slow fire. Stir again and wait till meat is tender.”) Uncover the pot and let boil to reduce sauce to a loose glaze. (“Uncover pot and wait till sauce is enough.”) 

Her last note is, “You can always add more of the ingredients depending on your taste.” One of my “tastes” celebrates that sauce! Set the meat aside, and let the glaze simmer. (At this point, I pick out the chunky bits, like the bay leaves, whole peppercorns, and whatever garlic skin remains.) Add ¼ cup full-fat coconut milk to the pot and stir. To make it extra-smooth, emulsify using a stick blender, if you have one. Pour sauce over meat, and serve with jasmine rice and greens of your choice.

This dish is exceptional the next day!