Adobong Pusit (Filipino Braised Squid)

I almost never cook Filipino food. Don't ask me why...I just don't. But when I saw a mound of glistening local caught squid at the market this week, I couldn't help myself. I decided to try to replicate my grandmother's adobong pusit, Filipino braised squid.

Getting a recipe out of my grandmother was very difficult; it took me years to get her sinigang recipe. And, then, she only assented because my then boyfriend, now husband, said that he wished I knew how to make it.

Maybe I should have had him tell her that he loved squid adobo, too. But I don't have her recipe, so I needed to wing it. I think it turned out pretty well. The boys all commented that it was "sort of like Apong's." What's different? "Well, for starters, she didn't serve it with brown rice." Okay. Anything else? "No, it's pretty close. It definitely smells right." Okay.

First thing you have to do: clean the squid.

Ingredients

2 pounds cleaned squid
1 large onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, smashed and sliced
1 T olive oil
2 C diced tomatoes
1/2 C soy sauce (I used gluten-free tamari)
1/2 C vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
1 C water
2 bay leaves

Procedure
In a large lidded pot, heat the olive oil. Cook the onions and garlic until they are translucent and softened. Add the tomatoes and cook till they are reduced to a thick sauce. Pour in the soy sauce, vinegar, and water. Stir in the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then add the squid. Bring it back to boil, cover, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Braise for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the bay leaves and serve with hot rice.

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