BBQ Chicken a la Worcestershire

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Wednesday - February 13, 2008

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Mauro Yumol is the manager of the HomeWorld Store in Aiea. Mauro has more than 30 years experience working for C.S. Wo, HomeWorld’s parent company. He started out working in advertising and immediately branched out as a graphic designer. Through extensive training and experience, Mauro has become extremely knowledgeable about the furniture business. He has completed a number of courses and workshops focusing on store management and interior design topics such as coordination of furniture styles and colors, technical aspects of bedding and many others. In his spare time, Mauro plays tennis and is president of the Waipahu Community Tennis Organization, which he founded.

Mauro’s wife, Suzanne, is a loan officer for Hawaii Lending Services, and daughter Lauren is a senior at Moanalua High School and a member of the paddling team.

Mauro’s favorite pastime is playing with his 1-year-old grandson Seth.

It is a pleasure to dedicate this column to the Yumol family and especially to Mauro, who works tirelessly to help Hawaii residents decorate their homes and find the right beds that will provide them with years of comfortable sleep.

This gem of a sauce is a favorite recipe of mine.

Worcestershire sauce was originally an Indian recipe, which was brought back by Lord Marcus Sandys, an ex-governor of Bengal. In 1835 he took the recipe to chemists Lea and Perrins of Worcester, England, and asked them to make up a batch of the sauce. But the mixture was so spicy it was consigned to their cellar, where it remained for quite a while. While cleaning the cellar sometime later, they decided to taste the sauce before throwing it out, and discovered that it had mellowed to a wonderful flavor.

Lea and Perrins bought the recipe and started making the sauce commercially in 1838. It has since become one of Britain’s most famous sauces.

The original recipe is closely guarded, but basically consists of water, vinegar, molasses, corn syrup, anchovies, spices and flavorings.

The ingredient that sets Worcestershire sauce apart from most sauces is tamarind, the fruit of a tree said to be indigenous to India. The tree has been cultivated for its fruits, or pods, ever since prehistoric times. The pulp has a consistency of dates and a spicy date-apricot flavor.

TANGY BARBECUED CHICKEN BREASTS

* ¹/3 cup apple juice

* ¹/4 cup brown sugar

* 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

* 3 tablespoons ketchup

* 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

* 2 tablespoons crushed garlic

* 1 teaspoon mustard powder

* ¹/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

* salt, to taste

* 12 skinless and boneless chicken breasts

In a small saucepan, stir together apple juice, brown sugar, vinegar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and garlic. Cook over medium heat until heated through; add mustard powder, pepper and salt. Turn heat to simmer and cook for 5 minutes. While sauce is cooking, rinse and dry chicken breasts, trimming any fat.

Arrange breasts in a shallow baking dish and refrigerate. Cool sauce for about 10 minutes and pour over the chicken breasts. Refrigerate overnight, turning a few times to marinate.

When ready to barbecue, cook breasts over high heat until juices run clear, basting with sauce often.

Makes 12 servings.

Approximate Nutrition Information Per Serving:

Calories: 135
Fat: 4 grams
Cholesterol: 45 milligrams
Sodium: 300 milligrams (depending on how much salt you add)

(Diana Helfand, author of “Hawaii Light and Healthy” and “The Best of Heart-y Cooking,” has taught nutrition in the Kapiolani Community College culinary arts program.)