Since Nana Meng passed away in 2009, our ancestral home in Bulacan has not been the same. At first we tried to still come together every Sunday and then it became less frequent until our large family just started seeing each other during wakes (sadly!). First Tito Freddie Vargas passed away January of this year then another uncle
Louie Vargas passed away a few months ago. He made the best kaldereta and taught me all about lechon. I used to see dead goats hanging to dry in his backyard, haha. Then our lady relative who used to make great longganisa and chicharon, Ka Leonor, passed away this month.
But thankfully, the house has come alive again if not for family, at least for food, glorious food!
Cyrene dela Rosa, professor at Enderun Colleges (among other foodie caps) had been saying we should do a Bulacan food trip. It finally happened! With Edi Sian (professional foodie), Erwin and Rachel (kawali kings) in tow, they made their way to the provincial town of Sta. Maria, Bulacan to taste Nana Meng's recipes as executed by lifelong cook Ka Tage (aka Lolita since Ginny Roces bestowed her sosyal name when she visited with Neal Oshima!)
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| Dinuguan with Puto Quan (i THINK it's a brand .... but let me get back to you) |
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| Tinumis |
We had two kinds of dinuguan: classic and tinumis, which also uses pork blood but instead of inerds it has beef and is also more soupy and uses sampaloc leaves. It does not use vinegar.
I also wanted to taste our relative's renowned adobo so I asked them to cook it. It's a little dry but also uses liver. It was ok - so far I haven't yet tasted anything that trumps the adobo of former President Erap's mom,
Dona Mary.
We also had my favorite veggie appetizer, Lumpiang Hubad! Edi says he liked the sauce which is "garlicky". I like the potato against the beans. It's light yet also filling!
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| Pindang na Kalabaw |
Cyrene liked the pindang na kalabaw. Really, it's just salted and air dried. But it tastes sooo good. I also haven't had pindang since my last meal with Tito Louie, in Pampanga at
Holiday Land, so this was especially memorable for me. The meat was actually a little too thick, though. It could have been more tender had the beef been cut better.
Best of all were the desserts! First, Tita Cory's Fruit Salad - my absolute favorite. It has cheese and apples.
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| Cory Franco makes my favorite fruit salad!!! |
And Cyrene and Edi were kind enough to bring two fabulous desserts: San Marcos - which was so delicious. Its insides were so creamy while the top was kind of caramelized. Heaven!
And being a choco-holic, I absolutely loved Aleth Ocampo's chocolate chip cookies. (
OC's Little Kitchen's Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pink Himalayan Salt. Call 09178126833 09178126844)
Metro Home also took photos of our heritage cooking and of this "Adams Family" photo. Many thanks to Carlo and Felicia and especially Devi! I'm loving Tita Cory's "faraway look"!
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| Our family (well, at least those who made it that day!) (L-R Goldee,
Kenny from New Jersey, margaulxicious, Cory Franco, Joey Reyes, Joseph
Franco and seated is Ka Tage our family cook and last link to Nana
Meng's recipes!) |
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| Foodie Friends! Edi, Devi, Cyrene, margauxlicious and Kawali Kings Rachel and Erwin |
Thank you so much to my foodie friends for making Nana Meng's Kitchen come alive again!
love, margauxlicious
