You’ve heard it before — Filipinos are really big on family reunions over the Christmas holidays and food is always an important feature in these gatherings.
And when we Filipinos say “family”, most of the time, we don’t only mean parents and siblings but aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and grandchildren. It isn’t uncommon to have a reunion consisting of three to four generations of family members.
That was how I grew up. Reunions with my father’s side of the family were held at my grandparents’ house next door; reunions with my mother’s side of the family were held at a cousin’s house about ten minutes away from ours. That was how my husband grew up as well. They used to drive to Nueva Ecija for reunions with his father’s side of the family while his maternal grandparents hosted reunions with his mother’s side of the family.
All that was a long time ago and there hasn’t been a reunion of extended family on my side for years. However, on my husband’s maternal side, the annual reunions still take place every year. I have to say that we haven’t attended these annual affairs in about ten years. The last time we went, our daughters were still toddlers and we didn’t stay long.
We decided to go this year and, personally, I had a good time. It was great to see some familiar faces and some new ones too. I’m not sure though how fun it was for my kids since most of their cousins were complete strangers to them — a situation we can remedy by attending these annual reunions from now on.
Except, I think for the lechon (above) and the puto (below), all the dishes were home-cooked.
Everything was prepared by my aunt-in-law, Tita Laura, who also hosted the reunion at their family residence.
There were fried lumpia (spring rolls) with the traditional dip of vinegar with minced garlic.
There was chicken galantina, a dish of deboned and stuffed whole chicken. It is a dish that I have always wanted to do but the thought of the work it entails intimidates me. Well, maybe, sometime soon I’ll muster enough resolve to do it.
The grilled eggplants with a variety of dipping sauces (above) was an accompaniment for the pork barbeque and lechon.
The main vegetable dishes were kare-kare (above) and sinigang na isda (below). The carnivorous ones, including my husband and most of my male in-laws below 50 years of age attacked the lechon with gusto but the only dish I had a second helping of was the sinigang na isda. I loved the tender mustasa (mustard leaves) which we rarely serve at home because my kids prefer kangkong (water spinach) with their sinigang. I would have dissected the fish head but I didn’t want to get my hands dirty because I wanted to take photos after eating. I should have remembered that we were in a house with bathrooms and soap and water and I could have just washed my hands… oh, well.
A second fish dish was the tochong bangus (above), a braised dish cooked with tahure, a salted soy bean cake. I haven’t eaten this since my father passed away so you can just imagine what memories it evoked.
The only non-traditional Filipino dish was spaghetti (below) which, I am pretty certain, was to make sure that the picky eaters among the children in the party wouldn’t starve.
There was salads and desserts but I didn’t get to the dessert part because I was too full. After lunch, the party broke up into groups — more like according to age, you know? — and the conversation over coffee was interesting and funny and really enjoyable.
Belated Happy New Year to you and your family! I just wanted to say that I was drooling when I went through your family reunion photos! I love most, if not all, of the dishes featured there (although, I’ve got to admit that I’m quite partial to the chicken galantina.) *drool*
P.S. Congrats on the mention in the New York Times! Can you please send me a link of that article? I’d love to read it. Thanks in advance!
And a happy new year to you, Marie.
The galantina was delicious hehehe
Link to NY Times article. It’s just a mention, really.
Happy New Year to you and your family! Thank’s for sharing this menu. It will be the inspiration for my next family gathering! I’m always looking out for traditional Filipino dishes to make to introduce to new family members as well as bring back memories to the ‘old’!
Happy New Year Connie! And congrats on this new domain (at sa New York Times! wow!)
I missed our family reunion… d2 kami hindi umuwi eh…
Can you adopt me? PUH-leeeeeze!
As for the spaghetti, I think the “filipino style” is becoming more & more ingrained in traditional Filipino fare — nevermind that the mere concept of it may cause a lot of dead Italian grandmothers to roll in their graves.
However, don’t forget pasta originally came from Asia.
Happy New Years! What a great menu for your family reunion, everything looks delicious. What a wonderful way to celebrate the new year by having a family reunion early in the new year. Congrats on the mention in the NY times.
Happy new year, Marilou. True, food like these… ah, nostalgia.
Happy new year, Iska, and thanks.
I hope you had a great time anyway. Kasama mo naman hubby mo and Cian so I’m sure you had fun.
LOL Rico, we only adopt cats eh hehehehe
You’re right about noodles. Oriental noodles are much older than Italian pasta. Of course, Asians make noodles from rice. And nevermind the purists. I know I make a lot of them squirm with the way I cook hahahahaha
Happy new year, Aloha, and thanks. Family reunions are great though I doubt I would have enjoyed it as much if I had to cook everything heheheh
Waaaaah! I wish my family in Pinas will still have reunion again, someday!!! And I could attend, I missed it!!! Tita Connie that really brings memories! Iba tlga Filipino food
Hi, Connie! It was only my 4th time to go to Tita Laura’s for the reunion, so it’s no wonder we haven’t met (and haven’t been introduced to each other). I’m the wife of Caloy. I had no idea at the party that you were THE sassy lawyer. But I’ve been reading your blog for about a couple of months already. Great work!
The chicken galantina was good indeed. My 2-year-old daughter loved it.
Time for a vacation in Pinas, Hush!
Joy, oooohhh sorry. Your daughter is the cute little girl walking around the pond area when we were having lunch, right? Must be ’cause Caloy was tailing her hehehe. We went to Peewee’s after lunch and before we knew it, it was going home time. Di bale, next time.
Happy New Year, Connie! Yum yum…. these dishes look delicious. I hope you find time to make the chicken galantina. Aabangan ko yan. My children are “chicken” kids at nakakasawa na rin ang fried, adobo, afritada, curry, tinola. If you do make the galantina, please include instructions as to how to debone the chicken, et. Thanks
Happy new year, Rhodora. Don’t worry, with photos pa. But I need to muster the courage first hehehehe
Happy New Year Connie! Thanks for a great year of good food! May you inspire more of us this 2007!
Happy new year, peterb. A toast to more cooking!
Wow! what a great family reunion. Any how, belated Happy New year to and to your family. Hoping this 2007 more recipe to come on your blog. It was really a big help to me. Passion ko talaga ang magluto. Ang dami ko ng natutunan sa mga recipe mo. Syempre sa first attemp ko hindi gano kaganda ang kinalalabasan, pero sa second at third attemp, well, halos perfect na…. Thank you uli…….and more power.
Jherry
Happy New Year Ms. Connie!
Kasarap naman! I’m drooling! It reminds me of my clan reunions at my grandma’s. I miss authentic kare-kare, I can’t get ox tail with the skin intact here. They only sell it skinless.
jherry, truth is… i’m beginning to neglect my political blog in favor of the food blogs. I feel a little guilty sometimes.
KK, that’s what relatives living in the US complain about often. Oxtail without the skin does not yield a very “malagkit” broth. Parang bitin.
I got homesick seeing all the deliciously prepared food.
Sinigang na Isda is my fave, but I prefer the tilapia fish. At the local (wet) market in U.P. Los Banos my mom would buy me the fish once a week and make either sinigang sa guava or the regular sinigang, but what makes the sinigang so nostalgic is that the tilapia is fresh and thus tastes really sweet… give it a try if you’re in the area some time.
Now I’m stuck in nowhere land where the fish are all tasteless. Bah. I WANNA GO HOME!!!
Rho
Rho, kasi puro fillets abroad. The flavor of fish is in the bones. The fish head is especially good.
geeeeeeeeee…
hanep ng mga reunions nyo po!
nakakaingit!
i miss being home on for the holidays…
ms connie,
i was wondering if you know what colour corresponds for 30th Wedding Anniv? My parents will be celebrating their anniv in June and we’ll be having a small gathering and i’m getting some stuff ready like the giveaways, table cloth etc…i remember i heard it one time it was a question at GKNB but sorry to say i forgot what colour it was? thanks a lot!
sorry i just don’t know where in the website i should ask u this question…
dhay, i have no idea…
i like to be a part of this site
bago lang me dito at gusto kong maging part of this family.
NY family reunions i like to back home in pinas and i see this blog and i mised the way of the cooking of my mother..when i see the food any way ilove the blog.