A diary of eating my way through my Quarter-Life-Crisis

A huge part of my culinary adventures since moving to NY seven years ago, is the Orden family – Tito Manny, Tita Gloria, Vina and Corinna.  We’re related on my father’s side, and my bond with them started and continues to grow over birthday dinners, artist dinners, Thanksgiving dinners, Chinatown dinners, Christmas dinners…you get the idea.  And these dinners are quite the experience.  Anyone who’s meant anything to me I’ve tried to bring to these seasonal events because the company is charming (I mentioned we’re related, right?) and the discussions are exciting – from Picasso’s newest exhibits, to Tiger Woods’ sexcapades, to the gender-classified automated subway announcements (Why is it a female voice declares the pleasant stuff such as “This is Atlantic Avenue,” while the male voice is selected for all the menacing warnings – “Stand clear of the closing doors, please!”?).  The best part though, are the homemade dishes, where recipes are invented and reinvented each time.

They used to have a successful restaurant back in the Philippines.  Although the Ordens are no longer in the food industry, their move to the US years ago didn’t mean letting go of their passion in the kitchen.  Their kitchen, by the way, is adorable.  It’s modest in size, but warm and bright, packed with gadgets, spices, and cookware I’ve never used before.  I love helping out because I get to try out the tools (like when I made perfectly fluffly mashed potatoes with shallots, I had to use a potato ricer or actually, I think it was a food mill.  I think everyone should have either, if not both, because they’re awesome!) They have their own recipes, or use others, tweaked to add the Orden touch.  Any outstanding ones (mostly everything) will be “added to the vault!”

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Last Holy Saturday was my Aunt Gloria’s birthday and Andrew’s (Vina’s boyfriend) belated celebration.  The menu for the night, included the following:

1) Salad with mixed greens, mangoes, jicama, pickled onions, and a rice wine vinegar dressing (c/o Corinna)

2) Mussels in a slightly spicy broth (with saffron)

3) I couldn’t have any of this due to lent – Chicken and Chorizo Paella (with Arborio rice, snowpeas, string beans, mushrooms, seafood stock, herbs, and saffron)

4) Seafood Paella (same as above, but with squid, shrimp, clams and lobster)

5) 2-layered chocolate cake with a dark cherry compote in between, and fresh whipped cream on top and all around (super secret family recipe, so I can’t divulge more than that.)

6) The smooth, Bolla Italian Pinot Noir with a slightly sweet flavor and notes of berries and cherries, was a great accompaniment (provided by my worldly Tito Romie, as was tonight’s special ingredient, Barcelonian saffron).

Let’s just say, by the end of this, I couldn’t breathe.  That’s basically how all these events tend to conclude.  My mouth was gloriously satisfied, my stomach was struggling to keep from bursting, my body was fighting off the urge to fall into a food coma.  Thank God there’s a 40 minute train ride back to the city from their place in Yonkers. Nap time.

FYI – In the Philippines, “Tito” means Uncle, “Tita” means Aunt.