MANILA, Philippines—Every May, the Mandarin Oriental Manila joins the Filipino Heritage Festival by projecting the multiplicity and good flavor of Pinoy food. This year, it focuses on the rich Spanish influence. Perhaps the best person to present the historic gastronomic marriage of the two cuisines is chef Ed Quimson.

Quimson belongs to the Tuasons, the Spanish mestizo clan whose get-togethers in the 1920s were marked by culinary masterpieces handed down from generations. Quimson’s grandmother, Consuelo Tuason de Casas, had a lot of influence in his culinary journey.

“She showed me the world,” Quimson said. “We lived in Madrid for a long time, and that was where my palate expanded. She exposed me to different cuisines.”

Quimson, a fourth-generation Tuason, is guest chef in Mandarin’s Filipino Heritage Festival, dubbed “Pasos del Tiempo” (A Walk through Time) from May 26 to 31 at Paseo Uno. He teams up with Mandarin’s master chefs, led by executive chef Martin Macleod, to bring heirloom Filipino-Spanish dishes that are both traditional and innovative.

“This is the chance for me to showcase my family’s wealth in terms of recipes. These recipes have sort of molded me to what I am today,” Quimson said.

A preview of these dishes for the week-long culinary event was held at Paseo Uno. About 13 dishes, from appetizer to dessert, were served a la carte, but there will be about 40 dishes, served in rotation, in the foodfest.

Fried or saucy

“These are my particular favorite dishes when I was growing up,” Quimson said. “The main meal in the family was lunch. Our lunch would always consist of a soup and four viands, including vegetables. One ulam had to be fried or saucy. Dinner was always leftovers.”

On individual plates, guests were served small items of the dish. The Sotanghon con Caldo was the first. It came with fried bola-bola and chicken wings which were so tender that the flesh almost separated from the bone.

Another soup, Baked Fish Fillet, followed. The fish was baked with potato, tomato, onions, olive oil and white wine. The fish was served on a piece of bread that was fried in olive oil on one side.

“This was invented by my grandmother,” Quimson said. “It’s almost a complete meal in itself.”

Next came the Roasted Turkey. The stuffing for the Tuasons’ famous turkey consisted of ground pork and beef, paté, mushrooms, capers, black and green olives, bologna and ham and simmered for four hours.

“Normally, we’d cook the stuffing the day before the turkey. It’s better and delicious,” Quimson said.

Smoky tongue

Then, guests raved about the Lengua con Alcaparras, which had a hint of smoky flavor. We later learned that the tomatoes were slow-cooked for six hours, stored in the chiller and cooked with the lengua four days later.

“It was an old-style of cooking,” Quimson said. “The smoky flavor came from the tomato sauce because it was cooked and aged already. I made about eight kilos of tomato sauce, which was approximately 16 kilos of fresh tomatoes. The lengua was able to sit one day before serving.”

Quimson also presented other familyheirloom recipes such as Sotanghon Chicharo and Shrimp; Pollo ala Caserole (braised chicken with white wine, butter, olive oil, baguio beans with bread stuffing); and Carne Frita (breaded sirloin marinated only with calamansi juice and salt).

The Arroz ala Vizcaina, his grandmother’s version of paella, came with chunks of bacalao. The bacalao is a product of Delimondo, a line of gourmet food that Quimson produces for Jaka group of companies.

To cap the wonderful meal, Quimson brought out Dulce de Santol and Arroz con Leche. Dulce de Santol was basically santol cooked in sugar and water for five hours. The fruit was cooked in its own syrup. Quimson said the family used to eat it with kesong puti.

The Arroz con Leche (rice pudding) was served on a martini glass sprinkled with cinnamon powder. “I made it like crème brulee. I torched the top,” he said.

“Pasos del Tiempo” dishes can be sampled at lunch and dinner buffet at Paseo Uno. Quimson’s Spanish-Filipino specialties will be featured at the Asian corner. Call 7508888 for reservations.