Tita Linda + Sweet & Sour Meatballs and Bola Bola Misua

Sweet & Sour Meatballs and Bola Bola Misua
prepared by Linda and Ed Reyes

This versatile bola bola recipe comes from Linda Arrieta Reyes, a retired arts and crafts businesswoman, whose family is originally from Manila and Quezon City.

While working at a bank in Manila, Linda spotted a handsome man in a suit. Having a particular weakness for men in suits, she revealed to her coworker how attractive she found the stranger. Serendipitously, the coworker was the man’s sister, who happily encouraged Ed to court Linda. After a year of dating, they were secretly married, eloping a month later to avoid the disappointment of Linda’s strict father. Time mellowed the tension and Linda’s family came to love and accept Ed. The couple had three children before moving to the United States, where their fourth child was born. With the money saved from their businesses in the Philippines, they built their dream home from house plans ripped out of a magazine Ed had kept for inspiration. They proudly raised their children in that home and now happily entertain their many grandchildren there, too.

Raised by an avid and skilled cook, it was no wonder that Linda showed a strong penchant for cooking early. Her mother ran a cooking school from their home and filled orders for delicious pastries and beautiful cakes for local customers. She taught Linda how to cook and bake, and handwrote family recipes for Linda to take with her when she left home. It was from her mother that Linda learned the value of cooking meals from scratch and the joy of feeding one’s family good, soulful food. These are lessons she strives to impart to her children and grandchildren as she continues to cook for her growing brood.

This recipe was passed down from Tita Linda’s mother, Angelina. In her honor, this recipe is called “Angelina’s meatballs.” The beauty of this recipe is that it can be used in many dishes and in this video, she shows us two ways she utilizes it. Her grandkids particularly like it when she wraps the meatballs in bacon for her famous bacon rolls.

When it comes to cooking, Tita Linda’s advice for her children and grandchildren is to take the time to cook for your loved ones even if it is difficult, especially when it comes to family because it is part of their legacy, “And my grandkids and kids, I always tell them that you know sometimes there are family recipes that are difficult to do, but because you know the family loves them, you go out of your way because you love them, you go out of your way to cook this for them and let them enjoy it. And then later on they’re going to be passing it on to their kids and their grandkids and you know that the legacy is going to stay there because of all the hard work of my mom, my grandma, is going to be passed on forever.”