Mexican With Bonnie
August 28th, 2010
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Author: Our foodilicious town of Durham happens to be a mecca for Mexican cuisine. Whether you favor tasty to-go from Carrburritos, Cosmic Cantina or Chubby’s Tacos, traditional spots such as Torero’s or El Rodeo, or the more upscale/fine dining/fusion style of Dos Perros and Tonali, there seems to be a Mexican restaurant on every corner!
Because we have such easy access to delicious, authentic and affordable Mexican, Chef Joe and I never bother to try to make it at home. However, our cousin Bonnie is an expert in Mexican cooking, and invited us over for dinner and a lesson.
Bonnie’s basics- She grew up in El Paso, Texas, on the border of Mexico. Her family had a Mexican housekeeper named Lupe, who taught them how to cook Mexican authentically.
Being with Bonnie and her husband, Bill, is always a blast. Bonnie is a lady who’s got it going on with style, pizzazz, and infectious charisma. Bill is a Dean at a certain leading university and has an impressive list of acting credits under his belt. Joe and I pride ourselves on being the resident “cool” couple. However, they definitely give us some stiff competition.
Last night we downed a few Dos Equis with lime and jammed to Bonnie’s Mexican/Reggae mix as we prepared a delicious meal of beef tacos and chicken enchiladas.
Recipe to follow: Beef Tacos and Chicken Enchiladas
Savor on,
Marney
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How fun, I loved it! You write so well, Marney, keep it up.
I just wish the meal had been closer to the best ever than the opposite.
XO,
Bon
My family shared these recipes with me once I was old enough to cook. I’ve tried it with several different meats (for the pseudo-vegetarians, shrimp works very nicely). However, I have found that if you take a little more time and cut the chicken up a little more finely, and season it appropriately, it jumps out of the mix a little more (with the enchiladas mainly).
Also, it is fantastic reheated. I once made a whole dish the night before and refrigerated it just to be able to eat it the following night. Just my experience. Oh and the tacos are great with the same chicken filling as well.
Absolutely Jake, the key to the chicken is making sure it is well seasoned. Braising it in boiling liquid keeps it moist, but it is at risk of being bland because a lot of the flavor is released into the liquid (which can be saved as chicken stock if boiling in water). Therefore, proper seasoning is a must and will really bring the chicken to life, so thanks for the tip!
And many dishes taste better the day after when the flavors have more of a chance to come together (think chili and some soups). I know you’ve enjoyed making these dishes, and now we do too! We appreciate your Mom sharing your family traditions.
loved reading about Aunt Bonnie and finally, though not formerly, meeting the other notorious “Marney”.
Love you blog!