Good Mexican Food in NC - Found!

After a long search, I finally found some decent Mexican food here in Raleigh. It has taken almost two years, and where did I find it? My own recipe binder! What is even funnier is that I am almost certain I printed the recipe out when I was still living in Austin, but did not make it until a week or so ago. Sopa Seca is a meal I will definitely be making again. When I made it, I told Aaron it was kind of like Mexican lasagna, but that is not an accurate parallel. It is closer to chicken noodle casserole, but has a richer flavor profile and is not soupy and creamy like some casseroles can be.

There were a few firsts for me with this meal. I had never tried to look for fideos, which I did not find and thus used angel hair pasta nests, which worked just fine for me. I bought my first can of chipotles in adobo sauce and fell madly in love as soon as I opened the can. Smelled like spicy barbecue sauce and ended up providing the absolute perfect amount of heat and smoke. And, since smoked turkey was not readily available, I baked some chicken and used that without any adverse results, as far as I could tell.

This was a great TGIF meal that provided leftovers I munched on all through the weekend. I like it when leftovers taste just as great as the freshly made dish. Since the fideos are cooked in a pan dry, there are these great crunchy pieces and the noodles as a whole do not get overcooked and saturated with liquid. This is one of the best meals I have ever made and I cannot wait until I can have friends over to share it with them. The recipe may say four servings, but those would be four huge servings, so I would bump the serving count to around six portions with a great side salad and dessert. I did not know that I meal I had never had before could remind me so much of home, but this one did.