POLKANES

Polkanes image

Provided by Mark Bittman

Time 30m

Yield 8 polkanes

Number Of Ingredients 7

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2 cups masa harina
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups cooked, well-seasoned white beans
1/2 cup ground pumpkinseeds (recipe here)
2 tablespoons chopped oregano
1/4 cup minced onion or shallot
Oil or lard as needed

Steps:

Make the masa into a dough by adding salt and 1 1/2 to 2 cups of water. Stir it well and knead it a bit - it should not be sticky or dry - and then let it rest, covered, for at least 15 minutes. Mix together all the remaining ingredients except the oil.
Flatten about 1/8 of the dough on your hand, then fill it with a bit of the stuffing. The dough will be flexible, so you'll be able to make an egg-shaped dumpling by enclosing some of the filling within. (Even if the dumpling is imperfect - that is, with some of the filling escaping - it'll be fine. Just shape it nicely and don't worry about beans or bits of onion on the surface.) Repeat with the rest of the dough and the filling.
Fry in about 1/4 inch of oil or lard, turning as needed to brown beautifully. Serve hot or at room temperature with tomato-pumpkinseed salsa (recipe here).