Early in my cooking "career", Zarela Martinez' Oaxaca book opened doors for me. Everything I made out of it was a success and it forced me to rethink some ideas I had about Mexican cooking.She describes a gordita of sorts made from masa and leftover beans. I couldn't follow her directions but ended up with something really good anyway.
After making a tortilla shape of the bean and corn masa, I deep fried. Yes, that's right and I know that's why I'm fat. So what? This was GOOD!!!!
And even better with chorizo and scrambled eggs.
After writing my book on Oaxacan cooking, I moved on to the state of Veracruz which has an even more diverse corn kitchen. It was there that I discovered that the beans should not be fried before combining with the masa. In fact, they shouldn’t even be fully cooked. Check it out if you have a chance — there are many wonderful bean dishes among other things.
Zarela