A Hearty Main Dish, Perfect for Vegetarians

A Hearty Main Dish, Perfect for Vegetarians
November 7, 2022
This Friendsgiving, we're cooking up two of the three sisters. Before you raise an eyebrow, let us explain: the three sisters, also known as the milpa system in Mexico, refers to corn, squash, and beans — crops that form the bedrock of the Mesoamerican diet and support one another in planting to develop an effective ecosystem and promote soil health.

For the corn component, we’re making chochoyotes, little masa dumplings made with Masienda Heirloom Yellow Corn Masa Harina. These dumplings are also known as ombligitos (“little belly buttons”) in their origin state of Veracruz, Mexico. Often boiled and even sometimes fried, they are usually added to soups, stews, and pots of beans. The chochoyotes are cooked in a flavorful, brothy pot of Heirloom Chatino Black Beans which have been prepared with aromatics (onion, garlic, and avocado leaves for their herbal, anise-y flavor) sauteed in olive oil or lard. A little more olive oil to finish, and this hearty dish is a vegetarian main greater than the sum of its parts.

NB: Traditional chochoyotes fold a bit of fat and salt into the masa, but this is totally up to you. If using fat like olive oil or manteca (lard), we recommend beginning with 10 percent fat weight of total masa weight (1:10 ratio). If you plan to shape and then immediately freeze them, a bit of fat mixed into the masa will help preserve the integrity of the chochoyotes through the eventual thaw. We enjoy them both with and without the additional fat, and season them instead within the cooking liquid.

Chochoyotes recipe adapted and reprinted from MASA by Jorge Gaviria with permission from Chronicle Books, 2022. Photographs © Graydon Herriott.
Chochoyotes and Beans

Chochoyotes and Beans

Ingredients

  • 1 packed cup Heirloom Yellow Corn Masa Harina

  • 1 scant cup warm water

  • 1/4 cup olive oil

  • 2 small or 1 large onion, quartered (you can leave the peel on if you’d like)

  • 1 or 2 heads garlic, halved crosswise (peel on)

  • 1 or 3 avocado leaves (optional)

  • 1 pound (about 2 cups) dried beans such as Heirloom Chatino Black Beans

  • 6 or so cups water

  • Kosher salt

  • Olive oil to finish

Directions

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    1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add onions, garlic and avocado leaves. Cook, stirring once or twice, until onions and garlic are nicely browned and leaves are toasted on both sides.

    2. Add beans and water. Bring them to a boil and leave them there, boiling hard, for about ten minutes. Then reduce to a low simmer and cover partially with a lid. The cooking liquid will reduce and become richly flavorful over time. If the water starts to get low, add additional water (preferably hot, from a kettle). The beans should always be covered by a couple inches of water, so they cook evenly and so there’s room to cook the chochoyotes.

    3. While the beans cook, prepare your chochoyotes.

    4. After two hours or so, begin testing the beans by pressing one between your thumb and forefinger. They should give easily, and may take up to two more hours to achieve the desired consistency – it’s up to you whether you like them to retain some shape and bite or to be fall-apart tender. At this point, you can add salt (not too heavily, as it takes some time for the beans to absorb it). Drop your prepared chochoyotes into the beans and their broth, and simmer until they rise to the surface.

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    1. Make your masa. Our golden ratio at Masienda is 1 Heirloom Corn Masa Harina : 1.4 Water* (by weight e.g., 1 kg : 1.4 kg). If you don’t have a kitchen scale, one packed cup of Heirloom Corn Masa Harina requires approximately one scant cup of water (by volume).

    2. Slowly add the water to the dry masa flour in a large bowl, stirring the masa to incorporate evenly by hand. Knead until the water is evenly incorporated and no dry, powdery spots remain (3 minutes should do). If you’d like to incorporate some fat, start with 2 or 3 tablespoons of Sizzle. The masa should feel a little like play dough; hydrated but not sticky.

    3. Roll a ball of masa slightly smaller than ping-pong-size. Press your fingertip into the center, creating an indentation about a third to halfway into the ball. Place on a baking sheet and cover with a damp kitchen towel.

    4. When they’re all finished, cook in the beans as per above instruction.

    1 comment

    VARIAN |

    Delicious. I am happy to have a new favorite for a thermos lunch.

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