Gorditas

Yield: 24 Gorditas

Ingredients:

2 Dried ancho chilies or if You can't find ancho chilies Substitute 1/2 tsp. crushed Red chilies
8 oz Can red kidney beans
1 c Water
1 3/4 c Masa harina
3/4 ts Salt
1/2 ts Baking powder Fat for frying
1 1/2 c Guacamole

Instructions:

Radish slices Open the chili peppers cut off the stems and discard remove the seeds and discard also. Finely chop the chilies. Cover with boiling water to rehydrate. Allow the chilies to sit for about one hour then drain off the water. Put the chilies into a blender and add the undrained beans water and a half teaspoon of the salt. Replace lid on blender and blend on high speed until well mixed and smooth. Mix the masa harina 3/4 salt and the baking powder. Add bean mixture and mix very well. Cover this mixture and allow it to stand for 15 minutes. Divide dough into 24 peices. Pat all peices separately into 2 inch rounds. In a frying pan heat about 1/8 inch of fat. Fry the gorditas until they are crisp (about 2 mins. per side). Drain them on paper towels until no longer greasy. Put a teaspoonful of guacamole on top of each gordita and garnish each with a radish slice. Source: Adapted by Deborah Kuhnen from "Better Homes and Gardens Mexican Cookbook".