Mamaliga (Polenta)

Mamaliga (Polenta)

     Since the Romans occupied the land now known as Romania, many Italian dishes have found their way into this culture.  Living in Italy, I ate polenta as a side dish to many beef meals, like we Americans would eat corn bread.  Well, mamaliga is a Romanian food consumed very much like the Italians do, on a daily basis as a side to various meals, mostly replacing bread. If you haven't had polenta during your exploration of Italian dining and would like to experience this Romanian culinary tradition, you must try mamaliga. 

     As opposed to other cultural uses for this corn meal based delight, classic mamaliga is served with warm milk or with sour cream, and can also be eaten topped with feta cheese. I've heard Romanians sometimes serve mamaliga with a sunny side up fried egg on top - I can hardly wait to try this! And like corn bread, mamaliga is served as a side dish for some traditional Romanian stews and for sarmale, or stuffed cabbage rolls.

     Here I found some classic mamaliga recipes.  When I get to Romania, I'll let you know if these were on target.

Basic mamaliga (polenta)

Cooking time: 20- 25 minutes
Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 cups water 
• 1 pound ground cornmeal (a courser version will make a more traditional mamaliga) 
• 1 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Bring to boil the water in a large pot with the salt,  Turn heat down to simmer and pour in the cornmeal a steady stream.

Stir constantly for about 20 minutes with a wooden spoon, until you notice the mamaliga breaks away easily from the sides of the pot.

The cooked mamaliga should be thick enough to stay in place on a wooden plate.

Traditionally, just like polenta, mamaliga is cut with a string, but modern cooks will most probably use a knife.

Serve in a deep bowl with warm milk or sour cream. You can also change it up and add Parmesan cheese or shredded feta cheese in combination with the sour cream.

Baked Mamaliga Recipe 

Cooking time: 40 minutes
Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 cups water
• 1 pound  coarse ground cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 ounces butter
• 3.5 ounces shredded feta cheese
• 3.5 ounces sour cream
• 4 eggs

Preparation:

Prepare the basic mamaliga as in the previous recipe. 

When it becomes thick, pour half of the quantity in a heat-resistant glass dish.

Melt the butter and pour half of it on top of the mamaliga in the baking dish. Then spread the shredded feta cheese mixed with 4 beaten eggs uniformly on top.

Pour the rest of mamaliga on top, then spray it with melted butter.

Preheat the oven at 375-400 F and bake for 15 minutes  (until the surface becomes lightly brown).

Cut in pieces and serve with sour cream on top.