Mamalyga / Kulesha

(click to enlarge)	Mamalyga / Kulesha Ukraine - Mamalyga, Kulesha
(click to enlarge)	Makes: Effort: Sched: DoAhead:	*** hrs Yes		This dish is essentially identical to the Mamaliga of Romania and the Kacamak of Bulgaria. It is much lighter and easier to make than Italian polenta, because of the coarse corn meal.

3-1/2
1-1/2
2
1

c
t
T
c

Water
Salt
Butter
Cornmeal, coarse (1)

This dish is now popular throughout southwest Ukraine, the Balkans and Moldova. Mamalyga is a Ukrainian town near the Romanian border.

Make: - (45 min + cooling time)

Bring Water to a boil. Stir in Salt and Butter.
Add Cornmeal very gradually, stirring constantly in the same direction and keeping the water at a boil (see Note-2).
Simmer over very low heat, stirring frequently until the cornmeal thickens, becomes elastic and starts to pull away from the sides of the pot (25 to 35 minutes).
Serve hot, or pour into a buttered pan. When cool, turn out and cut as desired. If at all warm, cut with a thread as it will stick to knives.

NOTES:

Cornmeal:
Coarse to very coarse yellow cornmeal is always used, never fine cornmeal as for Italian Polenta.
Method
Ukrainians make this in a heavy cast iron pot with a "U" shaped bottom. They stir it with a special long handled wooden spoon. I use a large saucepan with a heavy multi-ply bottom. It has sharper corners, so I stir with a flat wooden spatula, which is also good at scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent burning.
Options
- Sprinkle the Mamalyga with thinly sliced onions that have been very lightly browned in butter.
- Mamalyga is often served garnished with Bryndza Sheep Cheese. Due to lack of availability in North America, it sometimes faked up by beating together Bulgarian Feta (Sirene) and Farmer's Cheese, half and half, and perhaps some butter, but no more than 1/4 as much as there is cheese.
- A slice of ham can be sandwiched between two squares of Mamalyga. This is then dipped in beaten egg and fried in butter until golden brown.
- Mamalyga can be made in honey sweetened milk or cream rather than water, then topped with fruit preserves and served as desert.
- Slices or sticks are often fried with bacon for breakfast.
U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar="as required tt=to taste

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Mamalyga / Kulesha

Cornmeal:

Method

Options