Sautéed Chive Mamaliga with Feta-Scallion Sauce
May 7, 2018
What if a slice of cornbread and a scallion pancake had a baby? It would probably turn out something like this sophisticated take on mamaliga, aka polenta, aka Jewish grits, a(rather uncharitably)ka cornmeal mush.
From the time of the Etruscans until the mid-seventeenth century, Italian and Balkan peasants subsisted on cheap porridges made of millet, barley, or chestnut flour. Romanians called millet porridge mamaliga (food of gold, for its yellow color) to differentiate it from the darker-toned barley.
In 1650, the Ottomans first brought cornmeal, a New World import, to the Balkans. Their intention was that the region’s peasants would use the new grain for their porridges, leaving more wheat for the occupying Turks—Italians called corn grano turco (Turkish grain) in this era. This cornmeal mush (so appealing, right?) quickly became widespread in the Balkans and northern Italy.
Today, mamaliga is strongly identified with Romania, and indeed the arrival of cornmeal in the region enabled significant demographic expansion of both Jewish and non-Jewish populations. By the end of the seventeenth century, cornmeal, known as farina de malai, had overtaken traditional grains.
Many Romanians ate mamaliga for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with both dairy and meat dishes. For breakfast, it was usually served warm with butter, sour cream, bryndza or kashkaval cheese, honey, or fruit preserves. Pickles or other sours were also frequent accompaniments. Sometimes leftover mamaliga was cut into slices and fried. For lunch, mamaliga was served with meat, vegetable, or bean stews; for dinner, with raw or fried onions or scallions, cheese, and sour cream. Wheat bread was rare outside Shabbat and holidays; with slices of firm mamaliga standing in.
Mamaliga was almost always made with yellow cornmeal; however, it was made with white cornmeal for Shavuot, to symbolize purity. I admit I used yellow here, because that’s what I had on hand.
This is a rich, flavorful dish; the chives and feta-scallion touch bring an unexpected hit of flavor to an old-school classic. It’s a bit time-consuming to prepare, but the results are worth it. The polenta is really best eaten immediately after sautéing, while it’s still warm and a little crispy around the edges.
Sautéed Chive Mamaliga with Feta-Scallion Sauce
Serves 6 to 8
For the mamaliga
2 cups yellow or white cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
3 ½ cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing and sautéing
¼ cup snipped chives or ¼ cup finely chopped scallions (white and light green parts), or a mix
For the sauce
2/3 cup coarsely grated feta cheese
½ cup plain yogurt
¼ cup finely minced scallions
Black pepper
In a large saucepan, toast the cornmeal, stirring with a wooden spoon, until aromatic. Watch carefully to ensure the cornmeal doesn’t burn.
Remove the pan from the heat and let the cornmeal cool to room temperature. Add the milk, 3 ½ cups water, and 1 teaspoon salt to the cornmeal, and whisk until thoroughly combined. Simmer over moderately low heat, stirring frequently to prevent lumps from forming, until the mamaliga is very thick, about 30 minutes. It should no longer taste raw or grainy. Stir in 1 tablespoon of butter and the chives and/or scallions, and season with pepper and more salt if needed.
Transfer the mamaliga to a 13- by 9-inch baking dish, lightly buttered or oiled. Smooth the top, let it cool, and refrigerate it, covered, until firm, about 2 hours.
Make the feta-scallion sauce: stir all the ingredients together and adjust the seasonings. Allow to sit, refrigerated, for at least 30 minutes.
Cut the mamaliga into thin slices or triangles in the baking pan. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter over moderately high heat, until hot but not smoking. Fry the mamaliga slices in batches until slightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. If necessary, add more butter or oil to the pan. Serve topped with feta-scallion sauce.
Sources: Encyclopedia of Jewish Food (Gil Marks, 2010); Jewish Holiday Cooking: A Food Lover’s Treasury of Classics and Improvisations (Jayne Cohen, 2008)