Bulete de Mămăligă
Bulete de Mămăligă·(boo-LEH-teh deh muh-muh-LEE-guh)
Cămara: Afternoon Snacks & Pantry Hacks
If you grew up in a Romanian household, you know the quiet magic of leftover mămăligă. Carpathian shepherds used to roast massive spheres of cheese-stuffed polenta over campfires to survive the transhumance. Today, grandmothers have scaled those survival rations into a brilliant weeknight pantry hack. Authentic brânză de burduf—a funky, fermented mountain cheese—is notoriously hard to find in an American suburb. To hit that exact salty, tangy, sharp note of the homeland, we mix crumbled sheep's milk feta with sharp white cheddar. Baked hot, they yield a crispy, golden crust that shatters into a molten center of absolute comfort.
Before you start
Brown the diced smoked sausage in a skillet over medium heat.
Let it cool slightly before mixing with the cheeses.
Ingredients
- water4 cup
- kosher salt1 1/2 tsp
- unsalted butter2 tbsp
- medium or coarse yellow cornmeal1 1/2 cup
- feta cheese1/2 cup
- sharp white cheddar cheese1/2 cup
- smoked sausage1/2 cup
- olive oil1 tbsp
- full-fat sour cream1/2 cup
Method
- 01
Bring the water, salt, and butter to a rolling boil in a heavy-bottomed pot.
Do not skimp on the salt; the cornmeal needs it to taste like anything.
- 02
Stream in the cornmeal continuously like rain while whisking vigorously.
This is the grandmother's secret to avoiding lumps. Keep whisking until the mixture is smooth, then lower the heat.
- 03
Cook the polenta until it pulls cleanly away from the sides of the pot.
Switch to a wooden spoon and stir frequently to avoid burning. Be careful of sputtering. This should take about 15 to 20 minutes.
- 04
Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool just enough to handle safely.
Give it about 10 minutes. Do not let it cool completely; if the polenta gets too cold, it will stiffen and crack when you try to shape it.
- 05
Toss the feta, sharp white cheddar, and browned sausage together in a small bowl.
While the polenta rests, prep your filling and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 06
Form the polenta balls using wet hands.
Wet hands prevent the starches from sticking. Scoop a golf-ball-sized portion of warm polenta, flatten it in your palm, add a generous teaspoon of the cheese mixture, and pinch the edges entirely shut to seal.
- 07
Bake until golden and crusty.
Brush the tops lightly with olive oil and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve immediately with cold sour cream for dipping.
Notes
The Cheese Rule
Stick to white cheddar. Yellow cheddar contains annatto for coloring, which will weep orange grease into your polenta and alter the visual authenticity of the dish.
Make-Ahead Hack
If you are making polenta for dinner, purposefully make extra. You can store the formed, unbaked bulete in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and pop them directly into the oven on a busy weeknight.
From Cook Romanian in America.