Baked layered mămăligă

Name: Baked layered mămăligă
Ingredients: 1000 ml water; 2 teaspoons salt; 250 g cornmeal; 5 semi-smoked sausages; 200 g full-fat cow’s milk telemea; 3 tablespoons full-fat cottage cheese; 3 tablespoons full-fat sour cream; 1/4 teaspoon salt

Appetizers - Baked layered mămăligă by Catrina H. - Recipia

Baked layered mămăligă gets a browned crust on top, while the middle stays soft, with telemea and sausage. The cottage cheese and sour cream go on top and set slightly in the oven, and after resting the portions hold together better. I slice it after it has settled, so the layers stay visible. Preparation: 15 minutes. Cooking: 73 minutes. Resting: 10 minutes. Total time: 98 minutes. Serves: 4. Approximately 650 kcal and 29 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

1000 ml water
2 teaspoons salt
250 g cornmeal
5 semi-smoked sausages
200 g full-fat cow’s milk telemea
3 tablespoons full-fat cottage cheese
3 tablespoons full-fat sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Put 1000 ml water and 2 teaspoons salt in a pot. Bring to a boil, about 8 minutes. 2. Gradually pour in the cornmeal, stirring continuously. Cook the mămăligă for at least 30 minutes over low heat, stirring from time to time; it should stay soft, not stiff. 3. Heat the oven to 220 °C. Cut the sausages into small rounds and fry them for 5 minutes in a pan, until lightly browned. Grate the telemea. Mix the cottage cheese with the sour cream and 1/4 teaspoon salt. 4. Grease the baking dish with the fat left in the pan. Spread half the hot mămăligă in the dish, sprinkle over the telemea and half the sausages. Cover with the other half of the mămăligă, then spoon the cheese mixture on top and add the remaining sausages. 5. Bake for at least 30 minutes at 220 °C, until the top is browned. 6. Leave the dish to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Notes

Telemea varies a lot in saltiness; taste the cottage cheese mixture and leave out the 1/4 teaspoon if it is already salty. Coarser cornmeal can still be gritty after 30 minutes, so keep cooking until it softens. Fattier sausages release more fat, and whatever is left in the pan greases the dish and gives it its distinctive flavor. If you leave it in the oven for more than 30 minutes, the top will brown more; keep an eye on its color. I serve it with pickles. The portions keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Sheep’s milk telemea can replace the cow’s milk version in the same amount; the dish contains dairy.