Mamaliga Is Just Right—for Shavuot

DIN: I have to admit that my father z"l made this on motzei Shabbos but we children wouldn't touch it ... he didn't use shallots, spinach ...or the cheeses 
so when I found this recipe, I wanted to share it.

Mamaliga, the national dish of Romania, has long been beloved by all Romanians—including Jews. Aaron Lebedeff’s famous Yiddish song “Roumania, Roumania” specifically mentions the dish. Evidently, when a Jewish Romanian met someone who he or she thought was Jewish, they would say in Yiddish, “Es mamaliga licht in punem,” meaning: When you eat mamaliga, it shows in your face.

This porridge, made from cornmeal, is often served with sour cream, diced raw onions, and feta cheese. Dairy restaurants, like Ratner’s in New York, served it, especially at the forthcoming holiday of Shavuot.

The late Judith Tihany, whom I knew as a fabulous Romanian Israeli cook and the mother of the restaurant architect Adam Tihany, made a yummy mamaliga layered with spinach, ricotta cheese, and shallots. Adam and I pieced the recipe together—him from memory, me from trying it out. Although I’m not Romanian, I love mamaliga and so does my whole family: It’s a perfect dish for Shavuot.

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Mamaliga

1. Saute the shallots in 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the spinach little by little on top 

and saute until withered but still bright green. Set aside.

1. Pour 5 cups of water into a heavy saucepan and bring to a rapid boil. Add salt and then 

sprinkle on the cornmeal very slowly, stirring constantly with a long wooden spoon. Then reduce the heat to medium and continue stirring until the cornmeal is very thick and firm, about 15 minutes. When the cornmeal forms a ball and no longer sticks to the side of the pan but comes away cleanly from the side, spoon one third of it into a 9 by 9 casserole. Cover with the spinach, then melt the remaining butter and pour over the spinach.

1.  Cover with another layer of the polenta, then spoon on the feta and the ricotta cheese.
2. Cover with the remaining polenta, smoothing down. You can serve as is or refrigerate

 until ready to serve.

3. When ready to serve preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake about 20 minutes or until warm. Then serve with sour cream or yogurt on the side.

Yield: about 6 servings.

Mamaliga

6

shallots, diced

1/2

stick plus 2 tablespoons salted butter

10

ounces fresh spinach

1

teaspoon salt

3 1/2

cups coarse yellow cornmeal

1

cup feta cheese, broken into small pieces

1

cup ricotta cheese

1

cup sour cream or yogurt