mamaliga

A simple recipe for chicken and polenta with garlic, a typical Romanian polenta dish, full of comfort and flavor.

Polenta Chicken

Garlic chicken:

chicken legs/ chicken quarters (See note)

vegetable oil

paprika

chicken stock

parsley

garlic cloves

fine sea salt and pepper

For the polenta:

polenta

1120 ml/ 2.4 pints

4 2/3 cups water

fine sea salt

butter, optional

Remove the skin from the chicken legs and...

Remove the skin from the chicken legs and divide them at the joint. Sprinkle them generously with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottom pan,...

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottom pan, a pan large enough to hold the chicken pieces in one layer. Place the chicken parts in the pan and brown all over. Sprinkle the paprika on top and stir well to coat the chicken parts with it. Add the chicken stock, it should cover the meat almost entirely, but the chicken should not be swimming in liquid.

Chop the parsley and add half of it...

Chop the parsley and add half of it to the pan. Add some pepper, bring to a boil, lower the heat and cover the pan leaving a crack open. Cook for about 30 minutes (turning the chicken once in between) or until the meat is cooked through.

Start making the polenta about now if you...

Start making the polenta about now if you want to serve this immediately.

By the end of the cooking time, the...

By the end of the cooking time, the sauce should have reduced by half. If you want a thicker sauce, remove the lid from the pot during the last 5 minutes of the cooking time. I don't find it necessary, I like to have a runnier sauce to soak the polenta.

Grate the garlic cloves and add them to...

Grate the garlic cloves and add them to the pan together with the rest of the chopped parsley. Cook for 1 minute, remove from heat and season.

To make the polenta, heat the water in...

To make the polenta, heat the water in a large pan but do not let it come to a boil. Add the salt, stir to dissolve. Add the polenta in a slow stream while stirring all the time.

Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover...

Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover with a crack and cook, stirring often, according to the packet's instructions. Mine takes about 20 minutes, but that can differ greatly depending on the polenta you bought.

Once the polenta is ready, stir in the...

Once the polenta is ready, stir in the butter.

Serve as soon as the polenta is ready.

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How to cook basic polenta or Romanian mamaliga, creamy or sturdy.

How To Cook Basic Polenta – Mamaliga

Sturdy polenta:

250 g/ 8.8 oz/ 1 2/3 cups coarse cornmeal

liter/ 33.8 fl.oz/ 4 ¼ cups water

salt

Soft polenta:

250 g/ 8.8 oz/ 1 2/3 cups medium cornmeal

1.4 liter/ 47.3 fl.oz/ 6 cups water

How to Cook Basic Polenta – Mamaliga

The cooking procedure is the same for both...

The cooking procedure is the same for both kinds of polenta, you will only need more water when you make the softer polenta. You can use either medium or coarse ground cornmeal, but read the packet's instructions to make sure that you know the indicated cooking times.

Pour the water into a large pot. Heat...

Pour the water into a large pot. Heat the water but don't let it come to a boil (it helps against the formation of lumps). Add the salt.

Slowly add the cornmeal while stirring or whisking...

Slowly add the cornmeal while stirring or whisking (with an egg beater not a mixer) all the time. A word of caution - be careful when the polenta starts to bubble, if the bubbles are too big you might get burned – so turn the heat down if that happens.

When all the cornmeal is incorporated, continue stirring...

When all the cornmeal is incorporated, continue stirring or whisking shortly to make sure there are no lumps. Turn the heat down, place a lid on top, but leave a crack open. Stir every 4-5 minutes or so, but there is definitely no need to stir all the time.

Read the cooking instructions on the polenta packet...

Read the cooking instructions on the polenta packet just to know for sure how long the cornmeal needs to be cooked. I cook the polenta made with coarse cornmeal for 40 to 50 minutes and the polenta made with medium cornmeal for about 15 minutes.

Serve immediately or leave to cool if you...

Serve immediately or leave to cool if you want to use it in another way.

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Delicious and satisfying vegan cabbage rolls filled with amaranth, sweet potatoes and lots of spices and seeds.

Vegan Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

This Traditional Romanian Polenta with Feta Cheese, Bacon and Sausage known as &quot;Mamaliga cu Branza in Paturi&quot; is a dish I&#x27;ve grown up with and am very fond of. It&#x27;s hearty, delicious and satisfying.

Traditional Romanian Polenta with Feta Cheese and Bacon (Mamaliga cu Branza in Paturi)

bacon (fried and chopped)

sausage

cornmeal

water

feta cheese (shredded

Boil the water with salt. Once water is boiling, reduce heat to low and add the cornmeal, while stirring constantly. Keep stirring, you will notice the polenta will thicken.

Cook the polenta for about 20 to 30 min, stirring occasionally.&nbsp;

Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.

In a 9 x 13 in baking dish, spread half of the polenta using some of the remaining bacon fat. Sprinkle with half of the feta cheese. Add all the sausage and half of the bacon.

Repeat with another layer using the remaining polenta. Add the remaining cheese and top off with the remaining bacon.

Bake for about 10 min.

Serve warm.

Make creamy Romanian mămăligă with just a few ingredients! Easy, flavorful, and perfect for weeknight dinners.

Mamaliga

cornmeal (certified gluten-free if necessary)

butter (or olive oil)

cheese

Butter is a solid dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk, to separate the butterfat from the buttermilk. It is generally used as a spread on plain or toasted bread products and a condiment on cooked vegetables, as well as in cooking, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying. Butter...

whey butter

Common salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in its natural form as a crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantities in seawater, where it is the main mineral constituent. The open ocean...

Water is a transparent and nearly colorless chemical substance that is the main constituent of Earth's streams, lakes, and oceans, and the fluids of most living organisms. Its chemical formula is H2O, meaning that its molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms, that are connected by covalent bonds. Water strictly refers to the liquid...

In a medium-sized pot over high heat, bring the 4 cups of water to a boil.

Add the salt and then reduce the heat to medium-low.

While stirring constantly with a whisk, slowly sprinkle the cornmeal into the simmering water. This prevents lumps from forming.

Reduce the heat to low and continue stirring for about 10 minutes until the mixture starts to thicken.

Cover the pot and let the mamaliga simmer gently for another 10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes to prevent sticking.

Turn off the heat and then stir in the butter or olive oil.

Let it cool for a minute or two to set slightly.

Optionally sprinkle with cheese before serving.

Enjoy!

Hi,
Thank you for sharing this recipe! It is indeed a staple in our house (our Sunday meal) and we love to mix it with grated cheese, sour cream, extra butter and egg: egg pairs very well with mamaliga.

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