I grew up all my life eating mămăligă (pronounced mah-mah-lig-ah) which is the Romanian word for corneal mush cooked on the stove, like a porridge.
It’s simple to prepare with a 4:1 ratio of water to cornmeal, and is a nice accompaniment to any meal, although we primarily eat it for breakfast. It’s also great with a saucy beef ragout/ragu!! So good!
When I was a kid, gramma always asked dad if he wanted mămăligă for breakfast in which he always replied, “Sure.” So, she and mom would make it for breakfast along with fresh eggs, usually fried (because she had chickens on the farm), breakfast sausage or bacon, fried potatoes, toast from her homemade bread and sometimes pancakes or waffles to start. I always enjoyed the big breakfast at gramma’s house!
Let’s get started!
Pour hot water into pot and salt. Bring to a light boil — usually when it is just starting to bubble is when I pour in the cornmeal.
Whisk as you pour in the cornmeal.
Keep whisking or stirring g with a spoon. Cook on medium heat. Careful if it boils because the cornmeal can splash out of the pot and burn you.
After 3 minutes, it should be creamy like this.
Remove from heat and serve immediately.
It should be somewhat thick, but not too thick as it will thicken as it cools.
Serve with butter and cheese.
We love cornmeal for breakfast!
Mămăliga — Cornmeal Mush
Large batch:
4 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 cup cornmeal
Small batch:
1 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup cornmeal
Pour hot water into pot and salt. Bring to a light boil — usually when it is just starting to bubble is when I pour in the cornmeal. Whisk as you pour in the cornmeal. Keep whisking or stirring g with a spoon. Cook on medium heat. Careful if it boils because the cornmeal can splash out of the pot and burn you. Cook for 3 minutes or until thick and creamy. Serve.
enjoy from Our City Homestead to yours