ReceptnaptárKačamak (cornmeal porridge) with cheese and sour cream
Kačamak is the cornmeal porridge of the Serbian and Bosnian highlands, a filling dish of shepherds and farmers. It is cornmeal cooked until thick and served with salt, white cheese and sour cream. It is a relative of Italian polenta and recalls Hungarian puliszka. Few dishes are as welcome on a cold morning, and for all its simplicity the salty cheese and sour cream make it special.
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Ingredients
Method
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- Bring the water to the boil in a large pan and salt it.
- When it's boiling hard, turn the heat down low and sprinkle in the cornmeal in a thin stream, stirring vigorously all the time so it doesn't go lumpy.
- Cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon - the porridge gets thicker and may bubble and spit, so stir carefully.
- It's ready when it comes away from the sides of the pan and is thick and solid but still spoonable.
- If adding butter or bacon fat, stir it in now and keep stirring for another 2-3 minutes until smooth.
- Stir two-thirds of the crumbled cheese into the hot porridge to make it creamier.
- Spoon the porridge into deep plates and make a hollow in the top with the back of a spoon.
- Spoon sour cream into the hollow and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.
- Serve hot - once cold, the porridge sets hard and is difficult to eat.
A Receptnaptár original recipe. Calories and protein are estimated.
Tips
- Sprinkle the cornmeal into the water in a thin stream, stirring constantly: if it goes in all at once it turns lumpy, and that cannot be put right afterwards.
- Stir with a long-handled wooden spoon and take care, because the thickening porridge pops and spits and is extremely hot.
- For a smoky flavour, use bacon fat instead of butter and scatter fried bacon cubes over the top as well.
Frequently asked questions
What can I do with the leftovers?
Once cold, the porridge sets firm and can be sliced. Fried on both sides in butter or oil, it makes a crisp breakfast or side dish the next day.
Which cornmeal is best?
Medium-ground yellow cornmeal. Very coarse meal takes longer to cook, while instant polenta is ready in a few minutes but has a weaker flavour.
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More south slavic ideas
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- Popara - Serbian bread breakfast
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- Ajvar and cheese sandwich
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