One of my favorite recipes is a cornmeal dish that my Hungarian mom would make on Fridays to avoid eating meat on that day. We were raised Catholic and observed Fridays avoiding meat on that day of the week. Specifically, I looked forward to this cornmeal casserole called Pulaski versus eating fish as a child.
Puliska Ingredients
The recipe is very simple. It only requires 4 ingredients. This includes Water, Salt, Cornmeal, Swiss Cheese. The following is the amount of each ingredient needed.
- 5 cups of water
- Up to 2 cups of cornmeal
- Up to 1 Table Spoon of salt
- 16 oz of Swiss Cheese
Cornmeal Dish Preparation Steps
Add 5 cups of water and 1 Tablespoon of salt into a 2-quart pot. Once the water has started to boil. Slowly add the 2 cups of cornmeal. I constantly stir while adding in the cornmeal to avoid clumps of cornmeal. It should be a smooth consistency with no lumps. Once all the cornmeal is added to the pot, turn down the heat so that the cornmeal simmers for about 10 minutes (it actually bubbles).
Take the pot off the burner. Use a 2 quart or slightly large bowl for the next step. Spoon about half of the cornmeal into the bowl. Level the cornmeal. Add about half of the grated Swiss Cheese on top of the cornmeal spread evenly. Then add the rest of the cornmeal on top of the cheese. Once again, level the cornmeal. It should be about just below the lip of the bowl. Carefully add enough olive oil to barely cover the cornmeal.
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Then place the cornmeal into the oven and set the time for 40 minutes. It is ready when the top has turned golden brown. For us, this was a satisfying meal, especially during the winter months.
Like any European family tradition, we would enjoy this meal with a glass of white wine. Either a Chardonnay or a Sauvignon Blanc goes well with this cornmeal dish. Bona Petite!