5 min
Boil the salted water
Measure 900 ml water into the heavy pot. Stir in the level teaspoon of coarse salt and bring the water to a full boil.
Fresh Sheep Caș and Hot Cornmeal
A mild, fresh sheep cheese softens between layers of firm Romanian mămăligă in this simple serving from a documented Sibiu-region pairing.
Caș de oaie cu mămăligă brings together two foods associated with the pastoral table around Mărginimea Sibiului: sheep-milk cheese and Romanian cornmeal porridge. The regional tourism information describes mămăligă served with milk, cheese or jintiță as basic shepherd food. That context supports the pairing, but it does not define one fixed recipe. This card follows a published home-style method for layering mămăligă with caș in a serving bowl, then resting it briefly so the cheese softens. It is a practical version of a documented pairing, not a claim about every household or an official regional formula.
Fresh caș is a young, mild sheep-milk curd cheese. Its taste and moisture vary by producer, age and draining, so it should not be treated as interchangeable with brined telemea or a firmer aged cheese. The cheese amount is set here at 300 g for three portions because the selected no-bake source gives the method but not a cheese weight. Crumbling the cheese rather than slicing it creates small pockets that warm against the hot cornmeal without turning the filling into a uniform paste.
Mămăligă needs only water, coarse cornmeal and salt. Bring the water to a full boil before adding the cornmeal in a steady stream; this timing helps the grains disperse instead of clumping. Stir as you pour, then cover the pot and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes. The source method keeps the lid on while the cornmeal cooks. Stir occasionally to keep the bottom from catching, and use a long wooden spoon as the porridge thickens. The finished texture should be cohesive and firm enough to hold its shape in a serving bowl.
The layering is simple: spoon in half the hot mămăligă, scatter the crumbled caș over it, and cover with the rest. A deep bowl gives the dish its molded shape. Cover the bowl with a plate and invert it carefully while the contents are hot; use dry oven mitts or a folded towel if the bowl is difficult to hold. Leave the bowl in place for 5–10 minutes. Residual heat softens the cheese, but this brief rest does not cook raw-milk cheese, which is why this version specifies pasteurized sheep-milk caș.
When you lift away the bowl, the mămăligă should hold a rounded shape and reveal a softened white cheese layer when cut. Serve it warm, while the cornmeal remains tender and the cheese is just beginning to soften. The source describes additional accompaniments such as fried pork cracklings, eggs or yogurt as optional serving ideas, but they are not included here because the roster item centers on caș and mămăligă. Keeping the plate focused makes the mild sheep cheese easy to taste.
The source gives 900 ml water, 300 g cornmeal and one level teaspoon of coarse salt for three servings. It leaves the quantity of caș unspecified; the 300 g used here is an editorial measurement to make the recipe reproducible. A separate Romanian cookbook gives another preparation with 500 g fresh sheep caș, more cornmeal, sour cream and an oven bake. That is a different version, so its cream and baking step are not combined with this covered, molded serving. Recipe names and methods vary; the source boundary is recorded so the dish is not presented as more uniform than the evidence supports.
Fresh cheese is perishable. Keep the caș refrigerated while you prepare the mămăligă and take it out only when ready to crumble. Choose cheese made from pasteurized milk; the hot porridge and short covered rest soften it but do not bring raw-milk cheese to a verified safe temperature. Wash hands and use a clean board or bowl for the cheese. Serve soon after molding. If you have leftovers, refrigerate them promptly in a covered shallow container and reheat thoroughly; the firm cornmeal will become denser as it cools.
The texture can be adjusted by the cornmeal grind and how long it cooks, but keep the source proportions and covered cooking method for this version. A coarser meal gives a more textured, sturdy result; a very fine meal thickens faster and can feel smoother. Fresh caș should remain in small crumbles rather than be beaten into the porridge. If the molded portion is too soft to hold, let the mămăligă cook until cohesive before layering and allow the full covered rest. If the cheese tastes salty, do not add extra salt to it; the measured salt belongs in the cooking water.
