POLENTA, EGGS AND A SPECIAL CHEESE FROM TRANSYLVANIA

It is such a big joy!! We received this cheese, very special, nowhere else on the planet, the Shepard make this cheese..."BRINZA DE BURDUF" cheese stored in an evergreen tree bark.....

My husband is so happy, his sister brought this cheese from Bran, Transylvania were is their family's home....

The cheese is very specific to southeastern Transylvania, Romania. It is salty type of cheese, with sheep's-milk cheese, has a strong flavor and slightly soft in texture.

 To obtain it, sweet caş ( =unsalted feta cheese) is cut into small pieces, salted and then hand-mixed in a large wooden bowl. The mixture is then placed in a sheep’s stomach, or into a sheep’s skin that has been carefully cleaned and sawed on the edges, or in a tube made of pine bark. The cheese can be consumed even if kept for a long time in a sheep’s stomach or in a sheep’s skin. If kept in pine bark, the cheese gets a specific pine resin flavor. ( From Wikipedia).

We can eat this wonderful cheese many way, and I would like to put a recipe that is the most comforting, deliciously and bring so much child memories, from our winter dinner.

We make first MAMALIGA (known here as polenta). I used to make polenta in a special pot, mixing and mixing corn meal and water until become a heavy consistency. My mother is telling me I should use microwave to boil polenta, it is easy and is very good. If my mother is making mamaliga by microwave.... why not me?

Put one cup and 3 cups water, in a microwavable bowl, 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 minutes, high power, mix well, 3 more minutes, mix well and last 3 more minutes, to have a very well made "polenta... hot and soft, ready to eat!

Put mamaliga in a oven proof  container, and make 4 little hot in it, were I am going to put a fresh egg. You can use only one cup for one portion.

Add cheese: it is already crumbled in the bark content, and put in oven for 5 minutes to be well cooked.

The cheese is melted, the eggs are well done and you will have a perfect dish, hot, ya-my and gouwee....