Banosh

Ingredients

• 250 ml smetana or full-fat sour cream
• 250 ml double cream
• 250 ml water
• 200 g fine cornmeal
• 1 tsp salt
• 150 g smoked pork belly or streaky bacon, diced
• 150 g chestnut or wild mushrooms, sliced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 150 g brynza or feta, crumbled
• 20 g butter
• black pepper

Before you cook

• Dice the pork belly into 1 cm pieces.
• Slice the mushrooms and finely chop the onion.
• Crumble the brynza into a small bowl.
• Measure the cornmeal into a jug so you can pour it in a steady stream.

Steps

1. Fry the diced pork belly in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 8 minutes, until the fat runs and the pieces crisp.
2. Lift the cracklings out with a slotted spoon and leave the rendered fat in the pan.
3. Cook the onion in that fat for 3 minutes, until translucent.
4. Add the mushrooms and fry them for 6 minutes, until browned at the edges, then take the pan off the heat.
5. Pour the sour cream, double cream and water into a heavy saucepan and bring it to a bare simmer over medium heat, stirring.
6. Rain the cornmeal into the simmering cream in a thin stream, stirring hard with a wooden spoon so it cannot clump.
7. Add the salt and cook the porridge on low heat for 12 minutes, stirring constantly.
8. Keep stirring until small beads of fat separate out and shine on the surface, which is the sign the banosh is done.
9. Beat in the butter and take the pan off the heat.
10. Spoon the banosh into warm bowls and press a hollow into the middle of each one.
11. Fill the hollows with the mushrooms, scatter over the cracklings and crumbled brynza, and grind on black pepper.