Ghomi

Ingredients

• 8¾ ozcornmealcoarsely ground, white; base of the porridge
• 2¾ ozcorn flourfinely ground, added at the end to thicken
• 4¼ cupswaterfor cooking the porridge, top up hot if needed
• 1 tspsaltinto the cooking water
• 8¾ ozsulgunifresh, sliced or torn into chunks; mozzarella as substitute
• 1 ozbutterstirred in or placed on top (optional)
• 2¾ ozSmoked sulguni cheesein addition to the fresh cheese, cut into sticks (optional)
• black pepperto taste (optional)

Method

1. Set out both grinds of corn: the coarse white cornmeal that forms the body of the porridge, and the fine corn flour you'll use to thicken it at the end.
2. Bring the water to a boil with the salt in a heavy pot.
3. Let the coarse cornmeal rain into the boiling water in a thin stream, stirring hard the whole time so nothing clumps.
4. Lower the heat and let the porridge simmer, stirring regularly — 25 to 35 minutes depending on the grind and your taste, though in some kitchens it goes as long as two hours. Crush any lumps against the side of the pot with your spoon and top up with hot water if it gets too stiff.
5. Scatter in the fine corn flour and keep stirring until the mass thickens noticeably and starts pulling away from the bottom of the pot.
6. Stir in the butter if you like, and season with black pepper.
7. Spoon the hot porridge onto plates using a dampened spoon, pressing a hollow into each portion as you go.
8. Lay the pieces of sulguni on or into the hot porridge, give the cheese a moment to soften and melt, and serve straight away.

Tips and variations

Both the coarse cornmeal and the fine corn flour are best bought at a market — packaged supermarket products are considered unsuitable here. Alternatively, scatter the coarse cornmeal into cold water, bring it up to a simmer together while stirring, then continue with step 4. You can also work with the coarse grind alone and skip the fine flour altogether; the butter either gets stirred through or is set on top once the porridge is plated. It's especially good with a mix of fresh and smoked sulguni, the smoked one cut into sticks. Made without any cheese at all, ghomi is the classic partner for satsivi, kharcho or beans — and stays on its own plate while you eat.