Sweet Milky Pasta (Melksnysels) |
|
 |
Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes |
Ready In: 40 Minutes Servings: 8 |
|
This ancient recipe, which dates back several hundred years, was a treat which I grew up with. It's a wonderful supper for children, and also for adults . My maternal granny, who was certainly not wealthy, but rich in love and good cheer, used to make this for us, and my mom did too. It's a wonderful comfort food when cold winds are howling outside, and it makes you sleep like a baby. Do not be tempted to use commercial pasta. It is not the same by any means. This is so easy and quick to make from scratch. Explanation of the orange/lemon/nartjie peel seasoning (which can be subbed with orange or lemon cake essence at a pinch): even today cooks and bakers like to dry the loose peels of the nartjie, or tangerine (cousin to the mandarin orange). This peel is fragrantly citrussy, and the dried peel is chopped finely and used in baked desserts and in cookies. Whenever we ate nartjies as children, Mom would remind us that she wanted the peels to dry. When fully dry she kept them in a canning bottle. It's a delighful seasoning. The butter might seem extravagant, but this recipe comes from times when almost everyone had a cow and made their own butter, so it was not the expensive ingredient it is now. Note that prep time does not include the 30 mins resting the dough. Ingredients:
2 cups flour |
1 teaspoon salt |
2 eggs |
cold water or milk, to mix |
8 cups milk |
1/4 lb butter (or more, as up to 1/2 lb was used) |
1/2-1 teaspoon cinnamon (or use a few pieces cinnamon bark) |
2 tablespoons orange zest or 2 tablespoons lemon zest or 2 tablespoons finely chopped dried tangerine peel |
1 cup sugar |
Directions:
1. Mix the flour and salt in a bowl.
2. Whisk eggs lightly and add. Mix with the flour. Add water (or milk) carefully, little by little, mixing and kneading, until you have a soft, elastic dough.
3. Cover and leave for 30 minutes. Then roll out thinly on a floured surface (about 1/4 or 3 mm thick). Sprinkle flour over the dough, and spread lightly.
4. Do one of the following: either slice the dough into long, thin strips, OR roll up the dough lightly as you would a swiss roll, and slice thinly. These strips can be cut crosswise again, about 3 long.
5. Heat the milk, butter, cinnamon and citrus zest in a large pot, until it almost comes to a boil. Add the floured strips of dough and cook for 25 minutes over very gentle heat.
6. When the dough strips rise to the top (it may well be in less than 25 mins), add the cup of sugar, stir carefully, and simmer until the mixture is thick and creamy.
7. Ladle into bowls and enjoy while warm to hot. Extra cinnamon can be sprinkled on top.
|
|