Antjie

Antjie

Tuesday 3 April 2012

Old Fashioned Milk-food "Melk-kos"


Melk-kos (literally, ‘milk-food’) to me  it’s the ultimate winter comfort food!

It’s warm, sweet, stodgy, cinnamony and just delicious – trust me on this one!             

Making melk-kos looks complicated, but it’s easy enough when you know how, so here’s a step by step recipe:

You wil need the following:
  • 1/2 cup of flour
  • A little salt
  • Cold water
  • 3 cups of milk
  • Cinnamon and sugar to serve

Directions:

  1. Place the flour in a bowl, mix in the salt and add enough water to make a workable dough.
  2. Tip the dough out onto a floured surface (I usually work on a bread board) and knead it slightly to combine – no need for more, it’s not a bread dough, you just want to be able to roll it out.
  3. Cut the dough in half, set one half aside and roll out the other half until it is a paper-thin rectangle (roughly).  Use plenty of flour to prevent sticking.


4.  Cut the rectangle into strips about 5 or 6 cms wide.
5.  Pile the strips up on top of each other, with plenty of flour 
     between them.  



6.  Now cut across the pile with a very sharp knife to form thin little 
     strips –  try to almost ‘shave’ the dough. 
7.  Place them in a bowl and add several more heaped tablespoons 
     of flour.  Work the flour through the strips so that they are 
     separated, adding as much flour as you feel it needs.
8.  Repeat the process with the other piece of dough. You should 
     have bowlful of floured strips of dough when you are finished.



9.  Measure 3 cups of milk (and it may as well be full-cream, people, 
     this is NOT a diet recipe) into a large pot, and bring to the boil. 
     Turn down the heat.
10. Now sprinkle the strips of dough and the extra flour into the 
     boiling milk, stirring as you do so.
11. Allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until it is thick and 
     cooked (do a taste test), stir often to prevent it from sticking 
     and burning.


Dish up into bowls, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon (or let each person do their own!); it makes enough for 4 generous bowls. I think this could also be served as a dessert, then it would be enough for 6, but it must be served immediately.
And yes, I have made this when camping!!!!!!  

A bowl of melk-kos on a cold wintery afternoon, while sitting in front of a fire, is the perfect comfort food, very satisfying.