Halva (A Greek Sweet Using Semolina)
- 1 cup best quality olive oil (or you can use a combo of 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/2 cup corn oil or butter, anything totalling 1 cup)
- 2 cups fine ground semolina
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups milk
- Garnish
- coarsely ground walnuts or pine nuts, toasted
- sesame seeds, toasted (optional)
- cinnamon
- Dissolve the sugar in the water and milk and bring it to a bare simmer.
- Boil for 5 minutes and remove from heat.
- At the same time, brown the semolina in the oil on medium-high heat, stirring continuously.
- This should take 4-5 minutes. Add the nutmeats for the last 2-3 minutes to toast them slightly.
- When the semolina has taken a golden brown colour, add the syrup to it (taking care not to burn your hands, as this bubbles and steams up excessively- be prepared!), turn down the heat and keep stirring until you get a kind of thick porridge. Continue cooking until the mixture is very thick and pulls away from the sides of the pan as you stir.
- Spoon into a buttered or oiled bundt pan and pack down with the back of a spoon. Let it cool. (I use a silicone bundt pan for this - eliminates the need to grease, and my halvah comes out in a pretty pattern).
- Unmold onto a platter and sprinkle with more walnuts, toasted sesame (optional) and cinnamon.
- You should not put this dessert in the refrigerator.
- It can keep for a few days outside the refrigerator, assuming you can gather enough will power not to eat it all at once.
- Some oil may start to drain off after a day or so, but this is to be expected, just dab it away with some kitchen paper.
olive oil, ground semolina, walnuts, sugar, water, milk, ground walnuts, sesame seeds, cinnamon
Taken from www.food.com/recipe/halva-a-greek-sweet-using-semolina-83998 (may not work)