Halva (a Greek Sweet Using Semolina)

Total Time: 20 mins Preparation Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 15
• 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
• coarsely ground walnuts or pine nuts, toasted
• sesame seeds, toasted (optional)
• cinnamon

Recipe

• 1 dissolve the sugar in the water and milk and bring it to a bare simmer.
• 2 boil for 5 minutes and remove from heat.
• 3 at the same time, brown the semolina in the oil on medium-high heat, stirring continuously.
• 4 this should take 4-5 minutes. add the nutmeats for the last 2-3 minutes to toast them slightly.
• 5 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.
• 6 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).
• 7 unmold onto a platter and sprinkle with more walnuts, toasted sesame (optional) and cinnamon.
• 8 you should not put this dessert in the refrigerator.
• 9 it can keep for a few days outside the refrigerator, assuming you can gather enough will power not to eat it all at once.
• 10 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.