Serves 8 – 10 persons
This is an easy, quick and affordable staple of many Greek households. You can serve it simply in a bowl straight from the pan with a sprinkling of cinnamon and a few chopped toasted nuts or you can jazz it up adding ice cream, meringues, chocolate decorations, edible flowers, etc. making it a stunning centre piece.
Below is a list of things to add for more flavour, texture and beauty. Your guests will think that you spent hours making it!
I learned this recipe in my childhood and we always measured with a glass or cup. It helps to remember the recipe if you use this method. I use cups of 200ml for mine and it makes enough for 8-10 persons.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of corn or sun flower oil (I use about ¾ of the cup to make it less calorific)
- 2 cups of semolina (I use a mixture of coarse and fine as I like the combination of textures)
- 3 cups of caster sugar (I use just a little over 2 cups for health reasons and because I don’t like things too sweet but
- better still you can use any type of sweetener bearing in mind though that it will alter the flavour).
- 4 cups water
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
Method
- Heat the oil in a deep pan. Add the semolina and stir with a wooden spoon continuously till its nutty aromas come out and looks golden.
- Take pan off the heat and add the sugar giving it a stir and then the water from a little distance as it may splash. Add the vanilla and put back on a medium heat stirring continuously till all the water is absorbed and the halva is cooked.
- At this point, you can add anything you like to flavour your halva (see some ideas below). In a restaurant I like in Heraklion, they add a bit more water so it is a little runny and serve it warm in a bowl with just toasted crushed almonds and cinnamon.
I like it in the thicker consistency so that I can put in a pretty mould and turn upside down to decorate before taking to the table to serve individually. I also find that my guests enjoy the theatre of me serving it adding the various elements that make it look special.
For the citrus variation, I use 1 tsp cinnamon powder, 1/3 tsp ground cloves and the zest of 2 oranges.
For the chocolate topping, I make a chocolate ganache by heating up 100 ml of cream, adding it to 75g of finely chopped 70% cocoa solids chocolate and stirring it to a lovely glossy consistency and letting cool a little before pouring over.