You are on page 1of 8

Krupica Halva sa medom

Sastojci
2/3 alice maslinovog ulja
1 alice grubo griz
1 alice meda
4 alice vode
1 cimet stick
10 nokte enja
Malo narane korica
Cimet ribani za posluivanje
Instrukcije
U lonac, dodajte maslinovo ulje i samo izgorjeti dodati griz i mijeajte stalno. U drugom lonac za
pirjanje kuhati vodu s medom do sirupa zgusne i onda dodati u griz i mijeajte dok se smjesa
homogena. Ulijte Halva stane i kada hladi posluite s cimetom.

Halvathe kind made with semolinais one of my favorite Greek desserts (it might actually be
Turkish in origin). I get to eat it just a few times a year, at family get togethers and on the rare
occasion I encounter it on a menu. But Ive only tried making it recently, and the first time was a
disaster.
I tend not to trust most online Greek recipes and I dont have any Greek cookbooks. I figure that
my family is my most reliable source of Greek recipes. But, when I recently found a recipe for
semolina halva on the Food Network site, I couldnt resist. Partly, I was surprisedand, oddly,
proudto find a recipe that seemed so much like something I grew up with. And partly I couldnt
wait any longer for my family to come through on a recipe.
Though Im sure the recipe is great, it totally failed me. I must have done something wrong. Or
maybe I was comparing it too closely to my grandmothers halva. Either way, I didnt like it and
didnt try again. Until this weekend, when I finally got a recipe from my great aunt, an insanely
talented home cook and the keeper of our familys culinary history.
Thrilled to finally have her on the line, I grabbed my computer, the phone folded in the crick of
my neck, and got ready to take notes. She began, You need about 1 cup semolina. You know, I use
the tall glasses to measure. The ones for water. Use one of those.

I should have expected this. After my grandmother passed away, my mother and I prepared to
absorb the secrets hidden in yiayias cooking notebook. We nestled together and, feeling wistful,
leafed through the recipes. Doesnt that mean teacup? I asked, unsure of my Greek. Yes, my
mother answered.
Wait. And thats the word for glass, right? I continued. My mother explained that my
grandmother didnt use proper measuring cups and spoons. It was all about ratios (and were
talking pre-Ruhlman, people!). Yiayia used the glasses, mugs and spoons shed had since shed
gotten married, the ones she carried here with her from Greece. They worked for her every time.
My moms explanation jogged my memory: I flashed on my grandmothers kitchen, the table
strewn in a tableware version of mise-en-place.
So, there I was again, deciphering ratios communicated mostly in English, some in Greek. It was
comforting. And kind of exciting. Because it left room for me to trust my own cooking instincts. It
gave me the chance to be a part of my familys cooking history, not just replicate it.
Some notes on cooking
Now Im going to be like my family only more clear. Ive been very specific with the cooking
times in my recipe below, but you also have to feel your way through this recipe.
Youre going to start by browning the semolina. This step reminds me of making a rue for gumbo.
You want the semolina to get brown. Seriously brown. You obviously dont want to burn it, but be
fearless. Allow the semolina to darken and get very fragrant. The darker it gets, the better the
flavor. See this color brown? Look at the almonds, in particular. They look almost as if they are
about to get too brown, right? Well, you want it to get even a little darker.

Once you brown the semolina, youll add a simple syrup. Then you want to cook down the mixture
until it thickens. A LOT. You cook it until its basically a (soft) solid that can be molded. This looks
thick, right?

Well, its not even close.


This is better

But still not there.


Now were starting to get somewhere! See how you can pretty much scoop this around and it
wont move? Thats how you want it.

Think about it this way: When this step is done, youre going to put it into a bundt mold where it
will solidify further, but not much. So this step isnt done until you have something thats very
close to being sliceable.
Now scoop the semolina it into a mold.

And cover it up. While you wait for it to take form, make a topping of chopped almonds or
walnuts and cinnamon. Simply pulse in a food processor, then set aside.

You dont need to make a topping. The halva is delicious on its own. But, it makes the difference
between this:

And this:

Then, slice and serve!


Its delicious. Like CANT RESIST delicious. I even had to keep the Hungry Papa from eating it,
right off of the serving plate, before dinner!

And the Hungry Boy. Well, this is what his plate looked like after seconds.

Its what your plate will look like too. Promise.


Semolina Halva
serves 4-6
(can be served to kids 12+ mos)*

2 c sugar
3 c water
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 c canola oil
1 c semolina (I used a 50/50 combo of fine & coarse ground; you can use one or the other, or
even just supermarket purchased farina)
1/4 c slivered almonds
1/8 c walnuts or additional slivered almonds
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1. Get a simple syrup started: combine sugar, water and cinnamon sticks in a saucepan over
medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Lower heat to
low-medium and allow to cook until you complete step 2. Make sure that your syrup remains
thin! If its starting to thicken and youre not yet done with step 2, remove it from the heat and set
aside. Its better for this to be too thin than too thick.
2. Add oil and semolina to another medium to large sauce pan over high-low heat. Brown the
semolina, stirring constantly. This step is very similar to making a rue for gumbo. Be fearless. You
dont want the semolina to burn, but you want it to darken quite a bit. Halfway through this step,
about 7-8 minutes through, add the almonds. This step should take a total of about 15 minutes.
3. When youve achieved the right color, pour the syrup into the semolina and almond mixture. It
will bubble and pop at first. Keep stirring until all of the syrup is combined with the semolina.
Turn the heat to low-medium and cook down for about 20-25 minutes, stirring frequently,
especially towards the end of cooking. Keep in mind that its during this step that you achieve 95%
of the desserts firmness. You should have something that forms firm peaks and is sliceable at the
end of the cooking time.
4. Scoop halva into a 6 cup mini-bundt or any small mold. Immediately cover with a kitchen
towel or lid. Set aside until just warm or completely cooled and firm to the touch.
5. In the meantime, pulse walnuts or additional almonds and cinnamon in a food processor until
you get a fine chop (see picture above). When ready to serve, remove halva from mold and
sprinkle with nut and cinnamon topping.
*Note: This can be served to children under 12 months old. In fact, the consistency, with the
exception of the almond pieces, is great for little ones. While the Hungry Baby was given a small
taste (or two!), I recommend sharing this with older babies due to the high sugar content.

- See more at: http://onehungrymama.com/2010/09/recipe-semolina-halva-withstep-by-step-photo-instructions/#sthash.k7pPIY6a.dpuf

You might also like