I will try something new for my blog and I will give you recipes for my cooking creation as many of you ask for that . Greek semolina halvah will be my first try and the recipe is from my favorite chef Ali’s petretzikis and the photograph is from my cooking results. If you love this send me your comments and I will continue give you recipes from my favourite foods and saw you the way to create it and try taste some of my country traditional kitchen. Please leave me your feedback to let me know if you like it .

Ingredients

3/4 cup sunflower oil
1 cup semolina, coarse
1 cup semolina, fine
3 cups granulated sugar
4 cups water
zest, of 3 oranges
1 teaspoon(s) cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon(s) cloves
1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
150 g almond slivers

Method
Preheat the oven to 180° C (356° F) set to fan.
Toast the almond slivers in a shallow baking pan lined with parchment paper for 5-8 minutes.
In a non-stick pot saute the vegetable oil with the fine semolina and coarse semolina, over medium-low heat.
Stir the mixture continuously for about 4-5 minutes, until the semolina becomes golden brown. Do not rush this process since semolina burns easily.
Sauteeing the semolina gives it a rich and nutty flavor.
When ready, add the brown sugar, water, orange zest, cinnamon, and cloves.
Stir for another 10 minutes until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble. You will know it is ready when it starts to pull away from the bottom of the pan.
Add the almonds and stir.
Transfer the mixture into a 22 cm halvah mold pan and press it into the pan to give your halvah a nice shape. You can hit the cake pan on a hard surface to make sure the mixture settles and no gaps are left and your halvah is nice and compact.
Turn it out after 5 minutes.
Halvah can be eaten warm or cold. Serve it with some Greek strained yogurt or ice cream, sprinkle some cinnamon, orange zest, and mint leaves.