Skip to main content
  • My Greek Table with Diane Kochilas

Recipe: Halva, Orange-Spiced Semolina Pudding Cake with Dried Fruits and Nuts

Support Provided By
halva
Courtesy of My Greek Table with Diane Kochila

This recipe was originally published on dianekochilas.com.

Halva, Orange-Spiced Semolina Pudding Cake with Dried Fruits and Nuts

Ingredients

  • 2 cups/400 g sugar
  • 1 cup/240 ml Greek honey
  • 3 cups/840 ml water
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 strip of orange peel
  • 6-8 Greek krokos (saffron) threads

Halva

  • 1 cup/240 ml extra-virgin Greek olive oil
  • 2 cups/350 g coarse semolina flour
  • 1 cup lightly toasted, unsalted pistachios
  • 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling as garnish
  • 1/2 cup/100 g dark seedless Greek raisins or currants
  • Ground cinnamon for garnish
  • Lightly oil an 8-in/20-cm ring mold.

Instructions

To make the syrup: Combine the sugar, honey, and water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar and honey have dissolved. Add the cinnamon stick and orange peel and simmer together for about 8 minutes, to make a loose syrup. Remove from the heat and set aside. Using a slotted spoon, remove the orange zest and cinnamon stick. Stir in the saffron.

To make the halva: Heat the olive oil in a large, wide pot over medium heat, and add the semolina. Cook, stirring, until the semolina begins to brown lightly, as if you were making a roux. This will take longer than you think! -- About 12 to 15 minutes. At that point, over low heat, using a ladle and with your face far from the pot’s opening, very slowly add the syrup to the semolina mixture, stirring vigorously with each ladleful. Add the nuts, additional cinnamon, raisins and orange zest. Continue to stir the halva mixture over low to medium heat for another 15 minutes or so, until the contents of the pot peel away from the sides. Remove from heat and spoon into a bundt or jellow mold or into individual tartlet or muffin molds. Cover with a kitchen towel and let the halva set at room temperature. You can then chill it or serve it at room temperature.

I love it with a side of Greek yogurt or Vanilla ice cream and a small dollop of any of the great tasting citrus-based Greek spoon sweets.

    Support Provided By
    Read More
    A black and white photo of an adult dressed as the easter bunny with a giant costumed head, holding a little girl on their left who gives it a kiss on the cheek and, with his right arm, holding a little boy who brings his hands to his eyes as though wiping away tears.

    Behold the Bunnies and Bonnets of L.A.'s Past Easter Celebrations

    The onset of the spring season heralds the arrival of fragrant flowers in bloom — and all the critters that enjoy them, including the Easter bunny and families who anticipate his arrival with egg hunts, parades and questionable fashion choices.
    A black and white image of an elephant holding a broom with its trunk. A man is seen near the elephant, walking towards the animal.

    Lions and Tigers and Cameras! How the Movies Gave Los Angeles a Zoo

    The early days of the movies in Los Angeles inadvertently allowed visitors to experience the largest collection of animals in the western United States. When animals weren't appearing in a movie, they were rented out to other film companies, performed for studio visitors, or in the case of filmmaker William Selig's collection — an opportunity to create one of Los Angeles' first zoos.
    A vertical, black and white portrait of a blonde woman wearing a sparkly four-leaf clover costume as she holds her arms out and extends a leg as though in a curtsy.

    Irish for a Day: L.A.'s History of 'Going Green' on St. Patrick's Day

    Whether it was a parade, dance, tea party, home celebration or just enjoying a good ol' wee dram of whisky, here's a photo essay of how Los Angeles donned its green apparel to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and embrace the luck o' the Irish over the years.