Halva

Greek halva with raisins and orange blossom water

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5 from 4 votes

Greek halva is a simple Greek vegan dessert made with semolina.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Cooling time1

Total Time1 40

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Greek

Servings: pieces

Calories: 205kcal

Author: Mia Kouppa

Equipment

Ingredients

6 cups (48 ounces) water
2 cups granulated sugar
peel of one lemon
peel of one orange
3 cinnamon sticks
4 cardamon pods
1 cup Greek olive oil
2 cups thick or coarse semolina
1/2 cup raisins
1 tbsp orange blossom water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a medium saucepan combine the water, sugar, lemon and orange peels, cinnamon sticks and cardamon pods. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and simmer, covered, for approximately 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Remove spices and peels from the syrup and discard them.
2 cups granulated sugar, 6 cups (48 ounces) water, peel of one lemon, peel of one orange, 3 cinnamon sticks, 4 cardamon pods
In a large pot heat the olive oil and the semolina over medium heat. Stir well and cook, stirring constantly until the semolina starts to brown slightly and smells toasty. This should take about 10-15 minutes. Move pot off of the burner for the next step.
1 cup Greek olive oil, 2 cups thick or coarse semolina
Very carefully, add the syrup one ladel at a time, to the pot with the semolina and oil. It will likely splatter, so be very careful and be sure that there are no children or pets near the oven. Once all of the syrup has been added, return the pot to the heat. Reduce heat to low-medium.
Add in the raisins and the orange blossom water. Stir constantly. The mixture will thicken and begin to pull away from the sides as you stir it. When it has reached this consistency, remove from the heat and let it sit for a couple of minutes.
1/2 cup raisins, 1 tbsp orange blossom water
Ladle the mixture into a lightly greased mould, such as a bundt pan or a jell-o mould. You can use any mould you like, so long as it is heat resistant. Let the halva cool and refrigerate for at least one hour. Remove from mould and cut into serving pieces.
Enjoy!

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