Local Halva made with grape molasses
Ingredients
- 2 cups black flour
2 cups finely ground rusk (or 2 cups fine semolina) - 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ coarsely chopped unsalted almonds, but not roasted
- cinnamon powder
- 1 sachet sesame
For the syrup
- 1 and 1/3 cup water sugar
- 2/3 cup water molasses
- (if you don’t have molasses, add two cups sugar)
- 3 cups water
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
Roast the sesame seeds in a frying pan, stirring constantly so that they don’t burn and set aside.
Prepare the syrup. Bring the water, sugar and cinnamon stick to a simmer.
When it is ready, close the lid and leave it on.
Next to it, in a wide and shallow saucepan, pour the oil to heat and then add the coarsely chopped almonds. Stirring with a wooden spoon, slowly add the flour, to incorporate it with the oil and almonds. Then the rusk (or semolina), always stirring.
As soon as the mixture turns a light brown color, which means that our halva has started to bake, pour the syrup, stirring constantly with a spoon. Care is needed here because the syrup splashes as it falls into the hot mixture. Slowly the syrup is incorporated with the dough and baked.
We must not leave it too long because it will burn and our halva will become very dark and heavy.
Turn off the heat. Spread the mixture on a clean marble or kitchen counter or on the back of a large baking sheet and press it with your hand to make it even and uniform in thickness.
Cut pieces into rhombuses. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and cinnamon powder.
Sources
- Photo by Chef Telemachus/Ithaca
- Recipe by Ntinti Deftereou, Platrithias Ithaki
