Halvah
3 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
1 lemon (peel only)
1/2 cup butter
1 cup coarse semolina or farina
4 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons blanched chopped almonds
3 tablespoons whole blanched almonds
Combine the water, sugar, cinnamon stick, cloves, and lemon peel (or 1
tablespoon lemon juice) in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil
for 10 minutes, then cool. Meanwhile, slowly melt the butter in a heavy
saucepan, and cook for several minutes, without browning. Stirring
constantly with a wooden spoon, slowly add the semolina or farina. Cook
over low heat until the mixture turns a golden chestnut color; do not
brown. Add 2 tablespoons of the pine nuts and chopped almonds and
continue cooking 1 more minute.
Remove cinnamon stick, cloves, and peel from the cooled syrup. Gradually
add the syrup to the semolina mixture, stirring with a long-handled
wooden spoon; the mixture will bubble furiously. Cook over the lowest
possible heat until the syrup has been absorbed and the mixture
thickens. Remove from the heat and drape with a clean towel for 10
minutes. Turn into a mold, spreading with a knife or a spatula. Cool,
then reverse onto a serving platter, sprinkle with cinnamon, and garnish
decoratively with the remaining pine nuts and the whole almonds. Cut
into small, diamond-shaped pieces.
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