Turkish semolina halva (irmik halvasi)
Semolina! And listen; hear us out. We know that kids of a certain era were traumatised by bland, milky semolina ‘pudding’ but it’s lucky that other cultures do way more inspiring things with it than reduce it to pallidness. Like the Turks, for example, who make this. A delicious, classic dessert, irmik halvasi is a type of halva commonly made for Eid, or to celebrate important occasions. Easy to make in large quantities, it’s traditionally shared amongst friends and neighbours and it can be flavoured in various ways. You can add cinnamon, cardamom, rose water or citrus zests to the mix, for example and when you serve it, you can either lightly compact it into a moulded shape, as here, or you can pile it loose into small bowls. Serve it warm, or at room temperature, and top it with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or, if you’re more virtuous than us at pudding time, Greek yoghurt.
This is one of those recipes that reads as overly simple – artless, even – with its very few ingredients. But the genius of it is that those few staples make something way better than the sum of their parts. You do need to patiently toast the semolina grains in butter until they’re golden and smell like a batch of just-baked biscuits before adding the milk, though. Why toast? Because it enhances the flavour no end, making the dish taste nutty and rich (have you read our article about the Maillard reaction? It’s basically that.) The toasting also helps the semolina retain texture and not simply collapse into the mush that might have haunted your childhood. A properly cooked version will end up with some texture. Toasting also gives a lovely golden colour and also helps the semolina absorb the milk mixture better. Do NOT skip the toasting! You will have made semolina ‘something’ if you do, but it won’t be fabulous irmik helvasi and you’ll be eating it on your own.
SERVES 6
100g unsalted butter
125g (1 cup) coarse semolina
500ml (2 cups) milk
220g (1 cup) caster sugar
40g (¼ cup) pine nuts, lightly toasted
whipped cream or vanilla ice-cream, to serve
Melt the butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the semolina, then cook, stirring constantly, for 15 minutes or until the semolina has turned a few shades darker and it smells biscuity.
Meanwhile, combine the milk and sugar in a saucepan, then heat over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the milk mixture to the semolina, taking care as the mixture will spit and steam, stirring vigorously to combine well. Add the pine nuts, then stir for about 2 minutes or until smooth. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, then cook, undisturbed, for 4-5 minutes or until the mixture is very thick. Remove form the heat and cool. Fluff the semolina with a fork to separate the small clumps, then divide among small bowls and press in lightly. Invert onto serving plates, then serve warm, or at room temperature, with whipped cream.
