Recipe of Dina Nikolaou,
a prominent Head Cook, food author and restaurateur
"Gastonomos" magazine of "KATHIMERINI" newspaper (2010)
Ingredients (for 25-30 truffles)
For the truffles:
150gr. of coarse semolina
5 tbsp of olive oil
1 pinch of ground cinnamon
1 pinch of ground cloves
For the syrup:
1 ½ tea-cup of water
1 tea-cup of honey (preferably thyme flavoured)
1 unwaxed lemon, the zest
For the coating:
1 tea-cup of pine nuts, toasted in a non-stick frying pan without any fat
To serve:
icing sugar
ground cinnamon
Method:
For the syrup, warm in a saucepan the water on medium heat and add the honey stirring with a wooden spoon until it is dissolved. *** No need to boil the mixture. Add the lemon zest, switch off the heat but keep the saucepan on the cooker ring so the syrup stays warm.
For the truffles, warm the oil in a large pot on medium heat. When it is very hot (almost fuming), gradually add the semolina, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon keeping the same temperature. After 4-5 minutes, when the semolina starts changing colour (but not burned), take the pot off the heat.
Using a ladle, very carefully add in the pot the syrup little by little while stirring at the same time with the wooden spoon. Transfer the pot back to the cooker ring, on low heat this time, again constantly stirring with the spoon until the semolina absorbs all the syrup and it doesn't stick anymore on the sides of the pot. Season with the cinnamon and the cloves and stir.
Take off the heat, cover the pot with a clean kitchen towel and leave aside for 5-6 minutes or until the halvas is lukewarm so to be able to handle it with bare hands.
Spread the toasted pine nuts on a tray. Take small quantities of the halva mixture and shape into balls not bigger than a small walnut. Roll the halva balls on the pine nuts so to get coated on all sides.
Transfer the balls on a serving platter, sprinkle with the cinnamon and the icing sugar and serve.
150gr. of coarse semolina
5 tbsp of olive oil
1 pinch of ground cinnamon
1 pinch of ground cloves
For the syrup:
1 ½ tea-cup of water
1 tea-cup of honey (preferably thyme flavoured)
1 unwaxed lemon, the zest
For the coating:
1 tea-cup of pine nuts, toasted in a non-stick frying pan without any fat
To serve:
icing sugar
ground cinnamon
Method:
For the syrup, warm in a saucepan the water on medium heat and add the honey stirring with a wooden spoon until it is dissolved. *** No need to boil the mixture. Add the lemon zest, switch off the heat but keep the saucepan on the cooker ring so the syrup stays warm.
For the truffles, warm the oil in a large pot on medium heat. When it is very hot (almost fuming), gradually add the semolina, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon keeping the same temperature. After 4-5 minutes, when the semolina starts changing colour (but not burned), take the pot off the heat.
Using a ladle, very carefully add in the pot the syrup little by little while stirring at the same time with the wooden spoon. Transfer the pot back to the cooker ring, on low heat this time, again constantly stirring with the spoon until the semolina absorbs all the syrup and it doesn't stick anymore on the sides of the pot. Season with the cinnamon and the cloves and stir.
Take off the heat, cover the pot with a clean kitchen towel and leave aside for 5-6 minutes or until the halvas is lukewarm so to be able to handle it with bare hands.
Spread the toasted pine nuts on a tray. Take small quantities of the halva mixture and shape into balls not bigger than a small walnut. Roll the halva balls on the pine nuts so to get coated on all sides.
Transfer the balls on a serving platter, sprinkle with the cinnamon and the icing sugar and serve.
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