Coffee flavoured semolina halva, ideal for the pre Easter fasting days

The house smells like grandma's kitchen, with a different version of the beloved traditional halva.

Halva is without a doubt one of the most beloved traditional sweets in Greece - and in the past one of the most popular. After all, its name, which has an Arabic root, simply means "sweet", indicating its widespread popularity. Halvah, in various formations, is found in all Balkan and Eastern Mediterranean countries, spreading to the Arab and Middle Eastern countries, reaching as far as India and Pakistan.

In Greece, the most widespread types of halva are farsalinos, tachinenios which is particularly common during fasting and the home made semolina halva. Every type of halva has its fanatical friends, but the fact is that the halva is a simple and easy sweet, that awakens beautiful tasty memories in all of us.

The halva is made based on the unmistakable empirical recipe of 1-2-3-4, where the numbers mean the cups of olive oil, semolina, sugar and water used. Although extremely simple, sweet requires familiarity in order to have the delicious taste and enjoyable texture of a good halva. The recipe we present holds the tradition, but also gives it a delicious twist, with the addition of some Greek coffee. The result is fragrant and delicious!

What do we need for Halva with Greek coffee?

1 cup olive oil
1 cup of fine semolina
1 cup of thick semolina
3 cups of sugar
4 cup of water
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon of Greek coffee
1 cinnamon stick
1 orange peel
250 grams of almonds, coarse

How is Halva with Greek coffee prepared ?

Boil water, sugar, coffee, cocoa, cinnamon, orange peel in a saucepan. Once boiled, strain and keep the syrup warm.
In another saucepan, heat the oil, and roast the semolina for 5-7 minutes (depending on how dark you want your halva)
Add the almonds
Gradually incorporate the syrup with a spoon until the mixture begins to thicken.
Place in individual braids or large halva molds and allow to cool.

Tips for a delicious Coffee Halva

• The time of roasting largely determines the taste of our halva. With a little roasting, the halva comes out whiter and with a milder flavor, while the more roast the semolina, the more intense the taste. Coffee fits in with the dark roasted halvas, but that's a matter of taste.
• Greek coffee is used  for an extra "traditional" note, since its taste is tied to tradition.
• You can use whatever coffee you want or believe will give your syrup a better taste (espresso, filter or even instant)
• You can serve our coffee with chocolate icing, or decorate it with whole coffee beans.
• Roast the semolina over medium heat, so as not to burn
• Attention to the incorporation of the syrup: our mixture burns and splashes a lot, so if we don't pay attention not only you will get dirty, but burnt as well.
• Do not serve halva to children, as it contains caffeine - but you can make, by omitting the coffee, a cocoa halva.
• This halva is considered by some to be fasting, since it contains no animal products, while by others it is not, since it is based on olive oil. It is a matter of severity of fasting, but oftentimes the customs that prevail in every region.

Whether you fast or not, halva is a tasty traditional sweet, for most associated with Lent and preparation for Easter. With a teaspoon of Greek coffee, it becomes even more enjoyable - and the home smells like a favorite grandmother's kitchen.