‘Halvas’ – Greek Sweet Semolina Pudding with Raisins & Almonds [Vegan/Lent-Friendly]

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Good morning from Switzerland everyone! I am unfortunately in the middle of cramming for an assignment due Friday. I’m cursing everything around me while wishing I could just be sipping coffee at a beach bar in Athens. But I have to remind myself that I am studying for my MBA by choice and that I am learning a lot of useful things. No matter how painful and unnecessarily complicated the assignments might be!

But on a much brighter note Greek Easter is coming up soon, and for those of you who follow Greek Easter and/or might still be fasting (or “eating clean foods” as they say in Greece) I have a lovely Lent-friendly recipe for you today: Greek Halvas – a sweet semolina pudding with raisins & almonds.

Halvas is a well known Lenten food. However, I have always been hesitant to make it because I personally absolutely hate the dry halvas they make in Greece, as I find it to be really bitter. This soft and sweet halvas is absolutely unique and delicious though. Greeks generally make it by following the 1-2-3-4 rule… 1 cup of olive oil, 2 cups of semolina, 3 cups of water, and 4 cups of sugar.

What is semolina you ask? A coarse high-protein wheat often found in pasta, breakfast cereals, and couscous. It digests more slowly in the body, as it is made from durum wheat and not the softer wheat usually found in bread. It also has a low glycemic index. This is very beneficial for those looking to lose or control their weight and blood sugar. Unfortunately, this recipe also calls for the use of sugar, which I would normally try to avoid completely. But as this was my first time making my own halvas, I did not want to use honey for fear of altering the texture. But other recipes and articles indicate that anyone who wishes to should be fine using honey as a substitute.

I toasted the semolina in olive oil until it became golden and fragrant. Then I mixed it with a sugar, clove, orange peel, and cinnamon syrup. YUM! I also added raisins and almonds but you can choose different fruits or nuts or just add nothing at all. Traditionally the halvas is then pressed into a mold (usually a bundt cake mold), flipped upside down and served.

As the recipe is sweet I find a little bit goes a long way. So you can easily satisfy your sweet tooth with a small piece or slice. So this is a great little treat without all the guilt! My roommate also affectionally calls it upside-down turnaround cake, which I think is a very cute description for this dish!

I hope all of you still observing Lent get the chance to try to make this Greek sweet semolina pudding for yourselves before Greek Easter. And as always: enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories

307 cal

Fat

1 g

Carbs

63 g

Protein

11 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

The Greek Glutton

Yields 6 servings

'Halvas' - Greek Sweet Semolina Pudding with Raisins & Almonds [Vegan/Lent-Friendly]

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Ingredients

• 1 cup olive oil
• 2 cups semolina
• 3 cups sugar
• 4 cups water
• 2 cloves
• Orange peels
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• Raisins and roasted almonds (optional)
• Molds

Instructions

• Place the water, sugar, cloves, orange peels and cinnamon in a pot and bring to a boil
• Let boil for 5 minutes or until the mixture thickens and remove from heat
• In the meantime, heat up the olive oil in a different pot and mix in the semolina
• Toast the semolina on medium-high heat, stirring continuously, until golden brown and fragrant (about 5 minutes). Be careful to keep stirring as the bottom can burn very easily without you seeing it
• Pour the warm syrup into the semolina and cook on medium-high heat
• Stir until the mixture becomes very thick and starts to pull away from the sides of the pot (about 10 minutes)
• Add in the raisins and almonds and spoon into molds, smoothing the top over so that it is even, since we will be flipping it over
• Let the halva cool for about 30 minutes before flipping the mold over a plate and tapping it until the halva slips out

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