Helva – or Halva – as it more often appears in print, comes in many variations in Middle Eastern cooking. Some years ago, the sweet (and somewhat nutritious) form made with ground sesame seeds, sweetened with sugar, and sometimes other ingredients, such as pistachio nuts or even chocolate. If you’ve never experienced it, imagine a very sweet tahini (tahine) paste that has been compressed into a candy. Like so many of the sweets of the Middle East, Halva is incredibly sweet and rich, but completely lovely in small pieces. It’s a confection now so commonly found in whole food stores, gourmet shops and even supermarkets that few actually make it anymore….it would be kind of like trying to recreate a twinkie….why bother…..
But there is another sweet, also known as helva (or Imrig Helva, in Armenian) that is both easy to make, more nutritious and not so very, very sweet. It’s also shares nothing with sesame seeds – except maybe its name.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Cream of Wheat (the basic old-fashioned one) or farina ‘
- ½ lb of butter (do NOT use margarine in this one!)
- 1 Cup sugar
- 2 Cups Water (some people prefer to use 1 cup of water and 1 cup of Milk)
- 1/8 cup pine nuts or pistachios (optional)
Method 1- makes a helva that has a creamy sort of feel to it.
- Mix water (and milk, if used) and sugar together in a saucepan and heat to boiling.
- As the water gets hotter, cup the butter into pieces and add to the heating mixture.
- When the butter has completely melted and the mixture has come to a boil, add the farina or Cream of Wheat.
- Add the pine nuts or pistachios (if you use them).
- Lower the heat and cook, stirring constantly to avoid burning.
- When the mixture become thickened to the point of a thick, hot cereal, take it off the heat and pour/spread it evenly onto a dinner plate.
- Allow to cool to a warm state, cut into small diamonds, and serve.
Method 2 – makes a helva that is drier and flakier.
- Dissolve the sugar in the water (and/or milk) mixture, bring to a boil and then keep it simmering on a low heat.
- Melt butter in a heavy skillet.
- Add farina (Cream of Wheat) and nuts, if used, and then sauté over a low heat, until it absorbs all the butter and browns slightly. DO NOT BURN!
- Reheat the sugar syrup until it again reaches the boiling point.
- Pour this slowly over the farina/butter mixture, stirring constantly – until it has all been completely mixed in.
- Cover the pan and keep it on a very low heat for about 8 minutes.
- Pour/spread it onto a dinner plate and allow it to cool until warm.
- Serve as above.
Alternatively, some individuals keep “chopping up” the mixture, as it cooks over the low heat, so that it comes out more like a flaky pilaf. It is then served warm, in bowls – sometimes, with a little bit of cream over the top.
