Perfect dessert for fasting !

In Greece and  Cyprus term halva is used for both varietes of the dessert. Today i will not tell you a recipe for sesame halva but for an amazing semolina halva that we referre as 1-2-3-4, as it calls of one unit of oil, two of semolina, three of sugar and four of water. I will make a small change in sugar because i think its enough sweet with 2 1/2 cups of sugar. Lets make it :

Semolina Halva with raisins

        Ingredients:

1. 1 cup of olive oil
2. 2 cups of semolina
3. 2 1/2 cups of sugar
4. 4 cups of water
5. 1 cinnamon stick
6. 1 orange peel
7. 1 tbs cinnamon powder

       Method:

• On a small pot boil water with sugar, the cinnamon stick and the orange peel on low heat
• On a deep hot pot. put the olive oil and aftrer put the semolina, stir often until semolina becomes a bit more brown
• Put in cinnamon powder the raisins
• Remove the pots from the heat,remove the cinnamon stick from the sirup and put slowly, carefully put our sirup to the semolina, stir very good
• Put the pot to the fire again and let it become as "one" (  cook it for a minute ), then remove it from the heat, put it to a form and let it chill, when is not hot put it to the fridge and let it for 2 hours at least before you cut it.
• Sprinkle with cinnamon powder on the top.

Thats all folks for today, even on fasting times we can enjoy absolute amazing desserts without "sin" :) 

"Bougatsa'' with chocolate cream !

Whats up guys, Giordano here,

            On this post we gonna speak about a Greek pastry breakfast, called ''bougatsa'', consisting of either semolina custard, cheese or minced meat between layers of phyllo. Bougatsa is very popular in Thessaloniki, today i am gonna share with you an alternative recipe with chocolate and trust me when i say, you are gonna love this. Lets get started :

Bougatsa with chocolate cream

         Ingredients :

1. 14 sheets phyllo dough
2. 500 ml milk
3. 50 gr thin semolina
4. 30 gr flour
5. 2 eggs
6. 80 gr sugar
7. 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract/ 1 vanilla stick
8. 125 gr dark chocolate
9. powdered sugar and cacao for the top
10. 100 gr butter

        Method :

• On a pot, put the milk on medium heat.
• On a bowl hit the sugar, the eggs and the vanlla, add semolina and flour and keep hitting. Add a bit of milk on the bowl and whisk. Add all the mix form the bowl to the pot and bring it to simmer and whisk until it gets strong. Take off from the heat and add the chocolate in small peaces, whisk till chocolate melts. ( if you dont want with chocolate , you just dont put the chocolate inside. ). Let the cream get colder, if the cream is very strong add a little bit of milk more till it gets lighter.
• Pre-heat the oven at 180 C. Melt the butter and butter good an oven tray and put the first sheet of of phyllo, butter good the phyllo on the oven tray and put the second sheet on top, continue until you put 7.
• After you putted 7 sheets put the cream inside and spread it good everywhere
• Put another sheet of phyllo and butter good, and continue till you put 7 also. Keep in mind to butter it a lot so when you bake it it will stay as one together and be crunchy. Put all the butter left on the top of the last phyllo.
• Bake it on 180 C until it gets good red colour 30-45 minutes depends the oven, Put it high on the oven so the heat will go up and cook the bottom also.
• Take it from the oven , let it chill before you cut it . Cacao and powdered sugar for the top. ( if you dont make chocolate cream put cinnamon instead of cacao).

Thats all folks , how you and your family enjoy this amazing recipe for breakfast, see you next time !!!