BBC - Radio 4 Woman's Hour -Arabic deserts: Helva

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	Arabic deserts: Helva	16 May 2006

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If you've ever had the good fortune to come across the sweetmeat helva or 'halva' then you probably associate it with a sweet sesame based paste pressed into a solid cake and maybe decorated with almonds or pistachios. But in the Middle East, Central Asia and India, 'helva' could and does mean all sorts of things. It's always a sweetmeat but some people make it with cooked carrots, others with semolina, potatoes, beetroot or yams. And you can get fruit helvas made with papayas oranges or bananas too.

Food historian and cookery writer Anissa Helou shows Anna McNamee how to make one of her favourite versions.

Mediterranean Street Food, published by Harper Collins - ISBN: 0-06-019596-7
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Cafe Morocco, published by Conran Octopus - ISBN 1 85029 958 7
The Fifth Quarter: An Offal Cookbook ISBN 1904573215

	Recipe for Turkish Flour Helva

150 g unsalted butter
50 g pine nuts
150 g plain flour
225 g golden caster sugar

Melt the butter in a heavy pan. Add the pine nuts and flour and stir over low heat until golden. This may take as long as 45 minutes but it must be done in order to get a nutty taste and a good helva.
Ten minutes before the flour is ready, put the sugar and 400 ml water in a saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Bring to the boil. Let bubble for a couple of minutes then pour over the flour, stirring quickly. Continue stirring until the mixture starts sticking to the pan. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 15 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and serve warm.

(serves 6)

From Nevin Halici's Turkish Cookbook (out of print) Publisher: Dorling Kindersley; (October 1989) ASIN: 0863183905