Cheese Halva with Halabi Pistachios

Ingredients

• 1½ cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup Halabi pistachios, ground
• 1 cup 'farikha' flour or fine semolina
• ½ kg shredded mozzarella cheese
• orange blossom water
• sugar syrup (qatr or shireh)
• At this stage add a little orange blossom water. Pour the mixture, or the dough-like mixture that has formed, while hot onto a piece of plastic wrap brushed with syrup and cover it with a second piece of plastic wrap also brushed with syrup
• Spread the dough that is now between the two syrup-coated sheets of plastic wrap; roll or stretch it with a rolling pin until it is thin to taste. Fill it lengthwise with any available qashta (clotted cream) and roll the dough into a log.
• Chill the cheese halva in the refrigerator before serving. If you prefer, instead of mixing the Halabi pistachios into the mixture you can sprinkle them after pouring the cheese mixture onto the plastic while it is hot; you can then dust on
• You can pour the syrup (qatr/shireh) over the cheese halva after removing it from the refrigerator or at serving time, according to preference.
• To prepare the syrup we need: 1 cup sugar and ½ cup water with 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon orange blossom water...
• The recipe and method for making Cheese Halva with Halabi Pistachios are from a friend and cook on the Sho Tabkhin Today website:
• Naima Ibrahim
• Click on Naima's name to visit her profile on our site and see her delicious recipes
• #recipes #recipe #cheese_halva
• #ShoTabkhinToday

Method

1. Bring the sugar and water to the boil, and just before it reaches boiling, add the ground Halabi pistachios and 1 cup of fine semolina (or semolina flour) while continuing to stir until you obtain a smooth mixture....
2. Add the shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the mixture, continuing to stir until the ingredients come together and the cheese melts.
3. At this stage, add a little orange blossom water. Pour the mixture, or the dough-like mass formed, onto a sheet of plastic wrap brushed with syrup and cover with a second sheet of plastic wrap also brushed with syrup. Roll out the dough between the two syrup-brushed sheets until it is thin to taste. Fill it lengthwise with any available cream and roll the dough into a log..
4. Chill the cheese halva in the fridge before serving. Depending on preference, instead of mixing the Halabi pistachios with the filling you can sprinkle Halabi pistachios after pouring the cheese mixture onto the plastic wrap while it is hot; you can then sprinkle the Halabi pistachios before rolling out with the rolling pin.
5. The syrup can be poured over the cheese halva after removing it from the fridge or at serving, as desired.
6. To prepare the syrup you need: 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water with 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon orange blossom water...