SEMOLINA DESSERT (İrmik Helvası)

This recipe was requested by Şerif who is in USA and feeling homesick. He was willing to cook some helva but missing the recipe. So now he can make his own helva. It's a very simple way of making it, so simple that it takes less than 20 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients:

• 100 g semolina
• 100 g sugar
• 100 g margarine or butter
• 100 g pine nuts
• 400 mL water

*more simply; measure 1 cup of semolina, 1 cup of sugar, 2 cups of water. Margarine amount can be adjusted according to taste or calorie concerns.

Preparation:

• In a saucepan briefly roast the pine nuts until they get a bit dark and take them to a bowl.
• Add margarine and semolina in saucepan and roast until semolina gets pinkish.
• In 400 mL hot water, add the sugar and stir to dissolve.
• When semolina is pinkish or starts sticking to the saucepan, add the sugary water and mix all. (Be careful in adding water; saucepan is very hot and water can splash to your face. Just don't bend over the saucepan.)
• Add half of the pine nuts into the saucepan and cook all until water is absorbed (which takes minutes).
• Transfer to a serving bowl and decorate with the rest of the pine nuts.