Poppy Pasteli

Some time ago, I had the brilliant idea that I'd make my own Halvah. The giant blocks at the Russian stores strike me as a bit questionable -- they never seem to change shape or size, which raises some questions about freshness. So, I went out and got myself some 2 pounds of sesame seeds from the bulk section at Winco, and promptly forgot about them. This is how my great ideas usually end. By the time I remembered this bag of seeds (or rather, found it under a pile of reusable grocery bags while tidying the pantry) my craving for halvah had passed.

These pasteli are roughly traditional Greek pasteli, only with added poppy seeds because we really like poppy seeds around here. Pasteli have been around since at least the 15th century BCE, so really that should be proof that they're pretty much timelessly delicious.

You'll need:
1 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup poppy seeds
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey


Heat your sugar and honey on a low heat. Once they're all mixed together, add your seeds and let them cook for about 15 minutes, stirring constantly. By this point, the seeds should have lost their initial pallor and become a rich golden brown. If they're still pale, keep cooking, otherwise transfer your mixture to a greased(!!!) piece of parchment paper or baking sheet and smoosh it down. Cut it before it cools if you want nice clean lines.

If you, like me, end up spreading your seed mixture onto an ungreased parchment paper -- fear not. You can get it off by simply heating a cookie sheet or pizza pan on the stove and laying the parchment+pasteli on it for a minute or so. The paper will peel right off, and make the whole thing easier to cut up as well.