Sweet semolina wedges

Sabine

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A few days ago, both by kids woke up feeling unwell –  just a little winter cold, but enough to stay at home and get some rest. I could see a sparkle of joy in my son´s eyes when I said it was ok to stay in their pyjamas all day long. Clearly, a little extra comfort would be the best remedy I could provide. In times past, this would have been the kind of moment when my mother would ask me: Shall I make some semolina wedges for you?

And that´s what I did that day. Soon, the scent of melted butter, sugar & cinnamon delured my little patients to sneak  into the kitchen, and when I handed them the warm, crisp wedges  “pour déguster” (to try them) , I could read in their faces that it did to them what it once did to me: One crunchy bite and you´ll feel the warmth go down your tummy, make you feel at ease and instantly better, like being caressed from the inside.  These sugary, cinnamon semolina wedges are the sweet equivalent to chicken soup, and the humblest, lowliest of pleasures.

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Semolina wedges (makes about 30 small triangles, serves 2-3):
125 g semolina (semoule moyenne)
500 ml milk
1 tbsp sugar
1 pinch salt
1 egg yolk

sugar & cinnamon

In a saucepan, bring milk with salt and 1 tbsp sugar to a boil. Using a hand whisk, whisk in the semolina, stirring vigorously to avoid lumps. Stir in the egg yolk.

Place a layer of cling film on a large cutting board. Place the semolina mixture on the board, cover with a second layer of cling film, and spread out evenly with a palette knife, or rolling pin to obtain a rough rectangle of about 0.5-1 cm thickness (dimensions 20 x 30 cm approx.). Take away the upper cling film. Leave to cool for 20-30 min, until firm.

With a sharp, clean knife, trim edges of the rectangle. Cut rectangle length- and crosswise, then a few times diagonally to obtain 32 small triangles.

On a large plate, mix a few tbsp sugar with 1 tbsp cinnamon.

Melt butter in a frying pan until it sizzles. Over medium heat, fry semolina wedges from both sides until golden. While hot, transfer to the prepared plate and cover with sugar & cinnamon on both sides. Serve hot.

22 Comments

    1. So great to hear you´ll try. It´s a real childhood treasure, or rather a secret weapon for those days when one isn´t really well, but not ill enough NOT to eat !

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  8. Oh those wedges look and sound absolutely delicious! I’ve bookmarked them 🙂 I haven’t experimented with semolina much (yet) – my grandmother used to make semolina strudel but of course no one thought to write down the recipe…
    I guess I’ll try your wedges first then.

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  9. Oh, how sweet. Comfort food, indeed! One of the only dishes that my 82 year old father can make is what he calls “pie crust.” Indeed, it’s pie crust (a pâte brisée really, though he uses bought stuff), sprinkled with a sugar/cinnamon/butter mix, rolled up and baked. Apparently his mother made it for him when he was young. This reminds me much of that in so many ways.

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