Noodles with semolina are a divisive food: it gives a lot of people the creeps, others even ask for a second helping. Though it’s a 10 minute dish requiring only a few ingredients, there are two factors that can spoil the end result: you use poor-quality noodles and/or you don’t toast the semolina enough.

Grízes tészta is always made with szélesmetélt, literally wide noodles, a ribbon-cut pasta that looks like the Italian tagliatelle. Making your own noodles is the best solution, but in lack of time store-bought pasta will also do. In this case choose eight-egg pasta.

The other critical point is the semolina, it’s very important to toast it until golden brown. Keep a watch on semolina while toasting and stir it constantly because it can burn easily. Most of the recipes use oil, but I prefer butter since it gives an extra  nutty flavor to the semolina.