Prepare the syrup:

In a bowl, add the sugar, lemon peel, star anise, cardamom seeds and water.
Heat until the sugar is dissolved and when it boils, continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. Remove the syrup from the heat and set it aside.
In a deep pot with a thick base, heat the olive oil on medium. Add the semolina. Roast it while stirring, until it releases its aromas and becomes golden-brown, for about 6-8 minutes.
Towards the end, when the semolina changes colour, add the almonds and the cinnamon and stir.
Remove the semolina pot from the heat.
Strain the syrup and remove the lemon peel, the star anise and the cardamom seeds.
Then, very carefully add the hot syrup to the semolina with a wooden spoon, little by little.
Add all the syrup and stir.
Place the Halva on low heat and stir until the semolina rises and gathers like dough around the wooden spoon and unsticks from the pot’s walls.
While the semolina Halva is still warm, place it in a mould with a whole in the middle of about 22cm. Press it with the back side of the spoon to straighten its surface in the mould.
Let it cool down completely, for 4-5 hours or overnight, turn it over and, if you wish, sprinkle cinnamon on top before serving.