Almond Granita

Nothing beats summer heat like ‘granita’, even better if it’s ‘Almond Granita’.  (I sure hope that is not a slogan somewhere?!)

Granita is originally from Sicily and when we were there for our honeymoon, I made sure I tried different variety of flavors, even chocolate.  But my personal favorite really is ‘Almond Granita’.  That is one of the most popular variety in Sicily too, perhaps because almonds are commonly grown in the entire island.

Almond Granita is typically served as snack, not dessert – AND breakfast (with a cup of espresso)!  Yep, I was surprised with that too.  But it works. I mean, summer in Sicily is really HOT, it being the southernmost part of Italy.  Every glass of granita provides a refreshing, sweet reprieve from the Sicilian heat.  (Ahhh, take me back to Sicily now 🙂 ).

I did notice that every city in Sicily has their own version of almond granita.  We have been to Catania, Taormina, Siracusa, Erice, Trapani and Palermo.  The two that stood out for me was the chunky version from Palermo and the softer, slushier variant made in Siracusa. I specifically LOVE the slushier one, and up to this day, this is how I prepare them in Stockholm.  On top of that, the one in Siracusa was made using almond milk – even better right?

One thing that should not be left out is that almond granita is BEST eaten with Sicilian brioche.  (I had no idea why either, it just makes sense once you tried them together – trust me.)

Oh!  Just a heads-up, my next post will be ‘Sicilian Brioche’; for you to enjoy a Sicilian snack (or breakfast), wherever you are. 😀

Print

Almond Granita

Prep Time

15 mins

 

Course: Snack

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 200 grams whole almonds
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
• 2 cups almond milk (or regular milk)

Instructions

1. Use a blender to grind the almonds to powdery texture. 

2. Add sugar, confectioner’s sugar and almond milk. Blend to mix.

3. Strain the mixture to get rid of the big chunks of almonds. Pour it in a container (or tin) that can be placed in the freezer. Freeze uncovered for an hour or two, depending on how cold your freezer is – until the top has solidified a bit. Mine normally takes an hour and a half.

4. Scrape by using the back of a fork. Put the container back in the freezer and repeat every hour, for the next 3 hours.

5. Serve by spooning granita in a glass. If you are not ready to serve yet, cover the tin with an aluminum foil and place it back in the freezer until serving.