I still remember the overwhelming taste that hit my lips when I had my first granita and the cooling sensation as it temporarily protected me from the hot streets of Napoli. I can still smell the petrol fumes in the air, the sounds of the motorbikes zooming past and chatter of local Italian's minding every ones business. The sounds seemed to stop for a minute as I got lost in my granita. Granita is a semi frozen desert using water and sugar and the two fruit varieties that I saw everywhere in Napoli were lemon and strawberry. Granita is originally from Sicily and has a much finer, crystallised texture than the chunky style found in Napoli (both regions are in the south of Italy). I recently had the pleasure in picking my own strawberries and thought making granita was the perfect way to preserve the little treasures.
What you need:
800ml water
300g normal white sugar
one lemon
400g fresh strawberries
How to make:
1: Add water and sugar in a wide saucepan and bring to the boil, then add the juice of one lemon
2: Add crushed strawberries to saucepan (I used my hands to crush as I like a slightly chunky texture), bring to the boil
3: Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes
4: Place in a metal based baking tray/tin/bowl (the wider the surface the quicker it will be ready) and place in the freezer and cover with cling wrap
5: Let the mixture slightly start to ice then use a fork to break the forming ice. Repeat this process every half hour, continuing to break and fluff ice with a fork. After about five hours (depending on the size and depth of your bowl), you will have a perfect summer treat!
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