Italians came up with all sorts of delicious ways to refresh themselves during hot summer days. One of them is granita, a frozen treat that originated in Sicily. What makes granita different from other Italian frozen desserts like gelato is that you can easily make it at home. On top of that, it can be made in any flavor you like.
How to Make Granita
You only need three ingredients for granita: water, sugar, and flavoring. The most common flavoring is lemon juice.
To start off, heat up 4 ¼ cups of water and add 1 ½ cups of sugar. Mix until the sugar completely dissolves in the water and leave to cool off. Strain one cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice to remove the pulp and add to the sugary water.
Aside from lemon juice, you can use other fruit juices, applesauce, and seasonal fruit.
Next, pour the mixture into a plastic or metal container and place it in the freezer. Take out the container after 30 minutes and stir. You should do this at least five or six times.
After that, you can scoop out granita and eat it right away or take several chunks and blend it for a few seconds in a food processor to get a gelato-like texture.
