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Granita di mandorla
Almond granita
Granita di mandorla: Sicily's coarse almond milk ice eaten with brioche
On summer mornings in Catania, Messina and the towns around Mount Etna, Sicilians have granita for breakfast: a glass of soft, flaky ice made from almond milk and sugar, eaten with a warm brioche col tuppo (with a little bun on top) for dunking. The almond granita is the most traditional flavour, white, sweet and fragrant. It is made without a machine, just scraped with a fork as it freezes. Contains nuts. Chef's tip: stir the granita every 30 minutes without fail; that's what gives it the soft, creamy flakes instead of a solid block.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 7 oz blanched almondsor 200 g pure almond paste
- 3 cups water
- 5 ½ oz caster sugar
- ¼ tsp almond extractopt
- 1 pinch ground cinnamonopt
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Blend 7 oz blanched almonds with 3 cups water for 2 minutes, until milky. Strain through a cloth, squeezing well, to make almond milk. Keep the pulp for baking.
Step 2: Stir 5 ½ oz caster sugar into the almond milk until dissolved, then add ¼ tsp almond extract and 1 pinch ground cinnamon, if using.
Step 3: Pour into a wide metal tray and freeze for 1 hour, until ice forms around the edges.
Step 4: Scrape and stir with a fork, mixing the frozen edges into the middle. Repeat every 30 minutes for 3–4 hours, until it is all soft, creamy crystals. Common mistake: forgetting to stir; it freezes into a hard block.
Step 5: Serve in glasses with brioche. If it freezes solid, leave it for 10 minutes and fork it up again.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does granita di mandorla take?
- About 20 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of ground cinnamon?
- A cinnamon stick, ground: about ½ tsp per stick.
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