Summertime in Sicily means it’s granita time. Granita is refreshing and tasty, made with water, sugar and different flavorings, the most popular being almond, lemon, orange, and coffee. A simple summer treat, perfect for vegans and anyone who is lactose intolerant.  Its popularity however, is not limited to Sicily, granita is one of Italy’s favorite frozen treats. That’s why I found its lack of presence in the United States rather odd given the popularity of Italian desserts here. As an aside, “Italian Ices” are derivative of granita but a uniquely Italian-American invention. Italian Ice, as such, therefore doesn’t exist in Italy.

The texture of authentic granita is halfway between the creaminess of gelato and the granularity of sorbetto. Granita contains small ice crystals which you should feel with your tongue; the ice crystals should be compact, not liquid and soft like a sorbet. Granita is rich but not heavy, a wonderfully smooth texture but totally vegan. Its texture comes from how the three ingredients are mixed. Sicilian chefs long ago refined the technique of making granita when they first came up with a mechanical “spinning machine ” that used snow as a tool instead of ingredients to cool down the ” pozzetto” (the bin where the mixture was poured). The extremely slow movement gives the granita today’s distinctive texture and flavor. Our imported mixer at L’Arte replicates exactly that movement using a bit more technology.

Critical to granita are the ingredients used for the flavoring: at L’Arte I only use fresh fruit, fruit juices or nuts and do not use any syrups and extracts. “Granita” made using such prefabricated commercial mixtures will simply taste like a glass of crushed ice with lots of preservatives and dyes and very little flavor. If you ever see a mixture in Italy called granita and it has unnatural fluorescent colors, I strongly recommend staying away. You will be disappointed.

It’s my goal to help change the fact that virtually no one makes real granita in this country. I fondly recall making lemon granita with my parents in the beach house in Sicily, so here is a simple recipe: 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice, and 3 cups of water. Mix everything together and cool it down in the freezer stirring it every hour to prevent big ice crystals from forming. For the more complex flavors you should know that during the summer months I always prepare and serve it at L’Arte. We will be waiting for you.

Chef Andrea