Johinyy Have you ever tried the almond granita ? It is the famous dense and creamy almond granita , to be eaten in the morning (or as a snack) with brioche cu ‘tuppu (brioche with tuppo) and to be enjoyed with every spoonful! Today we will see the original recipe of Sicilian almond granita prepared both with the ice cream maker and without the ice cream maker , to prepare a creamy and soft granita even at home : the real Sicilian granita ! You can prepare the almond granita starting from the almond paste stick , or starting from almond milk: there are different currents of thought, also depending on the Sicilian city where you eat.
For the recipe of the almond granita I entrusted to Chef Stefano Barbato and I prepared the Sicilian granita with the almond stick , but not the one I bought, the one made by me! Obviously, you can also buy the ready-made dough and follow only part of the procedure. Below I will explain everything! I assure you that it is not difficult and that the Sicilian almond granita is noteworthy, just the right creamy, not too cloying, with an intense almond flavor !
In Sicily I tasted the Catania granita over 20 years ago and I fell in love! Accustomed to the classic ice granita with sugary syrup of various flavors, the Sicilian granita seemed like paradise to me! My favorite is the almond granita , but there are many flavors (from lemon , mulberry, pistachio, coffee, etc.).
Let’s get started right away! Here is the recipe for the almond granita!
Preparation of Sicilian almond granita
Sicilian almond granita with almond paste stick
First you will need to prepare the almond paste stick , then starting from the almonds with the sugar, with the addition of sugar syrup (ready in 2 minutes) to ensure that the almond granita does not freeze. The dose is double. From that block you will get approx. 600 g of almond paste. You can also use a purchased packaged cake (but you will miss the satisfaction of preparing it).
Read how to prepare the almond paste loaf .
Take 300 g of almond paste , cut it into pieces and place it in a tall container. the water and a pinch of salt.
Insert an immersion blender and operate it first slowly and then at maximum, in order to make the mixture fluffy and in order to completely melt the almond block.
To obtain the real Sicilian almond granita you will need to filter the mixture . It is not mandatory, but it allows you to obtain a smoother and more creamy and less fibrous granita. Just pass the mixture through a tightly meshed colander or using a cotton gauze (as I did), as is done with homemade almond milk .
Squeeze the gauze well and you will get the liquid for the almond granita on one side and the fibrous almond pulp ( okara ) will remain in the gauze . Set aside the okara, with which you can prepare biscuits and sweets, such as my Dark chocolate and almond cake .
Put the bowl with the almond liquid in the freezer for 1 hour and break the ice crystals with a hand whisk, even if you use the ice cream maker.
For the almond granita with ice cream maker : just insert the cold mixture into the ice cream maker and operate it for 30 minutes .
For the almond granita without ice cream maker : you will have to put the mixture back in the freezer and turn it every 30 minutes with the hand whisk , in order to break the ice crystals well . granita will gradually take on consistency, remaining creamy. It will take approx. 4 hours . And if you don’t eat it right away, the next day you will find it like a block of ice. You will have to take it out of the freezer 10 minutes first and then break the crystals with the prongs of a fork and it will be creamy again.
Almond granita with bought block
If you use a purchased almond paste loaf you will have to do the same way as indicated above, without having to filter the mixture. The doses are 250 g of dough, 500 ml of water and a pinch of salt.
Almond granita with almond milk with or without ice cream maker
600 ml of almond milk
200 g of sugar
200 ml of water
Put the water with the sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil , so that the sugar dissolves (sucrose syrup). As soon as it comes to a boil, turn off the heat and pour the sugar syrup and almond milk into a bowl . Put in the freezer for 1 hour and then pour into the ice cream maker for 30 minutes. If you don’t have it, you will have to break the ice crystals every 30 minutes, as I explained above. The flavor is however less intense than making it with the dough. The amount of sugar also depends on how sweet your almond milk is.
