and this year I thought I’d post the recipe for another favourite,\u00a0 Granita al Limone.\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nThe ingredients to make Sicilian Granita are not many and the process isn’t complicated. You don’t even need to own a fancy ice-cream maker. Who ever thought that something so wonderful could come from mixing water, sugar and lemon juice? A Sicilian granita is a cross between a creamy ice cream and an icy sorbet.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em> <\/i>The origins of the granita date back to the Arab domination in Sicily when the Arabs brought what was the recipe of sherbet or sharbat; an iced drink typical of the Middle East flavoured with fruit juices and flower petals.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em>\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\nIn Sicily, in the Middle Ages a strange profession existed, that of the “nivaroli”, men who in winter went to collect the snow on Mount Etna, on the Peloritani Mountains and on the Hyblaean Mountains. Throughout the year they kept it to use it in the warm months. The snow was kept in holes made & lined with bricks or stones, called niviere, and these were used in the summer to prepare ice cream. These ‘niviere’ can be defined as the precursors of today’s freezers. Some noble families owned houses with natural ravines to protect the snow from the heat and prevent it from melting. In the summer the snow was picked up, compacted and solidified, then grated, placed in a glass and covered with fruit and flower syrup. Today this preparation is widely used in Rome and takes the name of ‘grattachecca romana’.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\nDuring the 16th century a change was made to the conservation of snow. It was discovered that salt was able to lower the freezing point. Thus was born the idea of \u200b\u200ba well, consisting of a wooden vat (mastello) that contained a zinc bucket inside.(pozzetto) with a crank that allowed it to turn. In the gap between the vat and the bucket the salt was mixed with the snow, thus permitting a greater refrigeration. Ingredients such as water, sugar, honey, lemon juice or coffee was put into the zinc bucket and as it was ‘cranked ‘ to turn, granita was formed. This method allowed a more creamy consistency to be obtained.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\nGranita today in Sicily can be found in many flavours: lemon, almond, black mulberry, pistachio, chocolate or coffee. It is usually served with the addition of whipped cream and must be rigorously eaten accompanied by a soft warm brioche, and in the hot summer months, this is eaten for BREAKFAST!!! \u00a0The two popular and traditional breakfast flavours are almond or coffee. I can’t think of a better way to start the day quite honestly.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n![\"C\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tonibrancatisano.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/C-1.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n
GRANITA AL LIMONE<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\n- 500 mls freshly squeezed lemon juice, filtered.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- 500 mls water<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- 250 g sugar<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- Pour the water into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the sugar. When the sugar has completely melted and the liquid has become transparent, turn off the heat and let the syrup cool down.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- Cut the lemons in half, squeeze them and filter the juice with the help of a sieve. You will need to get 500ml of filtered juice. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- Add the lemon juice to the cold sugar syrup and mix the mixture well with a whisk <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- Put the lemon granita mixture into a plastic or metal container and cover. Place it into the freezer.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- After half an hour, remove the mixture from the freezer and stir it vigorously using a fork to break the ice crystals that have formed.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- Repeat this process every half hour (or every quarter of an hour if you see that the mixture tends to freeze quicker) for another two to three times, until your lemon granita is of the desired consistency.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- Serve in glasses and garnish with a slice of lemon.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
\n- Note: <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- Y<\/span><\/span><\/span>ou can keep lemon granita in the freezer for 15 days.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- If the granita freezes too much, you can break the ice coarsely and put it in a mini food processor to chop it more finely.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- For a successful lemon granita in Italy, it is advisable to use Sorrento lemons or good organic lemons that are less acidic than other lemons. If you want to add an extra touch to your granita, you can add a glass of vodka or gin to the original mixture!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"M\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tonibrancatisano.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/M-2.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n
Le temperature a Roma sono calde e mentre sogno di essere su una spiaggia in Sicilia, sogno anche di mangiare la granita siciliana ogni giorno – pi\u00f9 volte al giorno! <\/span>L’anno scorso ho pubblicato la ricetta per Granita al Caff\u00e8 e quest’anno ho pensato di pubblicare la ricetta per un altro preferito, Granita al Limone.<\/span><\/span><\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nGli ingredienti per fare la Granita Siciliana non sono molti e il processo non \u00e8 complicato. <\/span>Non hai nemmeno bisogno di possedere una macchina per fare il gelato. <\/span>Chi ha mai pensato che qualcosa di cos\u00ec meraviglioso potesse venire dal mescolare acqua, zucchero e succo di limone? <\/span>Una granita siciliana \u00e8 un incrocio tra un gelato cremoso e un sorbetto ghiacciato. <\/span>Le origini della granita risalgono alla dominazione araba in Sicilia quando gli arabi portarono quella che era la ricetta del sorbetto o del sharbat; <\/span>una bevanda ghiacciata tipica del Medio Oriente aromatizzata con succhi di frutta e petali di fiori.
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nIn Sicilia, nel Medioevo esisteva una strana professione, quella dei “nivaroli”, uomini che in inverno andavano a raccogliere la neve sull’Etna, sui Monti Peloritani e sui Monti Iblei. <\/span>Durante tutto l’anno lo hanno tenuto per usarlo nei mesi caldi. <\/span>La neve era tenuta in buchi fatti e rivestiti con mattoni o pietre, chiamati niviere, e questi erano usati in estate per preparare il gelato. <\/span>Questi ‘niviere’ possono essere definiti come i precursori dei congelatori odierni. <\/span><\/span>Alcune famiglie nobiliari possedevano case con anfratti naturali per proteggere la neve dal calore e impedirne lo scioglimento. <\/span><\/span>In estate la neve veniva raccolta, compattata e solidificata, quindi grattugiata, posta in un bicchiere e ricoperta di frutta e sciroppo di fiori. <\/span>Oggi questa preparazione \u00e8 ampiamente utilizzata a Roma e prende il nome di “grattachecca romana”.
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nNel corso del XVI secolo fu apportata una modifica alla conservazione della neve. <\/span>\u00c8 stato scoperto che il sale era in grado di abbassare il punto di congelamento. <\/span>Cos\u00ec nacque l’idea di un pozzo, costituito da un tino di legno (mastello) che conteneva un secchio di zinco all’interno (pozzetto) con una manovella che permetteva di girare. <\/span>Nello spazio tra la vasca e il secchio il sale si mescolava alla neve, permettendo cos\u00ec una maggiore refrigerazione. <\/span>Ingredienti come acqua, zucchero, miele, succo di limone o caff\u00e8 sono stati messi nel secchio di zinco e dato che \u00e8 stato “avviato” per girare, si \u00e8 formata la granita. <\/span>Questo metodo consentiva di ottenere una consistenza pi\u00f9 cremosa.
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nLa granita oggi in Sicilia si pu\u00f2 trovare in molti gusti: limone, mandorla, gelso nero, pistacchio, cioccolato o caff\u00e8. <\/span>Di solito viene servito con l’aggiunta di panna montata e deve essere rigorosamente consumato accompagnato da una brioche tiepida e calda, e nei caldi mesi estivi viene mangiato per la PRIMA COLAZIONE !!! <\/span>I due famosi e tradizionali sapori della colazione sono mandorla o caff\u00e8. <\/span>Non riesco a pensare ad un modo migliore per iniziare la giornata onestamente.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
![\"D\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tonibrancatisano.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/D.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n![\"J\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tonibrancatisano.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/J.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n