JUDITH REPPUCCI,Contributing Writer| Cape Cod Times
One warm night last year, my sister Susan and I met in Boston's North End and enjoyed a wonderful — but far too filling - meal on Hanover Street. Later, we strolled a block over to our favorite cafe. We threaded our way through the accordion doors open to the street, past customers reading Italian newspapers and along the narrow passage along the display of pastries. We sighed over the luscious choices, but settled for ordering espresso.
"No dessert?" asked Caff? Paradiso owner Adriana DeStefano.
Susan explained that we'd just eaten dinner, and we were too full to indulge in anything else.
"Then my lemon granita will be perfect," said DeStefano. "I just made it."
Would a Reppucci girl pass up dessert?
More to the point, can anyone withstand a mandate by DeStefano?
We sampled the granita and found that the frozen iced concoction was light, refreshing and delicious.
So what is granita?
Let's get this clear from the beginning: Granita is not slush.
"There is no such thing as Italian slush!" declared DeStefano. Slush, she said, is just ice with syrup poured on top. Granita (pronounced grah nee TAH), on the other hand, is a cousin of sorbet, and is made with natural ingredients.
Born in Italy, DeStefano believes the substance we call slush was developed by immigrants who came to the United States from Naples and Sicily, where granita was popular. But, she said, they didn't have the fresh ingredients or the machinery to make the type of frozen creation her family serves.
Pamela Sheldon Johns, the author of "Gelato!" thinks that may be true. In an e-mail from her home in Italy, she wrote, "It may be an American invention inspired by Italian roots."
Iced elegance
DeStefano's lemon granita, which she makes three to four times a day in summer, is made from fresh lemons. It's nothing like the product vendors sell, she said.
Nor is the experience. Caff? Paradiso serves granita in a chilled stemmed glass. The black marble bar counter adds to the elegance.
And the DeStefano family are sticklers on proper gourmet combinations of Italian flavors. They won't serve milk with citrus, for instance.
"It doesn't go," explained DeStefano, dressed in a white chef's coat. "My brother, Oscar, put up a sign: 'We do not serve lemon sorbet with gelato!'"
Since granita has no milk, it's fat-free and generally low in calories, which makes it a light choice for summer. But do you have to go to Italy or the North End to get it? Could I make it at home?
DeStefano was dubious.
Sure, it's easy to make granita, she said. "All you need is fresh squeezed lemons, sugar, water, and," she paused with innate Italian drama, "an $18,000-thousand dollar machine."
All kidding aside, DeStefano advised me to use natural ingredients. Granita developed in Sicil the southern areas of Italy because of the quantities of lemons they have there, she said. She explained that she come from the same province where Naples is located, Campania - "that's where they have the beautiful lemons that make good granita."
We realized that, in fact, our families come from the Avellino region of Campania. "What town?" DeStefano asked. "Chiusano," I told her. "Chiusano! It's the next village over from mine I can see it across the mountain from my window!"
Learning to make granita
Once I learned that granita is part of my heritage, I knew I had to learn to make the treat. I found several cookbooks with recipes for granita, and decided to try them out. I discovered that while it's difficult to get the delicate smoothness the DeStefanos create with imported Italian machines, it is possible to make granita in your own kitchen. You can use a home ice cream maker, but it's not necessary. In fact, all you need is a shallow pan and time to tend to the freezing process.
And don't worry about exotic or expensive ingredients. Granita is best made with seasonal fruits, and one of my favorite versions uses strong coffee.
Knowing a few tricks of the granita trade will help, however. DeStefano says her father taught her when making the lemon version, it's best to let the fruit soak in water for 15-20 minutes after squeezing out the juice to release the essence in the oil of the rinds. I followed her advice, and also washed the outside peels thoroughly before cutting them in half.
DeStefano also recommended using the ripest lemons available, and searching for those with thin outside rinds. It takes between four to six lemons to obtain the cup of juice needed for the home recipe from Sheldon Johns, which is included below. The instructions also call for spring water, but I use water from the tap, and have been pleased with the results.
Although I strain the lemon juice, I invariably have found pits in the frozen results. That should satisfy Oscar DeStefano, who told me, "If it doesn't have pits in it, it's not granita!"
Versatile flavors
But granita can be made from other flavors. Watermelon, grapefruit and strawberry are popular. Remember that the sugar in the recipe keeps the mixture from turning solid long enough to form ice crystals, so you may have to experiment with proportions of sugar to fruit, depending on the fruit's ripeness.
And you don't have to stick with fruit. Cooking teacher Bruce Weinstein takes creative liberty in playing with the form's ingredients. His volume, 'The Ultimate Ice Cream Book,' tries a number of savory granitas. Reminiscent of the palate cleansers used in multiple course gourmet feasts, his recipe for cucumber granita is included here.
Are there any drawbacks to this frozen marvel? Well, yes: While preparation is easy, granita needs to be started several hours in advance of serving, and your freezer setting should be quite cold. Conversely, granita won't last in the freezer the way other frozen desserts will, since it must be eaten before it reaches solid form.
Don't let this put you off, because it's not as complicated as it sounds. In fact, my biggest problem in making granita has been in finding room in my crowded freezer. I've prepared granita several times since last summer, and, while I needed to practice a few techniques to obtain perfect success, I'm pleased to have mastered the process. And at this time of year, it's a relief to make a dessert without lighting the oven. I serve granita Caff? Paridiso style - in a wine glass with sprigs of mint or lemon balm from the garden.
It's quite a bit different from what's served at Haymarket Square in white paper cups. And once you've made it yourself, you'll agree with DeStefano:
Coffee Granita
A Sicilian classic, coffee granita is wonderful served in a fresh brioche on a hot day, or as an after-dinner refreshment in small elegant glasses.
4 cups hot, freshly brewed espresso or strong coffee
1/2 cup sugar
In a medium bowl, combine the espresso and sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Set aside to cool. Pour into a 9-inch round or square baking dish. Freeze until the mixture becomes slushy around edges, about 30 minutes. Stir to break up the ice crystals. Continue freezing, stirring the mixture every 20 minutes, until it is slushy, about — hour. Makes — quart serves 4.
- Recipe from "Gelato!" by Pamela Sheldon Johns (2000, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, Calif.)
Lemon Granita
Lemon granita is one of the Italian classics, simple and refreshing. This recipe can also be used to make a sorbetto by freezing the mixture in an ice cream maker until partially frozen. Add an egg white and continue to process until firm. For an interesting presentation, serve in hollowed lemon halves.
2 cups spring water
1 cup sugar
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir until the sugar in dissolved. Pour into a 9-inch round or square baking dish. Freeze until the mixture becomes slushy around the edges, about 30 minutes. Stir to break up the ice crystals. Continue freezing, stirring the mixture every 20 minutes, until it is slushy, about — hour. Makes — quart serves 4.
- Recipe from "Gelato!" by Pamela Sheldon Johns.
Cucumber Granita
4 large cucumbers
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon salt
Peel the cucumbers, slice them in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Roughly chop the cucumbers and place is a food processor with the sugar, dill, and salt. Process until completely smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the work bowl as necessary. Refrigerate until cold or overnight.
Stir the chilled mixture, then freeze in — or 2 batches in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's directions. When finished, the granita will be soft and have the consistency of sorbet. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze to harden. To serve, scrape the top of the granita with a heavy ice spade or scoop, creating shaved ice crystals. Serve in small, chilled bowls.
Alternatively, pour the cucumber mixture into ice cube trays, filling only half wa freeze until firm. Before serving, process the cucumber ice cubes in a food processor until chopped and slushy. Serve immediately. Makes about one quart.
- Recipe from "The Ultimate Ice Cream Book" by Bruce Weinstein (1999, William Morrow and Company Inc., New York)
