In summer, it’s a tradition with my husband to have breakfast on Sunday morning at the bar, enjoying a fresh and delicious pistachio granita, almond, or mulberry, our favorite flavors. But sometimes, the desire to get dressed and go out when we just woke up made us skip this tradition. On those occasions, I remember thinking how nice it would be to have it homemade to enjoy in peace what for us is almost a ritual in the tranquility of our own home! Moreover, the homemade granita, offers the undeniable advantage of being able to choose quality raw materials! At the base of this simple yet somewhat intricate recipe, especially if starting like I did from shelled pistachios that still need peeling and toasting, you’ll find certified Sicilian ingredients. A choice I highly recommend because it will really make a difference in the final product’s quality when tasting. This way, you’ll get a pistachio granita like the best bars in Catania, to enjoy with the indispensable brioche col tuppo. Creamy, rich, and super aromatic, it will be the perfect treat for a snack to cool off from the hot summer weather or for breakfast. In Catania, did you know it’s even enjoyed as an evening meal? Try it because it’s spectacular!
If you love typical Sicilian summer desserts, also try these recipes:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 6 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 3 people
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, and Fall
Ingredients
⚠ THIS RECIPE CONTAINS ONE OR MORE AFFILIATE LINKS. The products I recommend are the same ones I use in my recipes; purchasing them through my blog helps support me and my work while costing you nothing extra!
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup oz unsalted pistachios
- 2/3 cup oz pistachio paste
- 1 cup oz brown sugar
- as needed pistachio granules
Tools
- 1 Small pot
- 1 Strainer
- 1 Tea towel
- 1 Pan
- 1 Knife
- 1 Mixer
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 Hand whisk
- 1 Mold
- 1 Plastic wrap
- 1 Food processor
Steps
The preparation of pistachio granita is quite simple: blanch shelled pistachios in water for 1′ in a small pot, then turn off and let them soak for another 5′.
At this point, drain them with the help of a strainer, and you’ll see that the skin will come off easily.
Transfer them to a tea towel and dry them very well, gently rubbing to facilitate this process.
Once stripped of their skin*, toast them for 5′-7′ in a hot pan, stirring continuously to avoid burning, and turn off as soon as the typical toasting aroma is released.
Let them cool for a moment and transfer them first to a work surface or cutting board to roughly chop with a knife, keeping 40 gr. aside for the final decoration.
Pour the rest directly into a mixer.
Activate the mixer and chop in stages until you obtain a sort of flour**.
Pour the water into a small pot and add the sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon to dissolve it completely.
When the water is about to boil, turn off, add the pure pistachio paste*** and dissolve it with a hand whisk or spoon.
Test several times to ensure there are no more traces of residues at the bottom. This is very important for the successful outcome of the granita.
Only at this point can you finish by adding the toasted pistachio flour.
Mix with the whisk until you obtain a homogeneous mixture of all the ingredients, then let it cool completely at room temperature.
Once cold, transfer the pistachio milk obtained into a container and place it immediately in the freezer.
After about 30′ stir the mixture with a spoon and repeat this operation three more times every half hour to break the ice crystals. This way, the granita will be creamier. Finally, put back in the freezer covered with plastic wrap for at least 4 hours.
After this time, take the container out of the freezer and let it sit at room temperature for about 10′-15′. Then cut the granita into small portions with the help of a knife.
Immediately transfer them to a food processor, powerful blender or sorbet maker and you’ve obtained the original Sicilian pistachio granita.
Serve it with a generous sprinkle of the pistachio granules you set aside.
And voila… the toasted pistachio granita is ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appetit from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
👉The toasted pistachio granita can be stored in the freezer for several weeks and up to a maximum of 3 months.
Tips, notes, variations, and suggestions
🟣* If you want to skip the tedious step of removing the skins of the pistachios, you can choose to buy already peeled pistachios, it’s important that they are of quality and not sourced from abroad.
🟣** The choice of not using pistachio flour: ultimately nothing prevents you from buying the already ground product to speed up some recipe steps, but I usually find that toasting is an essential phase that offers the palate a slightly more aromatic note.
🟣*** If you don’t want to add pistachio paste or can’t find it, you can omit it by adding 100 gr. more pistachios, but here too the same rule applies, the final consistency will be less creamy.
🟣The original pistachio granita, like the almond or mulberry ones, just to name a few, are made strictly without cream, at most, whipped cream is added on top if you want a little extra indulgence; however, some patisseries in the Catania area also add 150 gr. of liquid cream along with the water in the pot. It will certainly be out of this world!
