Bottega Pistho
In Sicily, pistachio granita isn't just a dessert: it's a summer breakfast, often paired with a brioche col tuppo. The original version has no cream and no excess milk — the pistachio does all the work. Here's how to make it at home, even without an ice cream maker.
Ingredients for 4 servings
- 500 ml water
- 120 g sugar
- 100 g Sicilian pistachio cream (ideally with a high pistachio content)
- Chopped pistachios to garnish
Step-by-step method
Warm the water with the sugar until fully dissolved, without boiling, then let it cool. Stir in the pistachio cream and blend well until you have a smooth, lump-free liquid.
Pour the mixture into a wide, shallow container and place it in the freezer. Every 30-40 minutes, break up the ice crystals with a fork, stirring from the edges to the centre. Repeat for about 3 hours: this action, not a machine, gives granita its typical flaky texture.
The secret to creaminess
The difference between granita and a block of ice comes down to two things: the sugar (never cut it too much, it keeps the ice soft) and stirring consistently. Skip a step and it freezes into one solid block. Serve straight away with plenty of chopped pistachio.
How Sicilians eat it
With a brioche col tuppo dipped into the granita: that's the traditional way, especially around Catania, at the foot of Mount Etna where Sicilian pistachio comes from.
Read also: 100%, 60% or 30%: which pistachio cream to choose
