"Italian-American food--what cuisine is it?" asks Lidia Matticchio Bastianich in Lidia's Italian-American Cooking, a cookbook based on her eponymous PBS TV series. The author of two previous works, La Cucina di Lidia and Lidia's Italian Table, and co-owner of three acclaimed Manhattan restaurants, Bastianich is ideally suited to explore all Italian fare. "Americans fell in love with Italian cooking first," she says, thus enshrining a cuisine
The name granita comes from the Italian grano (kernel) and describes the grainy texture of this super-simple Italian dessert. Granita is loved by Italians, inasmuch as Italians do not eat much dessert after a meal but, rather, dedicate a special time of the day to have just that-coffee and dessert. This usually happens in the morning, around ten to eleven, and/or in the afternoon, around four to five. The Italians, being very social and gregarious people, need continual human contact. The dinner table, of course, is the main gathering place, but these other little social rituals are very important to an Italian. They contribute to the quality of life that Italians are known and envied for.
So let's get back to that coffee granita. In one of the many beautiful Italian piazzas, with the Mediterranean sunshine caressing us, the chiming bells of a nearby church tower marking the time, watching elegantly dressed ladies pass by, we sat with a coppa of coffee granita crowned by a dollop of unsweetened semi-whipped cream. You might not be able to re-create that piazza, but you certainly can re-create the flavor of that granita di cafe.
If you don’t have the means to make espresso at home, use American-style coffee. (This is also a very good way to use leftover brewed American coffee.) To make up for the lack of coffee punch that you’ll find in an espresso granita, sample your coffee and stir in instant coffee or espresso to taste.
Makes 10 servings
4 cups brewed espresso
1/2 cup sugar, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream
If you don’t have the means to make espresso at home, use American-style coffee. (This is also a very good way to use leftover brewed American coffee.) To make up for the lack of coffee punch that you’ll find in an espresso granita, sample your coffee and stir in instant coffee or espresso to taste.
Keep in mind that the technique used to make coffee granita can be applied to juices, teas, herbs, or any flavored and sweetened liquid of your choice. Liquids that contain alcohol don’t work well for granita, since alcohol dos not freeze at the temperatures that household freezers reach.
Brew the espresso and, while it is still hot, stir in 1/2 cup sugar and the lemon juice until the sugar is dissolved. Taste, and add more sugar if you like. Cool to room temperature.
Pour the coffee mixture into a 13×9-inch baking pan and set it on a level shelf in the freezer. When ice crystals begin to form around the edges-from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on your freezer-remove the pan from the freezer and stir the crystals into the liquid. Return the pan to the freezer and repeat every time crystals form. The more of the liquid that turns to ice, the quicker the remaining liquid will freeze after the pan is returned to the freezer. Continue until all the liquid has turned to crystals. The granita is now ready to serve and should be served within a few hours.
Whip the heavy cream until it holds soft peaks. Run a fork through the granita to break up any large crystals, and spoon the granita into tall glasses. Top with a dollop of whipped cream. Serve immediately.
Variation Blender Granita
Pour the coffee mixture into ice-cube trays and freeze until solid. Grind the cubes in an ice crusher or blender. This method will give you more of a coffee slush than a true granita.
