Mulberry or blueberry granita (ai gelsi)

Deep purple granita made from black mulberries — traditional in Sicily; here you can make it with blueberries too.

Black mulberry granita (gelsi neri) is one of the traditional Sicilian granitas. Mulberry trees grow in Slovakia and Czechia too, but you won’t find the fruit in shops. If you don’t have a tree, use bilberries or cultivated blueberries — the granita will have a similar colour and a gentle tartness.

Type: Granita · Servings: 6 · Difficulty: Easy

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 500 g mulberries (black) (or blueberries (then 20 g less sugar))
  • 300 g water
  • 150 g granulated sugar (sucrose)
  • 20 g lemon juice (fresh)

Making the mix

  1. Rinse the mulberries and remove the stalks. Heat the water with the sugar until the sugar dissolves, then leave to cool.
  2. Blend the fruit with the syrup and lemon juice and press through a sieve.
  3. Refrigerate the mix for at least 1 hour.

Method — No-machine method

  1. Pour the chilled mix into a shallow metal or glass container (2–3 cm deep) and put it in the freezer.
  2. After 45–60 minutes, once the edges have frozen, scrape them with a fork and mix them into the centre.
  3. Repeat the scraping every 30 minutes until everything has turned into loose, icy flakes (about 3–4 hours in total).
  4. Before serving, fork the granita through once more and spoon it into chilled glasses.

A metal container chills faster than glass. If you forget the granita for too long and it freezes into a block, let it soften for 10 minutes, then scrape it with a fork or pulse it briefly in a food processor.

Total time: 5 h 25 min

Method — Compressor ice cream maker

  1. Switch the ice cream maker on 5–10 minutes ahead so the bowl can pre-chill.
  2. Pour in the chilled mix and churn for 20–25 minutes until you have a thick, glossy, still flowing ice slush.
  3. Serve straight away — this is how the smooth granita is sold in eastern Sicily (Messina, Catania), from rotating dispensers.

An ice cream maker gives a smooth, creamy granita. Don’t churn it too long — granita shouldn’t be as firm as sorbet. Any leftovers will set in the freezer; fork them through before serving.

Total time: 1 h 50 min

Stages

Preparation
20 min
Cooking
5 min
Cooling
1 h
Freezer with stirring
4 h
Total time
5 h 25 min

Serving and storage

Serve with a brioche or a spoonful of whipped cream. Mulberries and blueberries stain — mind your clothes.

Granita is best on the day it is made. It keeps for a few days in the freezer but sets hard — let it soften for 5–10 minutes before serving and scrape it again with a fork.

Tips

  • Granita should contain less sugar than sorbet — about 16–20 °Bx. A refractometer measures it precisely; without one, taste the mix: it should taste like a distinctly sweet drink, not like syrup. Fruit varies, so add a little more sugar if needed.
  • Mulberries are picked in late June and early July; the sweetest are the ones that drop from the tree by themselves. They freeze well too.
  • White mulberries are sweeter and less aromatic — use 30 g less sugar and add more lemon.

Sources