Blackberries, arhhh such an easy catapult back to childhood, those fat juicy blackberries being such easy low-level pickings for any age at any time, their succulent sweetness worth any scratches, post sticky-finger syndrome or lingering tell-tale stains on white t-shirts.
To offset the heat, here’s a juicy Blackberry & Montepulciano ‘d’Abruzzo granita recipe for when you are feeling like doing anything but cooking. It’s a variation on Vanessa Pruett’s Merlot one, but with such a fruity wine as Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, I’ve substituted divine Millefiori local Abruzzo honey in place of sugar.
Blackberry & Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Granita
Ingredients
- Ingredients
- 600 g Freshly Picked Blackberries
- 180 ml Water
- 120 g Honey
- 120 ml Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
- 1 tbs Lemon Juice
- 1/2 Cinnamon Stick
Instructions
- Wash thoroughly blackberries in cold water for 10 minutes
- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; let stand and seep for 15 minutes.
- Strain the mixture through a fine sieve over a bowl ensuring that no pips enter your mixture and stir in the liquid that the blackberry mixture was steeped in. If you’d like your granita really fruity rub through the sieve more of the blackberries themselves (I used half in mine).
- Pour the mixture into a square glass or ceramic baking dish. Cover and freeze until partially frozen (about 2 hours). Scrape the mixture with a fork, crushing any lumps. Freeze for 3 hours or until completely frozen, scraping with a fork every hour. Remove from freezer; scrape mixture with a fork until fluffy.
- Footnote – If you don’t manage to eat all of this do be aware that the notes from the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo fade the longer this remains in the freezer!
Author: Sam Dunham
Sam is a freelance SEO content creator and IGCSE Geography and English teacher at Istituto Cristo Re in Rome. She also runs the Life In Abruzzo Cultural Association, sharing stories and insights about this captivating region.
Alongside raising a teenager, Sam hosts guests at her family’s traditional home, the Little House of the Firefly in Abruzzo, offering a warm welcome and insider tips on local culture, food, and hidden gems.
