Watermelon granita

I don't know if you are hating this heat as much as I am or you are happy with it like my husband. All I know I'm sick tired of sweating all day and night (even with the airconditioning on), not being able to go out of the house (I'm scared I might just faint in the middle of the street). Ok, it's a particular summer for me as well, and for the first time in years we'll be staying at home in August. So that makes it a bit more difficult. Just the idea of being confined in the house and going out only when really necessary makes me scream.
Although I haven't stopped baking, the most required food at the moment, and easiest to prepare, are frozen desserts, ice creams, ice popsicles and similar.
And kids particularly like granita. Two years ago, visiting Sicily, I had an opportunity to taste THE best granitas in the world... actually, their taste is out of this world. Flavors going from fantastic lemon to almond (the flavor I think you can get only there), and all other fruit you can imagine.
Granita is fairly simple to make. All you need is some fruit juice, sugar and water. Mixed, frozen and then reduced to finest ice crystals that melt gradually.
The watermelon granita is even more simple to make, since it's sweet and mainly consisting of water. You may add some flavoring like vanilla, lemon, grapefruit or orange juice to adjust it your taste.

Watermelon granita

* 500 g watermelon pulp (seedless)
* 1-2 TBspoons sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or juice from 1/2 lemon

Ccut the watermelon pulp into cubes and puree in a food processor or a blender. Strain through a mesh sieve just in case there are some seeds left.
Add the sugar and the vanilla extract or lemon juice (adapt the quantity of sugar to your taste and depending on the sweetness of your watermelon). Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Pour the mixture into a freezer adapt container and freeze. When it's almost frozen take out and grate/stir with a fork.
Put back into the freezer until completely frozen.
Chill the glasses you'll be using to serve granita.
Again, grate the frozen mixture with a fork and fill the glasses - the point is to have very fine ice crystals that will gradually melt.
Add some mini chocolate chips if you like to fake watermelon seeds.

Granita all'anguria


* 500 g di polpa di anguria (senza semi)
* 1-2 cucchiai di zucchero
* 1/2 cucchiaino di estratto di vaniglia o succo di 1/2 limone


Tagliate la polpa d'anguria, pulita dalla buccia e semi, a cubetti e frullatela. Setacciatela per togliere eventuali semi rimasti.
Aggiungete lo zucchero (regolatevi in base al gusto personale e alla dolcezza dell'anguria) e l'estratto di vaniglia o succo di limone. Mescolate bene per far sciogliere lo zucchero e trasferite in un contenitore adatto al freezer. Coprite e lasciate congelare. 
Quando la massa si è quasi completamente congelate togliete il contenitore dal freezer e grattatela con una forchetta. Rimettete il contenitore nel freezer e lasciate congelare completamente.
Raffreddate i bicchieri che userete per servire la granita.
Grattate di nuovo la massa ghiacciata con una forchetta e riempite i bicchieri. A piacere aggiungete le gocce di cioccolato fondente come i semi d'anguria finti. Servite subito.
Per variare potete al posto della vaniglia o limone aggiungere il succo di un pompelmo o succo di 2 arance.

Granita od lubenice


* 500 g očišćenog mesa lubenice (bez kore i sjemenki)
* 1-2 žlicešećera
* 1/2 žličice čistog ekstrakta vanilije ili  sok 1/2 limuna


Narežite lubenicu na kockice i izmiksajte u blenderu da dobijete pire (ako vidite da vam je ostalo još sjemenki unutra možete dobivenu kašu dodatno procijediti kroz cjedilo).
Dodajte šećer, ekstrakt vanilije ili sok limuna.
Miješajte dok se šećer potpuno ne istopi.
Količinu šećera prilagodite svom ukusu i slatkoći lubenice.
Uspite smjesu u posudu pogodnu za zamrzavanje, pokrijte i stavite u zamrzivač.
Kad se skoro skroz smrzlo izgrebite/izmiješajte vilicom, pa vratite natrag u zamrzivač da se potpuno ščvrsne.
Čaše u kojima ćete posluživati granitu stavite također u zamrzivač.
Izgrebite smrznutu smjesu vilicom i stavite u čaše.
Po želji dodajte kapljice tamne čokolade (lažne sjemenke) i poslužite.
Varijacije: dodajte lubenici iscijeđeni sok 1 grejpfruta ili sok 2 naranče (u tom slučaju povećajte količinu šećera).