Some time ago I mentioned in another thread an unusual (but, to my taste, delicious) summer dessert, Gelo di Melone (Watermelon jelly).
It's a traditional recipe from Sicily, almost unknown in the other Italian regions but very easy to make as it doesn't require any special ingredient. Contrary to what you could think if you look on a dictionary, Gelo di Melone doesn't call for melon, but for watermelon, as in the sicilian dialect the word "melon" ("Muluni") just means watermelon...and don't ask me which word they have for "melon" as I can't speak Sicilian at all
So, since it's just the right season, this is the recipe:
GELO DI MELONE
Ingredients (serve about 6):
1 watermelon (about 9 lbs)
150 gr sugar
120 gr wheat starch
1 tbsp powdered cinnamon
30-40 fresh jasmine flowers
100 gr candied pumpkin (or mixed candies)
50 gr bitter chocolate drops (in Sicily they have chocolate watermelon seeds...but if you cross Scilla and Cariddi they're not so diffused )
1)Skin and seed the watermelon, process it in a blender (or push through a sieve) and take 1 liter of juice.
2) Put it in a bowl with the sugar, starch, cinnamon and jasmine flowers. Bring to the boil on a low heat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring continuously. Remove from heat and cool it down at room temperature, stirring occasionally. It should be still quite fluid.
3)Add the candies, diced in small cubes, and the chocolate drops. Give a mix and pour into a round pudding mold, moistened with water. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
4)Put the Gelo out of shape, sprinkle with cinnamon and garnish with chocolate drops and jasmine flowers before serving.
Very simple, as you can see...but the taste is really something different from any other dessert! More, it's also suitable for most ethnic meals like North-African, Middle eastern, Indian and maybe even Chinese or Japanese, and very nice to see when it's decorated with flowers.
If you can't find jasmine flowers you can substitute them with few drops of Orange Flower or Rose water.
On the other side, don't change the wheat starch with other thickeners, or the consistency will be totally different. The only other thing I have tried successfully is Agar Agar. At the dose of 5 grams each liter of juice, it gives a very good result, even nicer and more delicate than the original. The only problem is that, due to the different thickening way, you cannot add the candies and chocolate drops as they lay down on the bottom. So, if you opt for Agar it's better to put the Gelo in small individual molds and add the drops and candies only as a garnish, just before serving.
Hope you like it!
Pongi
It's a traditional recipe from Sicily, almost unknown in the other Italian regions but very easy to make as it doesn't require any special ingredient. Contrary to what you could think if you look on a dictionary, Gelo di Melone doesn't call for melon, but for watermelon, as in the sicilian dialect the word "melon" ("Muluni") just means watermelon...and don't ask me which word they have for "melon" as I can't speak Sicilian at all
So, since it's just the right season, this is the recipe:
GELO DI MELONE
Ingredients (serve about 6):
1 watermelon (about 9 lbs)
150 gr sugar
120 gr wheat starch
1 tbsp powdered cinnamon
30-40 fresh jasmine flowers
100 gr candied pumpkin (or mixed candies)
50 gr bitter chocolate drops (in Sicily they have chocolate watermelon seeds...but if you cross Scilla and Cariddi they're not so diffused )
1)Skin and seed the watermelon, process it in a blender (or push through a sieve) and take 1 liter of juice.
2) Put it in a bowl with the sugar, starch, cinnamon and jasmine flowers. Bring to the boil on a low heat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring continuously. Remove from heat and cool it down at room temperature, stirring occasionally. It should be still quite fluid.
3)Add the candies, diced in small cubes, and the chocolate drops. Give a mix and pour into a round pudding mold, moistened with water. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
4)Put the Gelo out of shape, sprinkle with cinnamon and garnish with chocolate drops and jasmine flowers before serving.
Very simple, as you can see...but the taste is really something different from any other dessert! More, it's also suitable for most ethnic meals like North-African, Middle eastern, Indian and maybe even Chinese or Japanese, and very nice to see when it's decorated with flowers.
If you can't find jasmine flowers you can substitute them with few drops of Orange Flower or Rose water.
On the other side, don't change the wheat starch with other thickeners, or the consistency will be totally different. The only other thing I have tried successfully is Agar Agar. At the dose of 5 grams each liter of juice, it gives a very good result, even nicer and more delicate than the original. The only problem is that, due to the different thickening way, you cannot add the candies and chocolate drops as they lay down on the bottom. So, if you opt for Agar it's better to put the Gelo in small individual molds and add the drops and candies only as a garnish, just before serving.
Hope you like it!
Pongi