PRICKLY PEAR GRANITA
The colour alone is an excuse to make this. You can find this recipe and more meat-free goodness in Vegan Italian Food by Shannon Martinez.
Serves 8
20 prickly pears (to produce 650 g/7 oz juice; see method)
40 g (1½ oz) orange juice
60 g (2 oz) lemon juice
115 g (4 oz/½ cup) caster (superfine)
sugar
Method
Begin by juicing the prickly pears. Run them through a juicer if you have one, otherwise blend until smooth then pass through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the pulp.
Pour the prickly pear, orange and lemon juices into a saucepan with the sugar and cook over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
As soon as the sugar has dissolved, take off the heat and pour the liquid into a shallow freezer-safe container.
Freeze for 2 hours, then remove and scrape with a fork. Place back in the freezer and freeze for a further 3 hours, scraping with a fork every 30 minutes to create a fluffy texture.
Store in the freezer until ready to serve. Fluff with a fork once more before eating. This can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.