Paola's Gelato all’anguria
Paola’s Gelato all’anguria
Il gelato all’anguria is a very refreshing and tasty ice cream, and reminds me of the hot summer days and evenings of my happy childhood in Naples. In August it was a very different city from the rest of the year: everyone went on holiday in villeggiatura for the whole month, to Ischia, Capri or the Amalfi coast. It felt like only me and my family would stay behind. This was my father’s choice, which at the time I resented a little. However, now I can fully understand his motives. Why would you want to travel anywhere crowded with holidaymakers, when you could enjoy a beautiful, empty and silent city?
We would spend every day at the sea. Sometimes, we would get on our little boat for a day trip to Ischia or Procida, which would only take 40 – 60 minutes to reach. Most days we would spend at the Circolo Posillipo, the yachting club near home. There I would run wild with my friends; swimming, fishing, sailing and diving underwater to the bottom of the sea, with the help of fins to catch seafood, which at the time was still present in large quantities - cockles, clams and fasolari (smooth clams with their moving red pulp that looked like a tongue).
Watermelon ice cream from Naples
We would then go for a rest in our makeshift camp made out of a pile of deck chairs arranged in such a way to create a little room. There, hiding away from the blazing sun, we would chat or write, and dream up new twists to what we were convinced would become our (very melodramatic) masterpiece novel – which we, of course, never completed.
The afternoon was filled with consuming - first our packed lunch, then countless drinks and ice creams and after the last dive, we would have a quick shower before heading home with our respective families.
In the evening, after dinner, my parents played cards with their friends on the terrace. All the windows of the house were flung wide open to find some relief from the humid heat of August, which hung over the deserted city. I would sit in the next door room, watching TV and eating my refreshing watermelon ice cream, with the soothing background sound of shuffling cards, chatting and laughing.
Oh, the joy of those gentle city holidays!
Ingredients (4 – 6 people)
500gr watermelon pulp
200gr rice milk
100gr sugar
45gr dextrose
2gr carob flour
1gr guar flour
First of all, cut and remove seeds from the watermelon then chop it into chunks and place in a food processor, whizzing them together to get a puree. Keep it aside in a bowl.
Mix the rice milk, the carob flour and the guar flour. Place on a low flame and mix until it reaches 80 degrees - the optimal temperature to activate the two flours, which helps thicken the mixture.
Mix the sugar and dextrose and add to the mixture, let it cook for few more minutes until it melts gently then turn off the heat. Pour the milk into the watermelon pulp, cover and leave to cool down in the fridge.
When its well cooled, put it in the ice cream maker until it thickens then mix with chocolate chips and transfer into an airtight tray to place in the freezer.
The ice cream is also lovely served in the empty shell of the watermelon.
Notes:
Dextrose is a type of sugar. Each type of sugar has different freezing point and dextrose (together with glucose syrup) is the most suitable type for obtaining a creamy ice cream. You can find it in a pharmacy or online.
Carob and guar flours serve the same purpose of making the ice cream creamier and less icy.
Paola is our in-house cook, here at the House of Talents. She is offering Italian inspired Italian inspired cookery classes for adults and kids.
Times: 3pm on Tuesdays and Fridays (60 mins).
We are asking for a £5 donation for group sessions (with a minimum of 5 people per session).
Please get in touch with Paola to sign up for one of her group classes, or to book a one-to-one session.
Email: paolacimmino3@gmail.com
Instagram: @cucina_cimmino
Paola is a member of the House of Talents , a community of established professional artists, writers, actors, musicians, performers and mental health coaches, who are offering affordable online creative courses for adults and children to learn at home. Classes include portrait painting, performing, public speaking, creative writing, self-publishing, meditation, mindfulness, nutrition. 10% of all proceeds is donated to charity.
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