As well as gelo di mellone (made with watermelon juice), Sicilians make gelo do mandorla (made with almond milk), gelo di cannella ( made with cinnamon and water) and gello di limone ( made with lemon juice). It can also be called, Biancomangiare.
It is thickened with corn flour and stirred like custard till it solidifies. There is nothing to it, but surprisingly it turns out to be quite delicious.
This photo is of a gelo di limone, one of the many Sicilian specialties one of my relatives has made for me.
500ml fresh lemon juice
500ml of water and the peel of the lemons soaked in the water for 24 hours
300g sugar
4 level tablespoons arrowroot or corn flour
2-3tbsp limoncello (optional)
Mix the corn flour with a little water and make a smooth paste.
Mix all of the other ingredients together in a small saucepan and heat gently – keep on stirring until it thickens.
Remove from the heat, add the limoncello and pour into a wetted mould (or individual serving glasses)
Leave to cool, then chill in the fridge for several hours.
Sicilians eat it plain but it is a nice accompaniment to strawberries or poached cumquats (sugar syrup).
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