Orange granita with yogurt, olive oil and pistachio

Ice crystals with a creamy counterpoint

Granita isn’t smooth sorbet, but a loose dessert made of ice crystals. Orange and lemon provide the fresh, slightly tart base here; yogurt rounds out every spoonful, and pistachio adds a nutty crunch. The olive oil isn’t just decoration: a small amount of fruity oil brings the citrus together with the yogurt’s full flavor. Choose an oil you also enjoy tasting cold, but use it sparingly so the orange stays in the foreground.

In the Netherlands, oranges are often widely available and juicy in winter, although you can buy them all year round. Freshly squeezed juice usually has more aroma than juice from a carton. Strain it if you want a smooth base; it’s also fine to leave in a little pulp. Taste the juice before freezing it: oranges vary in sweetness and acidity. The amount of sugar given is deliberately modest, but leaving it out altogether isn’t ideal. Sugar helps keep the granita scoopable and mellows the lemon. If your juice is very sweet, you can use a little less.

A shallow metal tray freezes faster and more evenly than a deep bowl. Scrape the mixture regularly with a fork, including around the edges: that’s where it freezes first. This breaks up the larger sheets of ice and creates loose, fine crystals. Don’t wait until the tray is completely frozen before stirring for the first time. If the granita does become hard, leave it on the counter for a few minutes, then scrape it loose again. The exact time depends on your freezer and the shape of the tray.

Serve the granita as soon as the crystals are loose, with cold, thick yogurt, crumbled pistachio and a few drops of olive oil. Greek yogurt works well; for a milder flavor, you can use full-fat yogurt. You can replace the pistachio with finely chopped almonds, although that will change the flavor. Feel free to make the granita earlier in the day and keep it covered in the freezer. It may become firmer if stored for longer, so give it a little time before serving and scrape the crystals loose again. Add the yogurt, nuts and oil at the last moment so the pistachio stays crunchy.