Recipe Monday: Sicilian Strawberry Slush

RECIPE MONDAY:
STRAWBERRY SICILIAN SLUSH

With these few days of lovely warm weather here in Oklahoma, I got bit by the summer bug! We pretended it was 80 degrees outside - we grilled, we drove with the windows down and I made the most wonderful summer treat, Strawberry Sicilian Slush! Let me tell you the story of this delicious little treat!

One of my favorite places in the whole wide world is a little string of five villages in Italy known as Cinque Terra. Vernazza, in particular, holds my heart. This was my second trip to the little tiny town and while I feared that it wouldn't live up to the memories I had from my first visit, the one street wonder did not disappoint! While many things about the little village had changed (it had been devastated by a mudslide a little less than two years ago), the pride of the people remained and the colorful, yet slightly less bright, buildings continued to be completely charming. 

My first Strawberry Sicilian Slush

Thanks to Rick Steve's Guidebook we found our way to the delightful cafe, Il Pirata delle 5 Terre. Oh my, it was pastry Heaven on Earth! Each morning the incredibly friendly twin brothers who own the little restaurant get up and bake fresh, melt in your mouth pastries! Brandon and I fell in love with all of their yummy treats and ate there THREE times! We quickly became known as the "Oklahomas with the bebe!" and were greeted with such kindness that we looked forward to our morning "date" with the brothers Cannoli! Each morning, we let Massimo (one of the brothers) pick what we would be eating and let me tell you, each time we were in breakfast bliss! The first day he brought me out the "Strawberry Sicilian Slush" - oh. my. goodness. It was wonderful!! I ordered it every time we stopped by! The last morning we ran up to grab a quick bite (ie: satisfy my preggo craving for the strawberry slush!) and Massimo met us at the door and told us that his brother was under the weather that morning and he had tried his best, but had run out of time to make the slush. I was heartbroken and apparently didn't hide it all that well... Massimo apologized over and over and I gave him a hard time about how I would just go all the way back to the United States and forever crave the strawberry goodness. So, bless his sweet heart, he told me how to make it! He started rattling off the recipe and I whipped my phone out and started taking notes... Below, is the famous recipe straight from Vernazza, Italy! It is the perfect warm weather treat! I hope you enjoy - Buon appetito!

What you need:
The slush...
4 1/2 C Water
5 C Strawberries 
1 C Sugar
The juice of an orange and lemon 

The insanely delicious whipped cream...
1 Quart Whipping Cream
1 C Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla

An ice cream maker! I have this Cuisinart one and LOVE it!

How many get to eat: 8 very happy eaters!

What you do:

1. Wash, hull and half the strawberries... throw them in the blender!

2. Toss the cup of sugar in the blender...

3. Squeeze every last drop of juice out of the lemon and the orange... Pour that into the blender (and toss in some of the pulp if you want for a little extra zest!)

4. Finally add the water...

5. Blend!! It's best with strawberry chunks so don't over blend!

6. Finally, pour it into your ice cream maker and let it spin until it is thick and chunky! Think thick slushy texture. While the slush is freezing, whip together the whipped cream (see what I did there?!)

7. Pour the quart of whipping cream into the mixer...

8. Add the cup of sugar...

9. Top it off with a teaspoon of vanilla... 

10. Beat until thick and creamy! This will take quite some time, but don't turn it on and forget about it completely or your whipped cream will turn into rock hard butter and you'll be very, very sad.

FINALLY, pour in the slush, liberally apply the cream and enjoy this delicious taste of Italy! And if you ever visit Vernazza, stop by for a pastry with sweet Massimo and tell him hi for me!

Be Blessed,

Raegan