In honor of Juneteenth 2022, the founders of the Bronx-hailing chef and foodie collective Ghetto Gastro share their Juneteenth celebration recipe.
"Juneteenth is OUR 4th of July. As we celebrate the emancipation of our enslaved ancestors, our mission as a company is to further the access of culinary education in our community. We want everyone to remove the refined sugar and food coloring from the table this summer and go all natural. There’s no better time to start than the present.
The red color of this holiday is to honor the struggle and sacrifice from our ancestors. So for this dish, we are using hibiscus flower, watermelon, and sorghum, which are all native to Africa. Our Sovereign Syrup is a blend of maple, apple cider, and sorghum syrups. Tangy, rich, and sweet, this dish is the best way to make your summer cypher complete. Keep it cool with this granita, but you gotta put some elbow grease into this dish to get the ice right."
Sovereign Ice
Serves 6
Ingredients
7 g/ 2 tbsp dried hibiscus flowers
125 ml/ 1/2 cup Sovereign Syrup
500 g/ 3 cups cubed watermelon
Juice from one lime
Flaky sea salt, to finish
Method
Boil 1 cup water and add hibiscus, remove from heat, and steep for 20 minutes. Strain the tea and let cool for 1 hour.
Add the watermelon to a blender with the tea, syrup, and lime juice; purée until smooth.
Pour into a metal baking dish and place in the freezer. Every 30 minutes, use a fork to scrape the granita to reach the texture of fluffy shaved ice. After 2 or 3 sessions, you’ll be ready to serve.
Divide the granita into 6 glasses. Drizzle on some extra sovereign syrup, and garnish with a pinch of flaky salt and lime zest. Serve with spoons.
Highsnobiety has also put together a list of Juneteenth celebration events, films and documentaries you can stream for Juneteenth, Black-owned brands to support, and our favorite Black authors to celebrate.
