Every region of Italy has specialty foods and Sorrento is no exception. Walking around the markets of Sorrento, there’s on thing that you can’t miss: lemons. Lemons are everywhere! Lemon granitas, lemon pasta, lemon risotto, lemon soap, bucket hats with lemons on them, and, of course, limoncello. Every store in Sorrento has at least one shelf dedicated to lemons. There are even stores that only sell limoncello.
But why are lemons so popular and why are they the food of this region?
Well, the soil and climate provide the perfect conditions for producing juicy lemons. Sorrento lemons are often not the best-looking lemons but they are the best tasting. Due to the incredible lemon-growing conditions, production of lemons is booming. Moreover, the combination of great tasting lemons and the natural beauty of Sorrento’s coastline has transformed Sorrento into a tourist hub, with a brand of lemons. Most clothing stores use lemon prints, all the fridge magnets and shot glasses available either have lemons or lemon trees on them and even the storefronts themselves are often decorated with delicately painted lemons.
In Sorrento, I have tried lemon risotto, limoncello, lemon slices, lemon granitas, a limoncello spritz, lemon and zucchini pasta, lemon infused fish and lemon gelato. I think it is safe to say that I’ve tried my fair share of lemon-based foods. In fact, last week I had the privilege of learning how to make lemon gelato. It was much simpler than I assumed. However, I did learn some important lessons to prevent you from making critical mistakes:
- ALWAYS make sure you scratch the lemon’s peel to test the smell. If the peel smells sweet then the lemon shouldn’t be used, but if the peel smells strong and tart, then it’s a good lemon.
- Don’t judge a book by its cover: good lemons aren’t always the ones that look the prettiest but are the ones with the best insides.
- Is your lemon heavy? If yes, then it’s probably a good lemon.
- Always use all the lemon – wasting food is lame!
So now that you know the most important rules when it comes to finding and using lemons for gelato, here’s how to make lemon gelato:
- Heat a liter of water with 500g of sugar in a pan until all the sugar has dissolved.
- Allow the sugar-water mixture to cool.
- Once cooled, add 300g worth of fresh fruit juice and zest.
- Stir.
- Place in a container in the freezer and leave for a couple of hours.
- Remove from the freezer and blend using a hand blender then place back in the freezer for another couple of hours.
- Remove from the freezer, blend with a hand blender again and serve.
- Enjoy!