It is almost impossible to talk of the Amalfi coast without the mind’s eye conjuring up images of snaking coastal roads flanked by mountainsides covered in neat terraces of lemon groves. The area’s history of growing lemons dates back centuries, and if the local lemon industry has somewhat diminished over the years, the quality of its lemons certainly hasn’t.
Up in the village of Furore, pleasantly removed from the bustle of the better-known hot spots on the coast, lemon expert Antonio Ferraioli, who along with his family runs the hotel-restaurant Bacco, explains to me exactly what it is that makes these sfusato amalfitano lemons so special.
‘The first thing you notice is their incredibly intense scent, and then also the elongated shape, the knobbly peel with its unusually high content of essential oils, the abundance of juice they yield, and the near absence of pips – all these things make this a unique type of lemon.
So much so that they now enjoy an I.G.P. (Indicazione Geografica Protteta) status which acts as a guarantee that the lemons have been cultivated respecting traditional farming methods and following the Rules for Production that dictate, for example, the use of dry stone containment walls for the terracing and that the trees be grown under pergolas of chestnut wood.’
It’s hardly surprising that lemons feature heavily in local recipes, and not just in sweets and desserts, but throughout the whole menu. What could be simpler or more appetising than a meal of pasta or rice conjured up in the blink of an eye with little more than a generous grating of lemon zest as its main flavour?
Simple and essential, this dish typifies the Italians’ gift for turning whatever they have to hand into a feast. Serve when you have unexpected guests, when you don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen or when (magari!) you have more lemons than you know what to do with.
Ingredients
(serves four people)
2 untreated lemons;
125 g shelled walnuts;
small bunch flat leaf parsley:
extra virgin olive oil;
salt and pepper;
350 g fusilli from Gragnano;
100 g Provolone del Monaco cheese, grated (or substitute with normal provolone);
1 lemon, sliced, for decoration.
Preparation
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil for the pasta.
Peel lemons, taking care only to remove the yellow part of the peel and avoiding the bitter white pith.
Finely chop lemon peel, walnuts and parsley. Pour a generous swirl of olive oil into a shallow saucepan or frying pan and heat.
Add the lemon peel, walnuts and parsley, and sauté for a few minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.
In the meantime, cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Drain pasta and add to the lemon mixture. Toss well and at the last minute mix in the grated provolone. Serve immediately on plates decorated with slices of lemon.
