The differences between what grows over there and what we have in the UK are noticeable immediately. They're much bigger, more perfumed and far far sweeter with none of the sharp bitterness usually associated with lemons. These badboys are so special that the 'Sorrento Lemon' was even granted it's own IGP recognition (Protected Geographical Indication) in November 2000, something more usually associated with the production of wine.
Other than squeezed over fish, my two favourite uses of these prized assets are in the production of 'limoncello' (a local liquor that I'm sure everyone has drunk at some point, usually excessively) and 'granita di limone' (a semi-frozen treat now available in all sorts of flavours).
One will get you pissed, the other will cleanse your palate. You can always mix them both together like I drunkenly did with some friends on Saturday night, I think I remember it working...
Anyway, if you want 'limoncello' get yourself to Sorrento. But if you want granita, here's a really easy recipe to make the original lemon version, and damn refreshing it is too.
600ml of water
300g of sugar
500ml of lemon juice (approx 8-16 lemons)
zest of 1 lemon
Bring the water and sugar to a light simmer and reduce until you have a slightly syrupy consistency, this shouldn't take much more than 10 mins. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Strain the lemon juice through a sieve straight into the cooled syrup, mix well and leave to rest for 30 mins. Add the grated zest (and ribbons of very finely shredded mint if you fancy) and pour into a plastic container with a lid.
Pop this into the freezer for 4-5 hours stirring (and eventually scraping) the mixture well every 30 mins with a fork. That's pretty much it.
Get stuck in or just keep in the freezer until you're ready. If it solidifies a little too much over time just fluff it up again with a fork before serving in a glass. Enjoy!
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