Gennaro says: On the Amalfi Coast, where large, sweet lemons are in abundance, pizzas are made with slices of lemon and Provola, a local smoked cheese. As Amalfi lemons are not easily obtainable, I decided to make an alternative lemon pizza with zest in the dough, on the topping and a squeeze on the rocket at the end. The combination of lemon, sausage, onion and rosemary works really well and the final handful of rocket at the end adds to the lovely lemony freshness. Try it for a different pizza!

Makes 2 large pizzas or 4 smaller ones

Ingredients

For the dough

• 500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 7g sachet dried yeast
• 1 tsp sea salt
• zest of 2 unwaxed lemons
• approx. 325ml lukewarm water

For the topping

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large white onion, finely sliced
• 250g Italian pork sausages, skins removed and meat crumbled
• a few rosemary needles
• 2 balls of mozzarella (approx. 250g)
• zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
• 2 handfuls of rocket
• extra virgin olive oil
• lemon juice
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

First make the dough. Combine the flour, yeast, salt and lemon zest and gradually stir in enough water to make a dough. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, then cover with a cloth and leave to rest for about 30 minutes. Divide the dough into the required number of pieces and knead each one on a lightly floured surface for about 2 minutes. Place on a lightly floured baking tray, cover with a cloth and leave to rest in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, make the topping. Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan, add the onion and sweat for a couple of minutes over a medium heat. Stir in the sausage meat, rosemary needles and some salt and pepper and continue to cook for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside. Slice the mozzarella into small pieces and also set aside.

Preheat the oven to 220°C fan/200°C/gas mark 6. Take each piece of dough and flatten to make a pizza base (thickness according to your preference), then top with the sausage mixture, scatter over pieces of mozzarella, grate the lemon zest all over and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Toss the rocket in a little extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Remove the pizzas from the oven, top with dressed rocket and serve.

Gennaro says: Simple to prepare, this light, vegetarian lasagne with a refreshing hint of lemon makes a perfect meal at any time. Delicious served with a mixed side salad.

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the lasagne

• approx. 350g courgettes, thinly sliced lengthways
• a little extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
• 8–10 lasagne sheets (use easy-cook lasagne that doesn’t need presoaking)
• a few basil leaves
• 1 ball of mozzarella cheese, roughly chopped
• 30g grated Parmesan cheese
• grated lemon zest, to serve

For the lemon béchamel sauce

• 40g butter
• 40g plain flour
• 500ml milk
• zest of 1 unwaxed lemon and juice of ½ lemon
• sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of grated nutmeg

Method

Place a griddle pan over the heat. Lightly brush the courgette slices with some extra virgin olive oil. When the pan is hot, cook the courgette slices for a couple of minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove and set aside. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas mark 6.

Meanwhile, make the béchamel sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, remove from the heat and whisk in the flour, then gradually add the milk, whisking all the time to avoid lumps. Return to the heat and continue to whisk until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon zest and juice and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Use immediately or cover and store in the fridge until required.

Spread a little of the sauce over the base of a 23 x 18cm ovenproof dish, then add a single layer of lasagne sheets. Place some courgette slices on top, scatter a few basil leaves, then add a layer of lemon sauce and sprinkle with some mozzarella pieces and Parmesan. Continue with these layers until you have used all the ingredients, finishing with sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan. 

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for a further 15 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Remove from the oven, leave to rest for 5 minutes, then serve with a little freshly grated lemon zest.

Gennaro says: This cake is a twist on the classic Delizia al Limone, the individual dome-shaped sponge cakes filled and covered with lemon cream that are so popular in pastry shops along the Amalfi Coast. It’s really quite simple to make yet it looks really effective – perfect for a special occasion. For the lemon concentrate, I use my Lemon Concentrate recipe. Otherwise, use lemon extract.

Serves 8

Ingredients

For the sponge

• 5 free-range eggs
• 70g caster sugar
• zest of ½ unwaxed lemon
• 2 tsp Lemon Concentrate or extract
• 70ml mild olive oil
• 50g plain flour

For the cream

• 500ml double cream
• 250ml natural yogurt
• zest of ½ unwaxed lemon
• 3 tsp lemon concentrate or extract
• 60g icing sugar, sifted

For the limoncello syrup

• 2 tsp limoncello
• 2 tsp water
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• To decorate
• 1 lemon, sliced thinly into half moons
• fresh mint leaves

For the lemon concentrate

• juice of 6 large lemons,  passed through a fine sieve
• 440g sugar
• 100ml water

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/180°C/gas mark 4 and lightly grease a baking tin, approx. 36 x 36cm (14 x 14in) – or you could use a large Swiss roll tin, a roasting tin or the fat tray from your oven/grill. Line with baking parchment. Separate the eggs into large bowls. Lightly beat the yolks and set aside. Whisk the whites until stiff, then fold in the caster sugar, lemon zest and lemon concentrate.

To make the lemon concentrate, put all the ingredients in a saucepan along with 6 lemon halves and bring to the boil. Allow to boil for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time. Remove from the heat, place the lemon halves in a sieve or ricer and squeeze any juice back into the pan with the rest of the liquid. Discard the lemon halves. Pour the lemon concentrate into sterilized glass bottle/s, leave to cool.

Gradually fold in the egg yolks, followed by the oil and then sift in the flour. Pour into the prepared baking tin and bake in the oven for 10–12 minutes until golden. Meanwhile, make the lemon cream. Whip the cream until stiff and combine with the yogurt, lemon zest, lemon concentrate and sift in the icing sugar. Remove the sponge from the oven, turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool before carefully removing the baking parchment. 

Place on a board or work surface lined with a clean sheet of baking parchment and cut into nine 4-cm (1½-in) strips – keep the strips together for now. Put the ingredients for the syrup in a small saucepan over a medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and brush the hot liquid all over the strips.

Once absorbed, spread some of the cream on the first strip and carefully roll it up. Place the roll upright in the centre of a serving plate. Spread cream on the second strip and roll it around the ready-rolled strip on the plate. Continue doing this until you have used up all the strips. Cover the whole cake with the remaining cream – you could also put some cream in a piping bag and decorate the cake if you wish. Decorate with lemon slices and fresh mint. Place in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.