Gennaro’s Limoni: Vibrant Italian Recipes Celebrating the Lemon

The Amalfi Coast is known for extra-sweet, thick-skinned lemons, and native Contaldo (Gennaro’s Pasta Perfecto!) digs into the area’s flavor in a collection as bright and cheerful as its subject. “Lemons cleanse, refresh, disinfect, preserve, and are an absolute essential in the home,” he explains, before describing how lemons infused every aspect of his childhood. Desserts like cakey lemon cookies and white chocolate and lemon mousse with raspberries are no-brainers, but the flavors of citrus are also expertly woven into savory dishes: a fennel and apple salad is crowned with lemon-clementine compote, and pizza dough with lemon zest is topped with sausage, more zest, and a spritz of lemon juice. No part of the lemon goes to waste: scooped out rinds are stuffed with anchovies and mozzarella and baked. The style is alla mano—friendly and open—and organization is equally loose. A chapter nominally on vegetable dishes ropes in everything from pasta with capers to a frittata with red onions and parsley, while a chapter on fish features poached cod with olives and chili pepper, and sardines with a tuna filling that are breaded and fried. Whether codifying the 17-day process for crafting limoncello or explaining how friends at a hometown pastry shop candy citrus peel, Contaldo evokes joy. (Oct.)