That is when Cloud 9 became Lemon Tree – a non-imposing name that hints at lavish vacations along the Italian coast. At the time, Lemon Tree was worth nearly $65 million, and it's easy to see why.

Lancellotta walks me to another 3.7-acre (15,000 sq m) greenhouse filled with 1,250 lemon trees. As he talks of his fruits with pride, I felt a hint of disappointment.

If you're unable to get some from a 300-year-old Italian lemon tree plantation like Munno does, leaves from a local lemon tree will also do. For this dish, ...