Finishing a book is bittersweet. I gathered over 300 recipes in my research for The London Cookbook and had to narrow down, after much testing and retesting, to 120.
Getting down from 300 to 200 was easy—some recipes simply don’t translate to the home kitchen or to American ingredients (note the difference between their cornstarch and ours or their bramley apples and our cooking apples). Others are too fussy or cheffy with too many components. But then there are the 80 recipes it was really hard to cut. Here are five recipes too good not to share in some form.
Rogan Josh Shepherd's Pie
by Aleksandra Crapanzano
Arrocina Beans with Chorizo, Morcilla, and Pork Belly
by Aleksandra Crapanzano
The Rogan Josh Shepherd’s Pie from Vivek Singh, the chef-proprietor of London’s Cinnamon Kitchen and Cinnamon Club; the Arrocina Beans with Chorizo, Morcilla, and Pork Belly, from Barrafina; and the Amalfi Eton Mess, based on a version from Locanda Locatelli, are wonderful examples of the changes in food in London and the incorporation of global spices and ingredients.
The Zuppa con Sarde is found at the beloved River Cafe. Sardines might have a bad rap, but, if ever there was a soup to redeem them—this is that soup. And the Vanilla Saffron Gelato is a funny story; it was supposed to go into the final manuscript but somehow was lost when we separated desserts into two sections: desserts and chilled desserts.
Zuppa con Sarde (Borlotti and Sardine Soup)
By Aleksandra Crapanzano
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Arrocina Beans with Chorizo, Morcilla, and Pork Belly
By Aleksandra Crapanzano
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Rogan Josh Shepherd's Pie
By Aleksandra Crapanzano
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Vanilla Saffron Gelato
By Aleksandra Crapanzano
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Amalfi Eton Mess
By Aleksandra Crapanzano
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For more recipes from today's London food scene, Aleksandra's book is The London Cookbook.