The London cookbook Recipes from the restaurants, cafes, and hole-in-the-wall gems of a modern city

Crapanzano's book takes readers on a journey through the current London restaurant scene. The book is filled with impressive and tempting recipes, along with engaging stories of the chefs behind the restaurants. Crapanzano, a food journalist and winner of the James Beard Foundation's MFK Fisher Award for distinguished writing, engages the reader with wit and warmth. She starts her delightful book with an intoxicating history of the modern London restaurant scene-a useful reminder that the capital city has been an exciting place to eat for more years than naysayers might admit. Flavors from all over the world-Mexico, India, Italy, Japan-have made themselves at home in London and are reflected in the broad range of recipes that fill the book. Travelers to London would do well to choose this cookbook as a guidebook for touring the city's restaurants. For those resigned to armchair travel, don't despair: head for the kitchen. This book offers many unexpected and innovative recipes, and the directions and procedures have been modified to suit the American home kitchen. Among the recipes for dishes that show London at the cutting edge of modern cuisine, such as a salad of grilled leeks, chèvre, brown butter, and smoked almonds; mussel-fennel sourdough soup; and molasses cake with garam masala ice cream, there are a few ever-so-British recipes, including a classic Welsh rarebit from star chef Fergus Henderson to round out the collection. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Food writers and journalists increasingly agree that British food has shed its bad reputation, and Americans are clamoring for cookbooks from London eateries such as Ottolenghi and the River Café. In this superbly written and photographed cookbook, award-winning food writer Crapanzano surveys significant shifts in London cuisine, noting the influence of chefs such as Fergus Henderson and Ruth Rogers. Readers need not have traveled to London to appreciate recipes such as Korean steak and shoestring fries, farro and porcini soup, scallops with corn puree and chile oil, and garam masala Christmas pudding with nutmeg custard. These and other dishes have been sourced from many popular restaurants and adapted for home kitchens. VERDICT Crapanzano perfectly captures all that's exciting about the people, places, and foods that make up London's modern culinary scene. After reading this cookbook, home cooks may find themselves planning a London vacation. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

yellowfin tuna spaghetti puttanesca SERVES 2 Angela was one of the first major female chefs in London. The number, at long last, is on the rise. But for much of the last twenty years, it was just Ruth Rogers, the late Rose Gray, Sally Clarke, Skye Gyngell, and Angela. The circle was indeed a tiny one, though it was also a very influential one. Angela's cooking is perhaps the most classic, if also--at Murano--the most elaborate . The food there is the kind of highly refined Italian that makes tossing a bowl of pasta with pesto seem almost savage. It is extraordinarily good. But at the more informal Café Murano, Angela lets down her guard and the food is livelier. This spicy, fiery puttanesca is paired with a beautiful confit of yellowfin tuna. Capers and olives give heat and texture, while the confit offers silken luxury.  1 (7-ounce) fillet yellowfin tuna 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cloves garlic, crushed  14 ounces canned whole San Marzano tomatoes, chopped 5 salt-packed anchovies, rinsed and patted dry  20 capers, rinsed 3 pinches of dried red chile flakes Salt and pepper, to taste Aromatics, to taste (fresh bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, and garlic)  Vegetable oil, for cooking 12 ounces dried spaghetti  10 black olives, pitted and chopped 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley  1⁄2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Warm the olive oil in a large skillet or saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add 2 of the garlic cloves and sauté until golden, but not brown.  Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the anchovies, capers, and chiles, and simmer for 5 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper and set aside, off heat.  Place the whole piece of tuna in another saucepan with a high rim and cover with aromatics. Pour in enough vegetable oil to completely cover the tuna. To confit the tuna, bring the oil to a simmer over low heat and gently cook until it flakes easily. Transfer the tuna to a cutting board. Discard the vegetable oil.  Cook the spaghetti in generously salted water until al dente. Reserve 1⁄4 cup of the tomato sauce and set aside. Add the just-drained spaghetti to the pan with the remaining tomato sauce and toss over medium heat for 30 seconds or so.  Divide the pasta between two wide, warmed bowls. Cut the tuna in half and place a half atop each serving of pasta. Spoon the reserved tomato sauce over the top. Scatter with the black olives and parsley, and garnish with a grind of black pepper and a bit of the grated Parmesan. Serve immediately with the remaining Parmesan, if so desired. Excerpted from The London Cookbook: Recipes from the Restaurants, Cafes, and Hole-In-the-Wall Gems of a Modern City by Aleksandra Crapanzano All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.