Happy Days with the Naked Chef
- Book Review,
by Jamie Oliver
Amazon.com
Jamie Oliver's Happy Days with the Naked Chef is in the same mold as his bestselling cookbooks, The Naked Chef and The Naked Chef Takes Off: recipes for simple, comforting food. This time, however, he has some interesting additions from his travels to Australia, New Zealand, America, and Japan. There are three new ideas in Happy Days with the Naked Chef. Oliver has included a chapter on "Comfort Food"--the kind of cooking Nigel Slater and Nigella Lawson specialize in. There are recipes for British favorites like Toad in the Hole, Fish Finger Buttie, and Sticky Sausage Bap with Melted Cheese and Brown Sauce. In his "Quick Fixes" chapter, Oliver has selected dishes where saving time and minimal washing up are the key ingredients. These include a Steak Sarnie and Chicken Breast Baked in a Bag with Mushrooms, Butter, White Wine, and Thyme. He has also included a "Kids Club" chapter, which offers inspiration for parents trying to get their children excited about food. The new additions don't dominate the book as the remaining two-thirds contain Oliver's standard Italian-style fare: simple salads, fish, meat, vegetables, breads, and desserts. Don't miss the excellent recipe for Medallions of Beef with Morels and Marsala and Crème Fraîche Sauce. Oliver has also been traveling and you'll find recipes with bok choy, soy sauce, and ginger popping up here and there--delicious! --Elizabeth Murgatroyd, Amazon.co.uk
From Publishers Weekly
Big-energy, high-profile Food Network celebrity Oliver (The Naked Chef) says this book addresses what the average person wants to cook at home; and perhaps never has a personality cookbook ranged so far across high and not-so-high cuisine. Oliver proposes the best way to eat store-bought fish sticks (broil them and serve on a white roll with ketchup) and devises easy dishes he calls Quick Fixes, such as Chicken Breast Baked in a Bag with Cannellini Beans, Leeks, Cream and Marjora. He suggests how to get kids involved (make Chocolate Cookies with Soft Chocolate Centers) and then proceeds to mouth-watering adult fare: Pot-Roasted Pork in White Wine with Garlic, Fennel and Rosemary]; Lovely Pan-Baked Plaice with Spinach, Olives and Tomatoes; and Medallions of Beef with Morels and Marsala and CrŠme Fraiche Sauce. Oliver's impulse to wow an audience is reflected in such recipes as Whole Roasted Salmon Wrapped in Herbs and Newspaper, to be cooked on a camp fire or over a barbecue, and Flour and Water Crust Chicken, in which a whole bird is enclosed, baked and brought to the table in a pastry covering. Chocolate and Whole Orange Pudding is actually baked with a pre-boiled orange in the center. A small quibble, but home cooks should pay attention when assembling ingredients because they are not always presented in simple lists. The 11 components in Japanese Rolled Pork with Plums, Cilantro, Soy Sauce and Spring Onions, for example, are given in only six lines. Oliver concludes with some of his favorite beverages, which include Easy Peasy Ginger Beer and the Margarita. (Oct.)Forecast: Oliver's previous two entries from Hyperion have been very successful, and this will follow the pattern. The last week in October, he'll tour seven cities, conduct cooking shows in bookstores and throw in some drumming as well, a musical talent he practices in his spare time.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
The Naked Chef is back with another exuberant, engaging collection of fresh, vibrant recipes. This time, he includes some homier dishes in a chapter called "Comfort Grub," his take on some traditional English favorites. Now that he's a family man, there's also a chapter on cooking with kids. In general, Oliver's food is often quite simple, but he also offers a chapter of "Quick Fixes," delicious dishes that require minimal preparation and cleanup (many of them are cooked "in a bag," a foil pouch). Full-page color photographs illustrate many of the recipes, and there are also shots of Oliver, with family and friends. The Naked Chef hasn't lost any of his enthusiasm, and neither have his many fans. An essential purchase.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Library Journal
"The Naked Chef hasn't lost any of his enthusiasm, and neither have his many fans. An essential purchase."
New York Times Book Review
"The perfect cookbook."
New York Times Book Review
"The perfect cookbook."
USA Today
"Young and fun."
Seattle Times
"His enthusiasm and love of life are infectious, and he is in fine form here."
Winston-Salem Journal
"Naked Chef's third is upbeat, encouraging, loaded with comfort."
Book Description
Cooking sensation Jamie Oliver returns with a third cookbook, stripping fine food down to the basics with recipes that are fresh, flavorful, and feisty. Jamie Oliver believes in finding the best ingredients and making tasty, easy, social meals. Like his first two bestselling cookbooks, Happy Days is filled with fantastic salads, pastas, meat, fish, breads, and desserts for all occasions. In "Comfort Grub" Jamie gives you his contemporary twists on old favorites, and in "Quick Fixes" he whips up really delicious, easy dinners -- just right for when you get home late from work. The "Kids' Club" chapter is all about involving your kids in your cooking, like having them squash fresh tomatoes for pasta, pit olives, and knead and shape bread. For Jamie Oliver, food is all about Happy Days -- good fun and great eating.
About the Author
Jamie Oliver started cooking in his parents' pub when he was eight years old. His first two series of The Naked Chef on the Food Network grabbed the attention of millions of viewers; the accompanying cookbooks were national bestsellers. Oliver currently cooks at Monte's Restaurant in London, and is the food editor of the UK editions of Marie Claire, GQ, and The Times Magazine. He lives with his wife and child in London.
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