The Return of the Naked Chef - Jamie Oliver

...that Jamie Oliver has changed the way cooking is viewed nowadays. He has made cooking more accessible and has brought into the public eye the benefits of healthy eating and using fresh produce.

His 'Return of the Naked Chef' is my favourite cook book, so I thought I'd share its delights with you. This book was published in 2000 to accompany Jamie's second TV series, so it is a bit old now but definitely worth adding to your kitchen ...
.../> Jamie was originally named the 'Naked Chef' due to his beliefs in cooking - using the bare essentials in your cupboard and stripping down restaurant methods to the reality of home. He takes the recipes from his restaurants and then re-works them so that the likes of me can recreate them!

The cook book is 285 pages long and features over 140 recipes split into 14 sections which I'll run through below in a minute. The pages are ... more

Love him or hate him, you can't dispute that Jamie Oliver has changed the way cooking is viewed nowadays. He has made cooking more accessible and has brought into the public eye the benefits of healthy eating and using fresh produce.

His 'Return of the Naked Chef' is my favourite cook book, so I thought I'd share its delights with you. This book was published in 2000 to accompany Jamie's second TV series, so it is a bit old now but definitely worth adding to your kitchen shelf, due to its diverse array of recipes. As it is a few years old now it can normally be found on special offer - its £9 now on Amazon.

Jamie was originally named the 'Naked Chef' due to his beliefs in cooking - using the bare essentials in your cupboard and stripping down restaurant methods to the reality of home. He takes the recipes from his restaurants and then re-works them so that the likes of me can recreate them!

The cook book is 285 pages long and features over 140 recipes split into 14 sections which I'll run through below in a minute. The pages are also quite glossy - very handy if you're a messy cook like me, as you can wipe them clean!

Each section begins with a page or 2 from Jamie explaining his love of the particular type of food covered in the section and the types of occasions they might be suitable for. This is an interesting read if you like Jamie, but if you're not a fan these parts might annoy you a bit as they are written in the same style that Jamie talks in, and often feature little stories or anecdotes which aren't always relevant to cooking! Each recipe also features a short paragraph at the beginning where Jamie explains where he got the inspiration for the recipe from, or any famous people he has cooked the recipe for. Following this there is the ingredients list and a note to say how many people the recipe serves. The instructions are written in a long paragraph which isn't quite as easy to read as bullet points. It is written as if Jamie is explaining it to you in your own kitchen which I like but I often find that when I look away from the book I sometimes have to read through the whole thing again to see which point I was up to! Each recipe is also supported by a beautiful colour photograph, which I really like as it makes the recipe easier to follow when you know what the end result is supposed to look like! Each section is also interspersed with full page colour photos, which feature scenes of Jamie cooking, out shopping at the market or eating with friends.

**Introduction**
Jamie starts by talking about the success he has gained from his first TV show and book - little did he know how successful he would be 5 years later!! He explains how the book is aimed at normal people who want to make simple day-to-day meals different or who want to try something a bit more indulgent.

**Make life easy**
This is a useful section as Jamie lists all the basic items you should have in your cupboards which will enable you to cook his recipes. He splits them into cupboard stuff, fresh stuff and spices. The cupboard stuff includes items such as salt, sugar, flour, pasta, rice, tinned tomatoes etc, the fresh stuff includes garlic, onions, herbs etc and then lastly the spices includes chillies, nutmeg, cloves etc. There is nothing out of the ordinary in these lists and I'd imagine if you enjoy coking enough to buy this book, then you probably have most of these items already.

**Potty about herbs**
This is a short section where Jamie talks about his love of herbs and how easy they are to grow, even if you only have a window ledge. From following his advice I now have a window box full of mint, basil, rosemary and parsley which I have grown both from seeds and cuttings and all I have to do is water them! Easy!

**Morning glory**
This is a section full of breakfast recipes, which range from the healthy 'Pukolla' (Jamie's own version of muesli) and homemade yoghurt, to the not so healthy bacon sarnie. My personal favourite is 'Midnight pan fried breakfast' where you cook all the usual English breakfast goodies together in a frying pan and then stick them together with a few fried eggs, so that it makes a large pancake of sausages, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms and eggs! Mmmm!

**Tapas, munchies and snacks**
This section features recipes for food which is perfect for parties or just for snacking on in front of the TV. My favourites include pan toasted almonds and smashed spiced chickpeas, both of which have been made over and over whenever we have friends round for a few drinks.

**Simple salads and dressings**
Here Jamie recommends buying a few big salad bowls and experimenting with your own salad recipes, but to get you started he has included a few of his own favourites which include mozzarella and grilled chilli, couscous with grilled summer vegetables and Thai salad. The section finishes with a list of salad dressings you could make, which really help to make a plain green salad a bit more exciting.

**Soups and broths**
I've used this section least out of the whole book as it seems to include some slightly obscure recipes, for example, Jerusalem artichoke soup, seafood broth and squash and barley broth, which don't really appeal to me. I think a good old vegetable or chicken noodle soup recipe would be better placed here.

**Pasta and risotto**
Reading this section inspired me to buy a pasta maker and I have since made fresh tagliatelle, ravioli and tortellini. Each of the techniques to make these types of pasta is clearly illustrated with step by step photos. This section includes recipes for both fresh and dried pasta ranging from seafood tagliatelle to spag bol. There is also a foolproof risotto recipe and suggestions for different things to add to a risotto; myfavourite being prawns, peas, mint and basil (the mint and basil coming from my herby window box!)

**Fish and shellfish**
For those with no access to a good fishmongers recipes such as monkfish wrapped in banana leaves and whole baked sea bass, might be hard to achieve, but there are plenty of other 'normal' recipes, which include a delicious fish pie and tray baked cod and runner beans.

**Meat, poultry and game**
This is probably the section of the book I have used the most, and recipes from these pages have fed our friends on more than one occasion! The recipes I have used from this section include 5 hour lamb (put a leg of lamb and all the vegetable in a baking tray, add a bottle of white wine, cover with foil and leave to cook for 5 hours!), roast chicken with Parma ham and lemon, lamb curry and a gorgeous homemade burger, which is great on the BBQ. The more obscure recipes include braised pigeon breast and Indian cheese made from boiling milk and wine!

**Vegetables**
Lots of useful vegetable recipes here to add to the meat dishes from the previous section. My favourites include mashed veg, carrots with cumin and thyme, and sweet peas and spinach.

**Bread**
This section begins with Jamie's basic bread recipe and then runs though different styles of making bread. These range from the savoury (herby bread, pizza bases, chickpea flatbread) to the sweet (chocolate twister bread).

**Desserts**
Another favourite section of mine and it features all things sickly and bad for you! There is a fantastic recipe for two nuts chocolate torte and crème brulee, along with some yummy ice-cream recipes and suggested topping! Just try refusing these!

**Bevvies**
Jamie begins by saying that a lot of the recipes in this section are 'borrowed' from his friend Dick Bransell who is a cocktail waiter and they include the classics such as dry Martini, Bellini and Tom Collins, along with the slightly different vodka watermelon (basically a watermelon you gradually fill up with vodka and then serve in slices!). It also covers some delicious non-alcoholic smoothie recipes.

**Stock, sauces, bits, bobs, this, that and other**
The last section covers the basics such as chicken stock, vegetable stock, salsa, bread sauce etc and other useful things you can add to Jamie's recipes, or things he has referred to earlier in the book.

**Vegetarian recipes**
Each of the vegetarian recipes are marked with a V in the index, making them easy to find. About two thirds of the recipes are suitable for vegetarians and a lot of the other meat dishes could easily be adapted to not include meat.

**Overall**
I refer back to this cook book over and over again, and really like the clear photos and Jamie's style of explaining things. I think this book is aimed at people who have some experience of cooking and aren't afraid to experiment with something a bit different. It covers the basics such as spag bol, fish pie and roast chicken, along with lots of recipes which push the boat out a little bit more, and doesn't contain too many obscure 'what is that?' type of recipes. It was bought for me by by Mum when I moved into my first flat after university, and I'd definitely recommend it others who have cooked cheaply while at university and are now looking for something a bit more advanced cooking wise, but not too technical. The book is full of good hearty meals, which focus on fresh produce and the fun that can be gained through cooking. On the whole Jamie uses 'normal' ingredients and I have not had to scout around the supermarket looking for anything strange. This probably isn't a book for those of you who either don't like Jamie as it is written very much in the same style as his TV programme, otherwise it come highly recommended!

Thanks for reading! I'm off to concoct something to eat now as writing this has made me very hungry!! Helen
 

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