[.ca] The Naked Chef (ISBN 0786866179)

From Amazon.com:
There are a few British television chefs, such as Delia Smith and Nigel Slater, who know exactly what viewers want. They cook food that is simple to prepare but looks and tastes delicious. That's probably the reason why the BBC appointed Jamie Oliver as the presenter of its series The Naked Chef (which airs on the Television Food Network in the U.S.). A working chef at London's celebrated River Café, Oliver cooks simpler versions of the fare you would find on the restaurant's menu. It's basically modern Italian food using ingredients that can be found by almost anyone who is reasonably interested in food shopping. Like the television show, the book is titled The Naked Chef. In Oliver's words, this sums up the idea: "It's basically stripping back to the bare essentials." He applies this to all his recipes--from salads to roasts, desserts to pastas. He doesn't use culinary jargon or time-consuming processes. In the book you'll find suggestions for ingredients to keep in your larder (pantry) and herbs to grow on your windowsill. Recipes include Warm Salad of Radicchio; Gem and Pancetta; and Beetroot Tagliatelle with Pesto, Mussels, and White Wine. There are also tips on how to cook live lobsters, how to make gravy, preparing dry beans for cooking, and how to make the perfect roast chicken. Several photographs accompany some of the recipes, with step-by-step instructions. Oliver's recipes for bread are particularly good--a tribute to his training at Carluccio's, the Covent Garden deli. This is the perfect book for anyone who doesn't want to spend much more than a half-hour preparing meals and is not willing to compromise on innovation or taste. --Dale Kneen, Amazon.co.uk

Eye-catching title, simple food:
Jamie Oliver's first book based on his television series (no, the title does not refer to the chef but instead to his philosophy) is a fine entry in the cookbook market for those who prefer their meals on the plain but flavorful side. Oliver excels in simplicity. His stripped down recipes are easy to follow and don't require a lot of imagination to guess how they will taste. For example, his six recipes for salad dressings fit on two pages; the recipe titles describe exactly what one gets. While Oliver supplies a few recipes that I'll never try (Ravioli of Borage, Stinging Nettles, Marjoram, and Fresh Ricotta) and a few gourmet dishes (Spicy Squash, Basil, and Ricotta Tortellini with Crispy Herbs), most dishes will be familiar to those who dine out at mid-priced restaurants. The emphasis is heavily, though not exclusively, on pasta and Italian flavors. (For ambitious cooks, Oliver supplies clear instructions on how to made pasta at home.) Meat recipes are often plain, without sauces or exotic ingredients; you'll find roast chicken, slow-cooked lamb shanks, and pork chops with thyme, lemon, and pesto. The fish and seafood dishes tend to use off-beat (for Americans) ingredients such as sardines, whole trout, and skate wings, although pan-seared tuna, a staple in restaurants nowadays, makes an appearance. Desserts are uninspired. The strength of this cookbook is the no-nonsense style and the color plates that accompany the recipes. I recommend this for beginning cooks and those who have simple tastes and are looking for something new. Gourmet cooks, particularly those with a lot of cookbooks, are likely to find themselves bored with the selections.

What a dinner!:
I finally threw myself into really making something from this book on Valentine's day for my sweetheart. I made the roast chicken, the asparagus with cheese (I used gorgonzola) and the red onions with tarragon. Let me say, I was shocked how good everything was! The flavors were as good as any above average restaurant and I did it all myself. If you have ever seen Jamie's show on FoodTV, this book is more of the entertaining young chef's recipes and enthusiasm. I have much more interest and incentive knowing how good the food I already made was, to continue to try more recipes in the book. Happy eating!

Great stuff!:
As a complete beginner, I was totally amazed by the clarity of this book. Jamie takes sophisticated tasting dishes and strips them down to the bare essentials, I couldn't believe that I was cooking up grilled salmon with black olives and basil in minutes. He made me aware of the importance of cooking with the freshest ingredients, that way less really can be more. I also liked the fact that his recipes were fairly health-conscious too without really trying to be low fat. I am ready to take it to the next level!!!!

A book that changed my life:
Recently, a friend asked me if any books had changed my life in the past year or so. I thought for awhile, and responded, "Why, yes, I guess you could say 'The Naked Chef' has changed my life. Now, I love to cook!" What I love about these recipes, besides that they're delicious, is that there isn't a lot of fussiness: no exact measurements (except for the baking recipes, of course), no tricky little "tie each noodle in a bow" steps, no sinks full of dirty pots and pans (many of the recipes are "one-dish"). This cookbook also possesses a couple of attributes that make meal planning easy: great photographs, and an extensively cross-referenced index. I now own all 4 of Jamie Oliver's cookbooks. (...)

the recipes LOOK more complicated than they really are:
when I first got this cookbook, I leafed through it, marveling at the gorgeous pictures, and laughing at his breezy tone. the problem I initially had with is was that for what proported to be "stripped down fair", the recipes seemed really intimidating (can it really be "simple" to roast a whole stuffed chicken?) and exotic (skate wings?), so for a long time it sat on my coffee table as simply eye candy. then one day, I got up the courage to try out some of his recipes. they turned out FABULOUS. everything I have tried from this book has been deceptively simple and delicious. (that roasted chicken in particular). plus, the easy, conversational feel basically talks you through everything. I'm definately going to cook more from this book, and let is sit around less. I'm only giving it 4 stars because of the initial intimidation factor, otherwise, it's a great cookbook! \oupdate\c I've been cooking from this book more and more, and the more I do, the more I want to recommend it to people. I just tried his fabulous Tomato and Sweet Chilli Pepper Soup, and it was WONDERFUL. If you're on the fence about this book - definately buy it!