Happy Days with the Naked Chef

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 078686852X ISBN 13: 9780786868520

Publisher: Hachette Books, 2002

Jamie Oliver believes in finding the best ingredients and making tasty, easy, social meals. Like his first two bestselling cookbooks, Happy Days with the Naked Chef 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.

Review:

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

About the Author:

Jamie Oliver grew up in his parents' country pub, the Cricketers in Clavering, where he started cooking at the age of eight, before studying at London's Westminster Catering College. He then went on to work with some of the top chefs in England namely Antonio Carluccio at the Neal Street Restaurant and Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers at the River Café. The author of such popular titles as The Naked Chef, Jamie's Kitchen, and Jamie's Italy, among others, he has written for the Saturday Times, served as Food Editor at GQ and Marie Claire magazines, and hosted the popular television show The Naked Chef. He lives in London with his wife Jools and their daughters, Poppy and Daisy.