The Naked Chef

There are a few television chefs like Delia Smith and Nigel Slater who know exactly what viewers want. They cook food which is simple to prepare, but looks and tastes delicious. That's probably the reason why the BBC has bagged Jamie Oliver as the presenter of its series "The Naked Chef". A working chef at London's celebrated River Café, Oliver cooks simpler versions of what you would find on the restaurant's menu. It's basically modern Italian food using ingredients which 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 nor time-consuming processes. In the book you'll find suggestions for ingredients to keep in your larder 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 pulses 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 half an hour preparing meals and is not willing to compromise on innovation and taste. --Dale Kneen

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A good look at simple cooking - Rated
I bought this book just to see how Jamie was back in his 'youth' I was pleasantly surprised to see that his cooking was simple, yet very tasty. His recipes work a treat and they are a great foundation for some experimentation!!!

Worth the money, a nice book to have on the shelf!

'The aim of this book is to inspire you to get into the kitchen - Rated
fired with enthusiasm and confidence......'

From the Introduction:-

'....I had been cooking good food in a restaurant for some time, but found it difficult to re-create many of the recipes at home for lack of time, space, equipment or, sometimes, the availability to the average shopper of good-quality produce at reasonable prices.
So, in an effort to re-create some exciting restaurant recipes in a limited kitchen, I found myself stripping down those recipes to something quite basic. I then adapted them, using what I did have in the cupboard, larder, fridge or garden.
Using this principle I have built up a foolproof repertoire of simple, delicious and feisty recipes. At the same time I have tried to avoid culinary jargon and any complicated, time-consuming process that isn't justified by the end result........'

Paperback covers open to 250 high quality, shiny pages split over 11 chapters:-

Soups
Salads & Dressings
Pasta
Fish & Shellfish
Meat, Poultry and Game
Vegetables
Pulses
Risotto & Couscous
Bread
Desserts
Stocks, Sauces, Bits, Bobs, This, That and the Other

With reference sections entitled 'First Move' (includes a basic `larder' suggestion list), and 'Herbs & Spices', sandwiched between an introduction and a concise index, which highlights 'illustrated' recipes and 'vegetarian' dishes.

Jamie's usual charming `thanks' pages complete the book.

Photography, by Jean Cazals and David Eustace, intersperses the recipes, but there is not one for each recipe, which may be a slight negative for some, and there are some very faint text headers, which can be hard to read.....making it just short of 4 stars in my opinion.
Having said that it is a useful first book, if new to 'The Naked Chef' - typical JO banter is present throughout the book, e.g.:-

'Good soups are really only about good ingredients. A good soup can be made, finished and in a bowl in minutes and still be as tasty as one that you have spent an hour or so preparing..............'

'Most people can't get any enthusiasm for a limp and uninteresting salad so chuck out your tasteless iceberg lettuce and you water -based dressings and .........'

Ravioli with Prosciutto, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Basil and Mozzarella:-
'I am afraid that this is a clichéd and obvious combination but it is quick and bloody good, so try it........'
Risotto:-
'If I asked most people if they made risotto at home I reckon most would say 'no', and would think it was just some poncy restaurant food..........but risottos are really meant to be cooked at home. The real secret of a good risotto, I'm afraid, is that you have to stand over it and give it your loving and undivided attention for about 17 minutes, but it's worth it. Anyway what I am going to do now is give you a really solid, decent risotto base method and then give you five of my favourite variations.........'

Other basic recipes and reference guides are littered throughout, e.g.:-

Everyday Quick Pasta Recipe
Short-crust Sweet Pastry
Basic Bread recipe
Stocks
Aioli
Salsa Verde
Perfectly Cooked Live Lobster
Basic Steamed Pudding Recipe
Globe Artichokes - What to Buy and How to Prepare
Feeling your Pulses and How to Cook Them
Basic Risotto Recipe
Stocks
Mayonnaise
Sauces

A taste of the other recipes included:-

My Minestrone Soup
John Dory Baked in a Bag with Marinated Cherry Tomatoes, Black Olives and Basil
Spiced Slow-Cooked Lamb Shanks
Pork Chops with Thyme, Lemon and Pesto
My Perfect Roast Chicken
Fragrant Green Chicken Curry
The Most Perfect Steamed & Roasted Duck with Honey & Oyster Sauce
Meatballs
Grilled Asparagus with Olive Oil & Sea Salt
Spicy Roasted Squash
Pot-roasted Rabbit with Rosemary, Thyme, Sage & Lemon
Vegetable Tempura
Pickled Chillies
Mashed Potato
Pease Pudding
Beer Bread
Baked Fruit with Mascarpone Cream
Lemon & Lime Cream Tart
Baked Fruit
Simple Chocolate Tart

and

'A Spottier Dick Pudding' - 'This is proper 'bloke's' pudding - loads of custard, a little warmed syrup over the top and some cream.
SUPERB!

And you can't say fairer than that!

Superb when basics are in order. - Rated
This is absolutely my favorite of the Naked Chef book series. It was the first one I remember getting, and the one I had some of my most memorable cookbook experiences from.

Sometimes, though, I find the Naked Chef books to be slightly confusing; I tend to loose the overview of the contents, and I'm grateful for the index in the back of the book. But it can be ignored if you got your basic skills in order.
Another thing that bothers me - and that goes with every one of JO's books - is that the recipes don't always fit the health of the family (due to eg high cholesterol and overweight).

My best tip from the book is Baked Chocolate Tart (p. 218) with Vanilla Cream (p. 201).

Three stars are for the book itself, and one star for the memories.

Fantastic.....i've cooked all of 'em!! - Rated
I have all 6 of Jamie's books. I cook a jamie meal every single evening! he is an absolute star, i have never ever come across any other cook books where you can do a recipe from it every night of the week at reasonable cost, very little time and bloomin tasty! (jamies words) I fill in my diary up to 3 months in advance with one of the recipes from his books....good planning, i then go to the supermarket twice a week, buy the ingredients and away you go....no worrying what are we gonna have for tea tonight!! All recipes are simple, fast and quite often are based around the same ingredients, i have to say i very rarely have any waste. It makes my life easy.....and we are eating very healthily too, unless we do one of his puddings, but only at the weekend!

Making it easy. - Rated
I love this book. If I'm stuck for an idea for something to rustle up I can usually find some inspiration here. Jamie makes everything sound so simple and I find myself making something that I would usually have considered too difficult or time consuming.