Happy Days with the Naked Chef

In every way imaginable, this third Jamie Oliver cookbook proclaims that he has arrived as a celebrity chef, husband, father, and all around swell lad made good. His name on the cover is about three times the size of the book's title, `Happy Days with the Naked Chef', the book is dedicated to his two children, Little Henners and Jakey Bakey, and photos his nibs with his wife, Jools appear throughout the book. On top of all this, there is a much broader representation of international flavors in these recipes based on trips to the Orient, echoing the influence of Japan on the culinary thinking of Joel Robuchon. At the risk of laying it on just a little too thick, I really believe Oliver shows the kind of passion about good food and cooking which I have seen in very few other TV culinary personalities. Stopping short of a comparison with Julia Child, as Saint Julia did say she couldn't quite understand him most of the time, I would compare his enthusiasm with that of Mario Batali and Jacques Pepin, although he does not have the depth of technique of Jaques or the extensive knowledge of local Italian cuisines as Mario. Oliver does not simply dedicate to his children for schmaltz value as he devotes a sizable section of the book on the value and attitudes to use when cooking with your kids. These few pages alone are worth the price of the book. Emeril just published a whole book on techniques for cooking with your kids, and as good a job as he did in telling you how to do it, Jamie does a much better job of telling you why you do it and what benefits will arise from the effort. Jamie also gives a few insights into his cooking with Jools as well when he says that once upon a time, every little suggestion on Jools' cooking from world famous chef Jamie was taken as a criticism and tended to dampen her enthusiasm for doing something she did not especially enjoy anyway. The whole picture changed when Jamie simply praised everything Jools did in the kitchen. The quality of her cooking and her attitude improved dramatically. I can think of a few of my relatives I would love to feed the wisdom in this book. In reviews of Oliver's other books, I have warned that while Jamie preaches simplicity, this is not the same as quick or easy. Jamie does lean a bit toward quicker and easier in some chapters in this book, keeping to the cooking with the kids theme. He has a chapter on `Quick Fixes' and `Comfort Grub' plus `More Simple Salads'. And, he leaves out any recipes for homemade pasta, with all pasta dishes being based on dried pasta, which he always says is not inferior to fresh, just different. There is also a very short chapter just after the introduction on using fresh herbs, which for the entire world sounds like a sermon from Pastor Oliver exhorting you to use fresh herbs. This homily is understandable if you recall that Jamie Oliver's writing and televising about food is all about lifestyle, not just how to cook. His lesson is that fresh herbs are neces

Sadly, I think a lot of people pass off Jamie Oliver as a goofball celeb chef and never give his cookbooks a fair try. I found his previous works to be a little silly, a little wordy and maybe overly cutesy, but Happy Days with the Naked Chef is a fine, clever cookbook with a pile of challenging, fun recipes. The writing is a lot sharper and more focused this time and the recipes read more like traditional recipes. True, there are some bizarre Britishisms that you have to wade through, but I think Oliver did a much better job of internationalizing his chatty prose in order to clarify his thoughts. That effort is definitely appreciated when you get into the depths of a complex recipe like Beef with Morels and Marsala. If you're a fan of the show, you'll already have your own mental lexicon of Oliverisms to get you through. Non-viewers might need to visit his web site to uncover the meaning of some of the more extreme terms.Regardless of whether you watch Oliver's Twist on a regular basis, this is a genuinely engaging book. It's a great read, and has enough really inventive recipes to keep you busy for a year's worth of Saturday nights. Highly recommended!

Jamie Oliver's third cookbook doesn't disappoint! Fans of his previous two cookbooks will be pleased with his latest offering which showcases Jamie's signature fare: fresh, snappy, elegant dishes that are actually very doable in your own kitchen. Chapters cover salads, soups, pasta, fish, meats, breads, desserts, as well as some welcome sections highlighting roasted veggies, some fun options for cooking for and with kids, beverages (soft and hard), "Quick Fixes" which covers fast ways to prepare your favorite basic entrees, and "Comfort Grub" - an international jaunt through a selection of hearty, homey comfort foods. Aside from the great recipes and sharp photography, Jamie's charm, zest for life, and pure appreciation of food shine through on every page. Although I have known folks who cringe at Jamie's cavalier "handful of this, heap of that " style of measuring, I found that he has grown a little less ambiguous as time goes on and the recipes in this book reflect that growth and precision. Another small thing I found very helpful (as the wife of a vegan): the index of the book kindly flags vegetarian dishes, making it easy to sort quickly through options for restricted diets. Whether you're an old fan of Jamie's shows or a new convert, this is a great addition to any kitchen library.

this is a really fun cookbook and there is something for everyone here. For those who like Jamie Oliver's first two books, this is more of the same nice stuff - good rustic recipes that are tasty and some of which are very fast and easy to make. The recipes are a mixture of Italian, British fare from Jamie's childhood days, and a mixture of a few other cuisines. What is nice about this book is that there is also a section about cooking with kids and getting kids interested in helping with food preparation and to make meals more interesting and interactive for them (and you!). Also, at the end there is a section of drinks as well, some alcoholic (like the sidecar) and some non-alcoholic (like mango lassi). All in all this is a really nice book and it will make you realize that making your own bread, soups, tarts, etc is not really hard, and is really rewarding and fun. And... as a wife who cooks every day, it has given me a lot of fresh ideas for new meals. check it out!