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Manufacturer: Michael Joseph
Publisher: Michael Joseph
Author: Jamie Oliver

Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 641
EAN: 9780718144395
ISBN: 0718144392
Label: Michael Joseph
Manufacturer: Michael Joseph
Book Pages: 288
Publication Date: 2000-03-30
Publisher: Michael Joseph
Studio: Michael Joseph

He's back. Can anyone remember why they called Jamie Oliver the Naked Chef first time round? No matter. The Return of the Naked Chef is a quite brilliant collection of smart-casual food, simple, sexy, sophisticated, sharp as a tack and bang up to the moment. Oliver (or his editors, stylists, whoever) certainly has his finger on the pulse: there isn't a duff recipe in the book. This is food designed to be cooked in the home, but informed by the professional skills and commercial instincts of a working chef.

So what do we get? First off, ingredient perfect pitch. Seared scallops, grilled squid, baked beetroot and squash, roast Jerusalem artichokes, braised lamb shanks, crispy sea bass, carpaccio of beef, pancetta, lots of herbs, goats' cheese, Asian influences--all exactly what everybody seems to want to cook at the moment. There isn't perhaps anything blindingly original in his recipes, but the combinations are nudged this way and that to maximum effect: "Potato and Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with Thyme, Mascarpone and Hazelnuts", "Risotto of Radicchio, Smoky Bacon, Rosemary and Red Wine", "Braised Pigeon Breasts with Peas, Lettuce and Spring Onions", "Orange and Polenta Biscuits" give something of the flavour of the style. It's modern, fresh and not in any way intimidating. On the minor matter of personal appeal, where Oliver really scores is the intriguing contrast (the "tension", as literary critics would say) between the skilled and imaginative professional on the one hand, and the laddish Essex boy on the other, who always manages to look as if he's just crawled from under a companionable duvet. This book will scarcely need recommending, but it is a highly appealing and skilful package. --Robin Davidson

Customer Rating:
Review Summary: A book you shouldn't miss
Review: This is just as great as all the other books - easy, delicious recipes that actually work in normal life. You'll find some really new, inspiring recipes for pasta and risotto ... One of my favourites is the "salmon fillet wrapped in prosciutto with herby lentils, spinach and yoghurt" (tasty and moist). The book is also great, if you're planning to make your own pasta but don't know exactly how: Jamie explains this in detail. I would recommend this book to everyone!

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Customer Rating:
Review Summary: The best Jamie book
Review: I have all 6 of Jamie's books. I rate this as his finest. 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!

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Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Brilliant
Review: This book is excellent. The book shows all the basics! The recipies are simple to make and very tasty. The book is very colourful and well set out. Im 15 and I want to be a chef this book is so helpful because the recipies are not to extravagant. A brilliant buy - You wont be dissappointed!!

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Customer Rating:
Review Summary: easily followed recipies for real people
Review: Here in the US we have a TV channel devoted to cooking [the food network]. When I saw Jamie's show 'The Naked Chef' I knew with a title like that it would be a change from most of the chef's here who'll teach you how to prepare duck stuffed with foie gras. Jamie's TV slot 'The Naked Chef' and subsequent books showed us how to cook a meal for an ordinary bloke in an ordinary kitchen without going broke buying just buying the ingredients. Cheers mate look forward to the next book / TV series.

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Customer Rating:
Review Summary: No more pasta please!
Review: Surely not MORE recipes for bread and pasta - especially as I (among plenty of others) cannot tolerate wheat flour and find heavy carbos like these difficult to digest. Some of the recipes were OK - bloody lovely in fact, but the choice was limited once you cut out the bread, pasta and seafood (which I can't stand - god I sound fussy!) Also, WHY was roast chicken featured in both books? You haven't got away with that one mate. Please Jamie, less of the same stuff in the next book, eh?

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