Jamie's America: Easy Twists on Great American Classics, and More [Hardcover]

Jamie Oliver (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 5, 2010

The incredible diversity in American cooking was a real revelation to me. So although I went looking for “quintessential American food,” my conclusion is that there is no such thing; instead there’s a huge wealth of seriously exciting dishes.

Many of us outside of America may think we already know all there is to know about it from movies or the occasional holiday, but the truth is that this doesn’t even scratch the surface. In many ways, the country is still a bit of a mystery to us. This trip was my chance to explore the ingredients, food culture, and traditions within this incredible country.

I felt that I knew cities like New York and Los Angeles pretty well, but this time I ventured beyond the neighborhoods I was familiar with and into areas better known for their immigrant communities. I was rewarded with some of the most incredible food I’ve ever tasted.

The story was the same when I moved beyond the big cities. Whether it was Creole cooking in Louisiana or soul food in Georgia, the Mexican influences in Arizona or the hearty cowboy cuisine of Big Sky Country, every place I went had its unique treasures.

I came back with more recipes than I knew what to do with, and although it was tough, I managed to narrow this book down to 120 of my absolute favorites. These are my takes on some of the best food I came across, as well as a few things I made up along the way. I hope you enjoy them, and maybe even discover new and inspiring sides to America you’ve never seen before. Enjoy!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Oliver returns with his 10th cookbook, this one a colorful and quirky look at down-home American cooking. Traveling to the cities of New York and Los Angeles, as well as Louisiana, Georgia, Arizona, and Wyoming, Oliver paints a somewhat unbalanced portrait of American cuisine. However, what he covers, he covers well, and, in many cases, he puts his own touches on American classics. From New York, he showcases Waldorf salad made with yogurt, and cheesecake topped with meringue. Louisiana's popcorn alligator and aioli and Arizona's rustic tortilla soup emphasize only a fragment of the multitude of ethnic influences that shape our food creations. The cultural differences between Georgia and Wyoming are shown in stark contrast with Southern pecan and apple salad, and mountain meatballs. Los Angeles's tuna in roasted salsa and Redondo mackerel wraps round out Oliver's culinary tour. Scattered among the many recipes and numerous color photos of each region are sidebars on region-specific cultural influences such as Chinatown, gator hunting, and campfire cooking. Uneven but still insightful, especially for Americans who have not journeyed to these areas, these dishes offer a glimpse into some of the best America has to offer. (Oct.) (c)
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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 Caf . 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 is thirty-three and lives in London with his wife Jools and their daughters, Poppy and Daisy.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 360 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (October 5, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140132360X
• ISBN-13: 978-1401323608
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 1.5 x 10.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #121,632 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Off the beaten path of American cooking - excellent variety and taste ! December 27, 2010

By busy_mom2000

Format:Hardcover

Jamie Oliver's latest cook book is as rich in flavor and variety as our American culture is. For this book, he traveled through the United States to find out what "real" American food is all about (not the typical cliche of "junk food", but rather "how people feed their families"). Instead of going from state to state, he tried to pinpoint six different parts of the country: New York, Louisiana, Arizona, LA, Georgia, and what he calls the "Wild West". During his trip he visited "everyday people" to see how and what they cooked for their families, as well as little diners, supper clubs, even illegal restaurants run from people's homes. He even joined in on an alligator hunt to (literally) get a taste of the "local game".

I've been a fan of Jamie Oliver's cooking since his early "Naked Chef" days, and have enjoyed many of his recipes. Though I don't own every one of his cook books (most of them, though, as well as his iPhone app, which I really like!), I really thought the concept of this one sounded interesting. So I gifted this to myself for the holidays. I absolutely love the variety of the recipes in this book! You find classics like the "Waldorf Salad", Chicken noodle soup (lovingly called "Jewish Penicillin" in the book - so good that my husband and kids have already requested me to make this one three times in the 1+ week I've had this book!), "Deep-Pan Pizza" (delicious!), or pork ribs (haven't tried them yet, but his rub and BBQ sauce sound delicious!). He even has some desserts strewn in there ("Peach Cobbler", "Chocolate Rocky Road", "Velvet Cupcakes", or "Peach Ice Cream", for example).
But then you also find these great region specific recipes ("Collard greens, turnips & pork", or "Southern Pecan & Apple Salad" - doesn't that just scream "Southern" to you?). I can't wait to try one of his Gumbo recipes, his "Cajun Blackened Fish Steaks", and am even debating to get myself some alligator meat once the hunting season starts up again just so I can try his "Cajun Alligator with sweet potato & salsa" (though I may end up substituting the alligator tail for chicken breast).

There is one recipe per double page, with the actual recipe on one side, and at least a picture of the finished dish on the opposite. I enjoy the fact that Jamie Oliver wrote a small introduction to every recipe, and has strewn some stories and pictures in from his travel through the country. (I have not found this to be too political, btw.) The recipes are not very difficult to follow (as usual), taste great (I tend to use recipes as a starting point, varying them to my/my family's taste), and he has added wine suggestions for most of the recipes. All in all, this book makes a great addition to his other cook books. This time, though, I think there is a lot more variety to his recipes, than there has been in previous books. I guess you could say that Jamie cooks his way through the diverse American cuisine tastefully, and I will gladly follow.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Check it out at your local library November 20, 2011

By i4abuy

Format:Hardcover

Lemme say, first off, that I'm a fan of Jamie Oliver. I own one of his cookbooks and have never missed when I cook from it. My experience is that if he has a recipe for something I want to cook, it is likely to be better than other recipes for the same dish. And he has many fresh, new ideas. So, when I saw this book at the library I headed straight home to see what I could cook.

It's a beautifully produced book with terrific pictures (except for the 85 -- count 'em -- annoying photos of Jamie Oliver popping up everywhere like a self-satisfied Flat Stanley wistfully staring at the horizon). The recipes I've cooked have been his usual high standard for abundant flavor. The Astoria Soup has been the best, but I threw in some chopped lamb to give it more substance. Traybaked chicken was good, and we used the leftover sauce and potatoes as a soup base.

Having said that, I personally will not buy the book. I can't find enough recipes I want to cook to justify the price or the shelf space. There are way too many desserts and salads for my family. And there are many recipes for regional or difficult-to-find meats: alligator, venison, pork skin, quail. There are too few recipes for vegetables. My plan is to photocopy the five or ten recipes that work for my family before returning the book to the library, because the ones that work, REALLY work well.

Now, if you're not familiar with Jamie Oliver cookbooks, you may also want to see whether you will be put off by his writing. I go back and forth with this. I like his measuring system: "a glug of olive oil," "four handfuls of greens," "a handful of manchego cheese." That makes sense. And I like it when he writes of chicken that "if the juices run clear, you're laughing."

On the other hand, too many ingredients on his lists are followed by the note "preferably organic." Come on, Jamie, it's 2011. We've all got that message. [I predict his next cookbook will say "preferably organic and locally produced."] That's annoying, but it's insulting and condescending to specify ingredients -- usually bacon -- that are "the finest quality you can afford." First off, isn't that what we usually buy? But more to the point, who does he think his audience is? Food stamp recipients? "Well, kids I couldn't buy you ice cream tonight because I splurged on bacon for that stew." This sort of stuff should be handled in the first two or three pages of the book, not in every third recipe.

So, my advice is not to order the book blindly, but to look through it to be sure you will find enough recipes for your family. What doesn't work for me, may work brilliantly for you. As for me, I'm saving the price of the book to put some better quality bacon on the table.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Jamie Oliver At His Best Yet Again! January 3, 2011

By Sheri Newton

Format:Hardcover

Jamie's America by Jamie Oliver is a new cookbook by Jamie that focuses on all of the amazing dishes that America has been cooking for a long time. This cookbook gives some updates to favorites such as pizza, fried chicken, breakfast tortillas, and many more favorite recipes from people all over America.

Jamie's America is a cookbook that is written from someone who is not from America, but enjoys the food that it has given for culinary cuisine. This cookbook isn't just an ordinary "Southern" "Cajun" or whichever area in the USA cookbook. This is one that joined together some fun recipes that Jamie enjoyed while visiting New York, Louisiana, Arizona, Los Angeles, Georgia, and the Wild West.

Jamie's America is a big, colorful cookbook that has scrumptious recipes that make you wish they could be brought to life with some form of a magic wand. Unfortunately, that hasn't been developed yet, so you have to do it the old fashioned way and actually cook it.

Some of my favorite recipes included in this cookbook:

* New York: Waldorf Salad, NYC Cheesecake
* Louisiana: Down `N' Dirty Cajun Rice, Chicken Sausage & Shrimp Jambalaya
* Arizona: Rustic Tortilla Soup, Cinnamon Orchata
* Los Angeles: Beautiful Breakfast Tortillas, Chocolate Rocky Road
* Georgia: Red Pepper Summer Soup, Beer Butt Chicken
* Wild West: Awesome Wild Pancakes

Jamie's America is really a cookbook that gives a diverse group of recipes that may be new to you, and some may just be updates to some of the classics. Either way, it is a great book that can perhaps bring inspiration to your very own kitchen to start cooking some new favorites.

* Thank you to the publisher of Jamie's America, Hyperion, for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.