Customer Reviews

Jamie's Dinners

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Jamie Oliver writes cookbooks I look forward to reading and this fifth volume from the Anglo wunderkind chef fully satisfies my expectations.

Julia Child, Marcella Hazan, Paula Wolfert, James Beard, and Diana Kennedy write great cookbooks from which I always learn something. Thus, it is always rewarding to read works from these writers. But, Jamie Oliver's books belong to a very select few which are not only educational, they actively make you want to put down the book and go to the kitchen and start cooking. The select group of writers who can do that for me is lead by Jacques Pepin and has recently been joined by Tony Bourdain along with Peter Reinhart, Chris Schlesinger, and his nibs, Jamie Oliver. Even my culinary idols Mario Batali and Alton Brown can't evoke my passion for cooking as well as Messers Pepin and Oliver.

Appropriate to this grouping of writers, Oliver's latest effort, `Jamie's Dinners, The Essential Family Cookbook' is a perfect companion to Jacques Pepin's latest work, `Fast Cooking My Way'. Both books highlight the way the two chefs cook at home, with the focus being as much on simplicity and readily available ingredients as on speed. As I rarely cook with the intention of being done quickly, but I do appreciate a simple dish with high rewards on the palate, Oliver's book promises AND delivers on exactly the kind of book I like to go to on a regular basis, just like Jacques' work.

The theme of Jamie's last book was wrapped around his effort to train 15 deserving unemployed young people and staff a restaurant, `15' with his graduates. This book is based on a similar socially active theme of improving school lunch meals. Jamie states that he has been doing a documentary on school food programs and how they may be improved. The book gives little information about this film, but it does have a lot of material on food appropriate to school lunches.

The first third of the book is devoted to unconventional material and presentations of recipes. The first chapter gives us recipes for Jamie's `Top Ten' dishes: Sausage and Mashed Potatoes with Onion Gravy; Burger and Chips; Baked Lasagna; Jacket Potatoes (stuffed potatoes for us Yanks); Apple Pie; Roast Chicken and Roast Potatoes; Fish, Chips, and Mushy Peas; Chicken and Sweet Leek Pie; Tomato Soup; and Chicken Tikka Masala. Jamie often likes to offer some dishes as `the best'. And, I have never been disappointed with any of his `best' dishes. Many are now part of my standard repertoire. But, whether many are `the best' may be a matter of taste. His `ultimate' burger for example includes cumin, coriander, Parmesan cheese, mustard, and raw onion mixed into the burger patty. I am perfectly happy staying with my classic Julia Child recipes incorporating nothing more than sautéed shallots into the patty. But, I am sure that Jamie's version is `a tasty burger'. Even these simple dishes offer interesting techniques. The chips, for example are not fried, they are parboiled, then baked. The lasagna is bulked up butternut squash. The chicken potpie is topped with puff pastry instead of conventional pate brisee. One thing these dishes exemplify is that simple is not always easy. Jamie is not going for speed here, he is aiming at tasty, popular dishes. And, aside from the mashy peas, I suspect every dish will appeal to American tastes as much as it will appeal to our Brit cousins.

The next chapter develops an idea I have had for a book for close to a year now, and Sir Jamie got to it long before it was anything more than a notion in my head. This is a presentation of related recipes that begin with a basic preparation such as pesto, then builds on this to create four or five related dishes which use this basic preparation. Ming Tsai wrote a whole book, `Simply Ming' on this idea. Ming promoted the idea as a method for saving time. I thing Jamie is closer to the practical matter for home cooks when he pushes the ideas as a means for building a good repertoire of dishes from a few simple techniques such as a marinara sauce, roasted lamb, stewed fruit, and puff pastry.

Jamie's next chapter is on `5 minute wonders', that are very similar to the 26 recipe snippets at the beginning of Pepin's `Fast Cooking My Way'. For this chapter alone, I would have a copy of this book at my desk at work so I could pick up the ingredients for these dishes on my way home. True to Jamie's passion for fresh ingredients, most of the dishes need at least one fresh green or protein.

The chapter on sarnies (sandwiches for us Yanks) is meant to elevate this humble preparation to a level which will satisfy even the gourmet palate by being nutritious, fresh, and interesting. I am pleased to find the selection is not limited to Italian influenced Paninis.

These chapters alone are worth the price of admission, but we have 200 more pages of Oliver recipes to go. His salads are as interesting as usual with lots of original stuff and a few old standards. The chapters on soups, vegetables, pasta, meat, fish, and desserts are all up to his usual standard.

There is a rather unusual chapter at the end of the book entitled `Kitchens That Work'. It is an uncommon subject for the typical cookbook, but it fits the theme of this book, that being cooking at home. Jamie's primary premise is that his recipes can easily be done in a relatively small home kitchen, which is what he actually has in his home. There are a few simple ideas that I am sure I will include in my long-awaited kitchen renovation. Leading the pack is the notion of a cutting board tabletop for veggies, with separate plastic boards only for meats and poultry.

Very highly recommended.

I'm a big JO fan, and ordered this book from the amazon.co.uk site, so I've had it for a few weeks now. This is, by far, Jamie's best cookbook to date - the recipes are easy and nutritious without being too "out there" with weird ingredients (ie the beet cake in last book - yuck), there's a large section on how to make tasty foods that kids will eat, fantastic ideas for packed lunches... I'm very happy with this book. Three cheers to Jamie for giving us a cookbook that's actually USEFUL!!

this cookbook is the best for home cooks who are passionate about cooking and food, but also need to be thoughtful, realistic and economical in feeding their families. there are a lot of wonderful recipes in here, but the best chapter for me is called "Family Tree," which gives you a homemade ingredient that you can make a lot of, like Jamie's simple but excellent tomato sauce, and then work into several meals over the course of a week or so. The way Jamie writes, and even the way he uses approximate measures, like a "handful of basil", encourages the home cook to have more confidence, imagination and fun in the kitchen. A complete beginner may need a book with more exact instructions, but for someone a bit comfortable and practiced, this book can really recharge the way you make everyday meals. i'm grateful to have it in my kitchen!

I wasn't sure about getting this cookbook, but WOW is my stomach grateful that I did! Straight off, being that fish and chips are my favorite, I tried his "Fish, Chips and Mushy Peas"...minus the mushy peas...(they scared me a bit, being with mint?!?! and all)...it was deluxe, restaurant-ish, lick-your-fingers-and-enjoy-your-guests-praise-nonstop-throughout-the-whole-meal-GOOD! I tried lots of fish and chips recipes before by hoo-ha chefs, all over-complicated, disappointing messy and not-tasty muck, but this one by Jamie was SIMPLE (3 ingredients for the batter) and tasted like perfection! (p.s-try it with a tartar sauce with mayo, mustard, lemon-juice, pickles, onions and a freshly crushed garlic clove...Y-U-M)

After trying the fish, I had a drive to try out some of the others so I tried his "Roast chicken with lemon and rosemary roast potatoes". Now... I make a great variety of roasted chicken dishes, complicated and simple, all BIG hits, and I really thought there was nothing new in the roasted chicken world, until this!!! Wow! My husband and I gorged the whole dish ALONE while quickly abandoning the fork and knife for our hands, licking our fingers every trip to the mouth! The recipe includes stuffing the chicken with garlic cloves and a pierced boiled lemon oozing it's juice...OH MY...speechless is the word! I recommend to eat this dish alone or with the hubby/wife, because it's too good to share with guests! It's our new favorite chicken roast (p.s-stick with fresh herbs, you'll taste the amazing difference!)

After two amazing triumphs with Jamie, I went on to "The ultimate burger and chips". Had it with the hubby and a friend. This burger should have been on that show Oprah had, where her friend explored the top 50 burgers to eat before you die! B-L-I-S-S! This recipe calls for a pestle and mortar, which I never owned and was weary about, but I got one and I am loving it (bye-bye aggression!)We added fresh avocado slices to the bun, besides Jamie's other recommendations..."druel-icous"! This one makes the "junk food/snack" reputation of the burger vanish and become 100% Meal!

The only danger with Jamie's cookbook is that you can forget about all conventional table conversation period...the eating experience becomes only EATING THE FOOD...AND TALKING ABOUT HOW GOOD IT IS...and having a very sudden urge to be thankful to God for food! (shouldn't that be the correct way anyhow, if you're cooking like you should...or could with Jamie?) This is my idea of an eating-lifestyle one must experience before they die! Life is too short to just eat to fill!

It is so refreshing to come across a chef who does all the normal meals we all know and love, but has a deep-food-loving twist that makes it feel like it's the first time ever eating the meal, and who has such a passion for food that you can taste with every bite! Plus, I gotta hand it to him for sticking to the fresh veggies and herbs as opposed to all the dried, frozen and over processed junk there is widely offered today! Don't be afraid to try out new tastes and new herbs...with Jamie they'll become an inseparable part of your meals that you'll marry with the rest of your dishes too!

Suggested food blessing for Jamie's dishes: "Hallelujah, thank you God for Jamie! Amen."

This is my first Jamie Oliver cookbook. His TV shtick never appealed to me, but when I read about his really admirable work at improving school lunches in the UK and providing training for school-leavers at "15," his London restaurant, I decided he merited some support. Besides, we definitely needed to widen our repertoir of home dinners.

I've been very favorably impressed by the book. I've made about seven or eight things out of it now, and all have turned out to be excellent. Unlike some reviewers, I didn't mind the lack of precision in some recipes (I've always relied more on just using a "lug" of olive oil than measuring it, anyway), and I've learned to deal with the occasional editing lapse--if you read the whole recipe before starting (good advice I don't usually follow) you discover the "beaten egg" called for in the Spanish roast chicken isn't actually part of the recipe anyway.

So I recommend this book very highly. I should mention that although there are a number of recipes that the author describes as hits or favorites of his children, we've yet to find recipes in the book that will enchant young and old alike. (I don't rule out that this is only because he prepares them better than I do.) But I'm happy to keep plugging away at it, because literally everything has pleased the old, and that's who's doing the cooking!

I like this cookbook a lot. It's full of recipes I'll actually be able get my family to eat. The recipes call for ingredients I already have in my cupboard or refrigerator. The recipes don't use fatty or over-processed foods (like cheese and sausages) as main ingredients -- and the recipes that DO call for such foods can 'swim' without them. He gives hints that I can choose to use or not. There are a lot of fish, beef, and vegetable recipes... with fun, colorful ideas. And his recipes are fun to read! These are all attractive options for my family because I have to avoid using corn derivatives, which are in every food item that's been packaged in a US plant... so it's nice to finally find a cookbook that sticks to wholesome, unprocessed ingredients that food allergy sufferers can work with.

This has to be one of my favorite cookbooks, not only because the recipes are healthy, tasty and family friendly, but because one really becomes absorbed in the ambiance of the book.

There is a rustic, hominess and familiarity to the recipes, pictures and descriptions that makes one feel that they are included in Jamie's quirky, British style.

I love the pictures of Jamie eating a sarnie on the street curb and the lasagne pictures with the cheese melted to a crisp along the edges of the pan; and someone has already dug in!

My kids and I love the bowtie pasta with peas -- whoever thought they'd agree to eat a pea? This pasta is the only way they'll do it.

Certainly not classical cuisine fare, but good, homey rustic eating and lots of Jamie, as well! How can you beat that?!

This is a great cookbook. The organization and ideas are very good, and the recipes I have tried tasted great. (The recipe for the roasted chicken alone is worth buying the book!) His recipes are not overly complicated, and there are a lot of easy modification ideas included with most of them. There are two reasons I did not give it a full 5 stars. The first is that the vagueness of his measurements is a little annoying. (ie, "knobs" of butter) The second is that an earlier reviewer said that the recipes are fairly healthy. While many are, or could be modified to be healthy, many are not. I was hoping for a little less cheeze and cream. Over all though, I am thrilled with this book!

This is a gorgeous cookbook...to look at. The pictures and lay out are fantastic but I found the recipes to be a bit "out there". I was expecting awesome, easy , family recipes. I found maybe four or five recipes in the book that my family would eat. I mentioned the "squahed fig, basil and parma ham sarnie in tomato bread" to my husband and he just looked at me with a blank stare. I also doubt that my three year old will go near the "Sweet Duck Legs Cooked With Plums and Star Anise" but I will try some of the recipes.

JO does provide an excellent chapter on vegies, how to select and prepare etc. Don't get me wrong, I will enjoy this book, I won't regret spending the money however it will not become the family cooking bible that I had hoped for.

I completely lack any culinary talents but I made the porkchops entree and it turned super! Exactly like the picture - which looks like a gourmet dish - and so very delicious! The recipes are easy to follow and easy to modify to your tastes! I can't wait to try out more recipes and know that this will be a well used book.