Jamie's Italy Reviews

• Superb Evocation of Italian Food. Buy It NOW!

  
  By A20IIR0422G3A5 on 2006-11-07
  `jamie's italy' (sic) by `The Naked Chef', Jamie Oliver tops, for me, all of his earlier books, especially in that magical quality which only Oliver, of all the cookbook authors I've read, seems to have in abundance. That may be just a bit heavy on the hyperbole, since all the leading English culinary writers, the heirs of Elizabeth David, such as Nigel Slater, Nigella Lawson, and Tamasin Day-Lewis all seem to communicate a `joie de vivre' which seems to be rare to non-existent in even the best Yankee culinary writers. I'm especially delighted to see his nibs even give a bow to Elizabeth David in his dedication.
  
  The book reaffirms my earlier comparison of Oliver and Robin Williams, versus lets say, Susan Spungen and Dan Aykroyd. While Aykroyd is a very talented comedian, Robin Williams is a force of nature. Similarly, while Ms. Spungen's first book will probably win a James Beard award (it is nominated), Oliver's books grab you by the heart and never let go from first page to last.
  
  I will even go so far as to say Oliver's book is superior as a first Italian cookbook than the eminent Mario Batali, Lydia Bastianich, or certainly Giada De Laurentiis. In fact, this book validates my giving Giada's books only four stars, as a rather thin, albeit `easy' presentation of familiar Italian dishes.
  
  The book is certainly an even more genuine and personal chronicle of experiences with Italian food than Mario Batali's `travelogue' book, `Simple Italian Food, Recipes from My Two Villages', not to mention the rather detached and sterile reporting of Italian regional cooking by Mary Ann Esposito of the PBS `Ciao, Italia' series. All recipes appear to have been personally discovered by Oliver `in vivo', mostly in southern Italy, including Sicily and the islands off Sicily.
  
  All my gushing over Oliver's greathearted embrace of Italian life should not hide the facts that Oliver is a hugely talented chef AND the dishes he translates for us are almost all genuine originals. While one will always find strong family resemblences between the fish and pasta and crostini and brodo recipes in all Italian cookbooks, Oliver has managed to push the envelope just a bit further and track down recipes which are certainly unfamiliar to my eyes, which have seen at least 50 Italian and Italian-influenced cookbooks over the last three years. One of my favorites is the recipe for `sushi del chianti', a speciality of `celebrity butcher' Dario Ceccini, one of the stars of Bill Buford's book, `Heat'. This is a Tuscan steak tartare, done with chili, orange zest, and marjoram.
  
  I am generally not a big fan of cookbook photography, but I make a huge exception for this volume. There is an equal measure of snaps made of prepared dishes and of his nibs chatting it up or mugging with the local populace. After having seen books filled personality-centered pics of, for example, Giada or Ted Allen, I'm pleased to find a book which does this self-serving practice right. And, Italian landscapes in the background and charming Italians in the foreground go a long way to making this book a pleasure to look at as well as a pleasure to read.
  
  Yet another delight of this book is the subtle way in which Oliver slips in some bits of culinary wisdom, as when he describes his shrimp frittata, which fussy Jamie must have just so thick, but not too thick, and browned on top, but still creamy in the center. For all the times other culinary writers talk about cooking with love, Oliver seems to be one of the very few who can translate that into words which evoke his own experiences. The text in this book seems to have more substance and fewer gimmicks than his earlier books, but you still get the sense that he is dictating the text, which is then transcribed by a secretary or copy editor. There are also some pages of pure technique, as with the page of guidelines for making minestrone. But, there are no long tutorials on important techniques such as making pasta or sausage.
  
  That doesn't mean there are no elaborate recipes. One excellent example is Jamie's `lasagne alla cacciatora', which uses a mix of up to five different meats, not unlike the more elaborate `ragu alla Bolognese'. It also uses your own freshly made pasta rather than something out of a box from Barilla.
  
  While Jamie has been known to do some serious bread baking (see `Jamie's Kitchen'), there is little bread in this book, except for an excellent little recipe for pizza dough and the techniques for rolling and baking the pizzas, followed by eight combinations of toppings and a recipe for `fried pizza'.
  
  As you read through the antipasti recipes in the beginning of the book, you may be dismayed at the amount of deep fried carbs in some of the dishes including bread or pasta. Our Jamie saves the day when he announces that Italians have the third longest lifespan in the world, due to a great extent to their heavy diet of green vegetables. Sir Jamie serves up a whole world of greens in a simple method (Antipasti page 11) for preparing all sorts of leafy green goodies. This also has one of his better lessons on `cooking with love' where he warns us to `cook the greens with your full attention... then dress them as if they were a salad...'.
  
  This book is simultaneously so authentic and so charming that it easily becomes my first choice for introducing someone to Italian cooking. If they are at all serious about it, they can move on to one of the better manuals from Hazan or Bastianich.
  
  Now step right up to the top of this page and put in your order for this little gem!
  
  
  

• Welcome addition to any cookbook collection

  
  By ABYLSNI0MGXZB on 2007-01-26
  I began testing recipes from this book back in December and have continued sampling dishes over the past week. The pizza you see pictured (see site) is based on Jamie's recipe for pizza topped with potatoes, mozzarella, rosemary, thyme and tomatoes.
  
  What's Good: One of my favorite things about this book is its originality. While based upon traditional recipes, Jamie adds his personal touch to many of the dishes. For instance, he added red wine, red onions, fennel and swiss chard to minestrone soup, producing delicious results. And under his influence regular ice cream became a delightful confection of Arborio risotto rice, sugar, white wine, milk, candied fruit, bittersweet chocolate and pistachios (among other things!). Flipping through the pages of "Jamie's Italy" is a source of endless inspiration, while his willingness to personalize even the simplest recipe encourages you to do the same in your own kitchen. Hence, when I read his recipe for "pasta con acciughe e pomodoro" (anchovies in tomato sauce with pasta) and was tempted to try it - even though I hate anchovies - I had no qualms about modifying it. (Not that I ever feel bad about changing recipes, but if I were that sort of person Jamie's attitude would have helped me get over it.) I took out the anchovies, added extra salt to compensate, replaced the pine nuts with almonds and changed the pasta - then enjoyed what has now become one of my favorite pasta dishes. I love Jamie's informal writing style and especially appreciated how nearly every recipe is accompanied by a gorgeous photograph. The book is well bound, attractively presented, and each section is introduced by a few paragraphs about the culinary habits of Italy. My favorite section of the book, which also happens to be one of Jamie's, is the "Street Food & Pizza" section. In this part of the text you'll find recipes for things like fried crispy polenta with rosemary and salt, spaghetti fritters, and fried pizza. The other sections are: Antipasti (Starters); Primi (First Courses), including soups, pasta and risottos; Insalate (Salads); Secondi (Main Courses), including fish and meat; Contorni (Side Dishes) and Dolci (Desserts.) The desserts chapter is especially unique because it incorporates polenta, rice and olive oil into so many recipes. I particularly enjoyed Jamie's "Florentine Rice Tart," "Chocolate & Rice Semifreddo" and the "Torta di Nada," a scrumptious cake made with red grapes or blueberries.
  
  What's Bad: There are only two things in this book that could possibly be included in this part of the review. First, I found that Jamie sometimes skipped over instructions because, I think, he assumed the reader would already know how to proceed. For instance, when making the pizza pictured (see site), the instructions tell you to cook the potatoes before adding them to the pizza - but not how to cook them. However, as Sam in "Lord of the Rings" said, you can "boil `em, mash `em, stick `em in a stew" ... not to mention steam them, fry them, bake them... shall I go on? I decided to boil them and the results were great, but I would have appreciated more detailed instructions. Second, on one or two occasions I found that the very quality that made me love this book - its creativity - could also be a bit of a pain. In the recipe for Autumn Minestrone soup Jamie tells you to cook, then throw away, a potato, tomato and a bay leaf (all used to cook the beans). This annoyed me because, although a creative way to add flavor, it seemed wasteful. I mentioned this in the original entry and one reader commented that the potato removes the gas-inducing enzymes contained in the beans, but I haven't been able to verify this assertion. Plus, Alton Brown didn't mention it on the "Good Eats" episode about beans - even though he talked about the gassy part - and I figure, if AB didn't mention it, it probably doesn't work. (Yes, I am biased towards AB.) I encountered a related problem with Jamie's recipe for pizza dough, which was unlike anything I've read in other baking books in that it only allowed for 15 minutes of rest time. By contrast, my other books indicated that a minimum of 1 1/2 hours of rising/rest time was required for a yeasted dough. I gave Jamie's instructions a try - twice, in fact - and in each instance the resulting dough was dry and hard, regardless of kneading time. In the end I swapped Jamie's instructions for those of Beth Hensperger in "The Bread Bible." It is the combination of her dough and his topping that produced that delightful pizza you see pictured here. Nevertheless, I should note that this was the only instance in which I encountered such difficulties when using this book. Perhaps there was a typo in the recipe, perhaps Jamie's hands have a certain j nes se quoi that works magic, I don't know. What I do know, however, is that as a home cook all I really care about is that recipes work and taste great. That didn't happen with the original pizza recipe, but it did happen with everything else I tried.
  
  Conclusion: "Jamie's Italy" is a great book with many unique recipes based on classic Italian cooking traditions. If you are someone who is comfortable modifying recipes and making substitutions to satisfy your particular tastes it would be a welcome addition to your cookbook collection.
  
  

• Sheer Perfection!

  
  By A3LKP6WPMP9UKX on 2006-11-04
  As someone who has been a Jamie Oliver fan since Day 1, it has been delightful to watch him grow up and mature over the years. I own all of his cookbooks, and a few of his cooking DVDs. Wish all of them were available here in the US. This book is just wonderful. The photographs are fantastic. The stories that accompany the recipes are so friendly and inviting that you feel you're standing there talking with everyone. This is the kind of cookbook you pass down to your kids. It's a treasure in every respect.
  
  Speaking of recipes, he really has traveled all over Italy, to every nook and cranny, to find delightful, fresh and unique recipes that you haven't seen before in other 'Italian' cookbooks. He covers: Antipasti, street food, pizza, soups, pastas, risotto, salads, main courses, fish, meat, side dishes, and deserts. The book is a staggering 307 pages, and it's just full of Italian food. Everything from mixed, roasted vegetables to roasted sole three ways, to sausages with green lentils, to lamb kabobs, fried zucchini, fig tart, and so many recipes your head will swim and your senses will go on overload.
  
  With this extraordinary book, Jamie Oliver shows the world why he has such staying power in the 'food biz' and why millions of people world-wide adore him. I'm old enough to be his mum (my daughter is a year older than he is), but I've got a real soft spot for the lad. He has paid his dues, worked very, very hard, hasn't let fame change who he is. This Italian cookbook is a joy in every way. What a wonderful holiday gift this would be for anyone you love.
  
  Thank you, Jamie! It's a beautiful book.
  
  

• Great recipes, great pics, fun book

  
  By A3IAR4FCR1OSX3 on 2006-11-03
  My friend from Germany brought me a copy of this book in June of this year (I didn't even realize until recently that it's not out in the U.S. yet...)But if you love a delicious home-cooked Italian meal, this is one of the most accessible books out there. And the recipes I've tried make up beautifully. I love Jamie's commitment to fresh, local ingredients, his writing in each section and the layout of the book. So many great recipes (even a quick tiramisu!) and they are arranged with pics of the food, of Jamie, and of some really fabulous Italian cooks he met on his travels. from Antipasti to Street Food to Salads, Soups, Risotto, Main Courses and Dessert, it's got everything I need...I especially love the pizzas and the white risotto. I can't wait to watch the show on Travel Channel!
  
  

• Jamie does it again!

  
  By ANS00IKW3DDB3 on 2006-12-06
  I'm a big fan of Jamie Oliver and his cookbooks. I have several. This one did not disappointment me although I held off buying it for several months because I love Italian food and wasn't sure Jamie would be up to it. He spent several months travelling and cooking in Italy and it shows. The book again highights his sense of humor and love of cooking. The photography is great and his fun attitude shines through the entire book. I've read the book cover to cover and cooked 6-7 recipes. All are easy to understand and produce excellent results. This guy can cook and write. If you like Jamie or Italian cooking this is an excellent book. I especially recommend the following recipes: Peposo (hunter's peppery beef stew). I used mine over pasta and it was a hit. His roasted squash is excellent as is his stuffed leg of lamb. I look forward to using more of his recipes and have recommended it to my cooking friends.
  
  
• Wonderful!
  By A2UHCCL7OADP15 on 2006-12-26
  I just received my KitchenAid Pasta attachment and Jamie's Italy (timing is not a coincidence!). I made the pasta with the pesto sauce. It was so good not to have garlic sauce but real pesto on the wonderfully light and tender pasta. I also used Jamie Oliver's marinade and very quickly grilled (30 secs one each side) thinly sliced tenderloin. This was one of the best meals I have had. I am looking forward to trying the other recipes.
  
  
• Jamie's Italy
  By A2H4J9JTC5R6HB on 2007-01-02
  Jamie Oliver is one of my favorite chefs, but I wanted to write a review since so far this book has 5 stars all the way and if I ordered this book based on the rave reviews I would be very disappointed. I received this book for Christmas along with Jamie's Dinners, but am a bit put off by it. The foods are very traditional,which, while totally in keeping with the theme of the book makes it a bit inaccessible to me. I looked through the book, read the recipes, enjoyed the intersting pictures, and am returning it tomorrow for one of his earlier books. The ealier ones seem to include foods that I might actually prepare on a day to day basis-more bang for the buck for me.
  
  
• Jamie tries to gild a lilly
  By A1ZQ4MV799Q2MM on 2007-01-12
  This book was mildly appealing as Jamie went from area to area to learn new recipes. It became somewhat annoying when he tried to improve how they were prepared traditionally. Can fame go to your head? If you want to cook Italian foods there are better books but if you want Jamies inimitable style of entertainment it may be worth the price.
  
  
• Wonderful Celebration of Italy
  By A2TAV69JIIA6KM on 2007-05-28
  I spent at least an hour at Border's reviewing this book and deciding whether to ultimately buy it or not. First, I have to say that I am a big fan of Jamie's. As a middle-aged Mom of two teen-agers, who never really learned to cook, Jamie's books have been gently nudging me in the right direction. And, Italian...well, that is without doubt one of my favorite cuisines. My overriding opinion is that the book is just great, and beautifully put together. It definitely left me itching to try some of the marvelous recipes. Unfortunately, and the only reason that I gave this four stars. instead of five...gulp, and led me to put the book back on the shelf, was Jamie's intentional inclusion of the graphic blood-letting picture of the goat and the shot of the pig that he is preparing. Sorry, Jamie...I respect your opinion and do understand where you are coming from, but nope, with young, inquisitive boys in my house this is not going on my kitchen bookshelf...call me a hypocrit, or whatever you may...but, I opted for Jamie's Dinners, instead. If I were an empty nester...maybe. But, in all honesty, I don't want those pics facing me each time I peruse the book, either. Otherwise, simply fabulous like all of the other Jamie Oliver books. But for two pictures, I was sold.
  
  
• Authentic Italian Dishes !
  By A22K36X80X815R on 2007-06-01
  Great recipes! Your family likes to eat meat? Sure, most people do. Well show them that it doesnt grow on trees! Something has to die in order for us to survive, be it plants or animals. Jamie explains all of this in his latest video called- "The Great Italian Escape". It shows how he visited an Italian family which lived in the moutainside and hunted their own food. As a matter of fact, when the men bagged a wild boar and brang it home, the father skinned it in front of everyone, including the little children. And guess what, they weren't crying or grossed out, they were used to it.
  Be warned, there are some graphic photos inside, but thats life, right? You say you don't want "those pictures facing you each time" you open the book. I say that sounds like an ostrich wanting to blissfully bury its head in the ground.
  Instead of living in denial I used the experience to give my son an education in Biology. Of course, this only one man's opinion.
  What does anyone else have to say about the matter? Are Jamie and I alone on this?
  
  
• Everyday inspiration
  By A3FMSB2I2GJMJW on 2007-09-07
  Right from the start, the look and feel of this book is enticing. It is a pleasingly heavy and sturdy cookbook that can take the punishment of being propped open on the kitchen bench while following a recipe. The pages of the book are littered with photographs, and enhance - in the most delightful way - the recipes. Closeups of prepared meals, lush Italian landscapes, and portraits of Jamie and assorted local folk performing their daily ministrations.
  
  None of these things would amount to much, however, if the recipes did not deliver. The bonus is that they do more than just deliver. They inspire. This book has become - for me - a reliable *go-to* book for daily inspiration. I can go from boredom to captivated in less than 5 seconds and before I know it I have my mortar and pestle out and am transporting simple ingredients into a sensory masterpiece such as Jamie's pesto recipe (p132). It is simple, delicious and reliable, like just about everything else in his book.
  
  There are numerous recipes that seem so modest that they are somewhat overlooked at first glance. The "pasta e ceci" (p76) is - for me -one of these recipes. I discovered this hidden bombshell on a day that I otherwise thought I had nothing in the cupboard to work with. This dish has now become a standard in our house.
  
  Jamie Oliver is a delightful personality on the screen and he translates that enthusiasm into his recipes which are all delicious, solid, simple and - best of all - affordable. That's what makes this book perfect for a daily reference.
  
  His devotion to his belief that there is a tasty homemade meal waiting to be cooked in any kitchen drives this cookbook. In it he will teach you to look at cupboard and fridge items with fresh eyes, infuse them with flavour in ingenious ways, and offer his culinary advice in such accessible fashion that the experience of attempting just one recipe from this book will make you - dare I say - a happier person.
  
  Get it. You'll love it.
  
  
• I love this cookbook!
  By AN3UJARU0FAIY on 2007-01-09
  I was having an Italian themed Christmas party and made several dishes from this cookbook. They all turned out great. I've made the Tiramisu three times since because everyone loves it. It is less sweet and not as much trouble as other recipies I've used but the ingredients are a little pricey.
  Last weekend we made pizza. The dough is a little messy. I tried to make it in a stand mixer I may just use Jamie's by hand method next time. The pizza turned out just like the pizza we loved in Italy. You really need a pizza stone for your oven to get the crisp crust.
  I have lots of cookbooks, some are for show and some I really cook with - this book cooks!
  
  
• Jaime's Italy
  By A2JZOI0ZARAGN2 on 2007-01-09
  The book has some extraordinary receipies but, generally, as an Italian cookbook (reviewer being, Italian first generation American) it lacks many of the receipies I remember from my youth cooked my Mom and Nonna or their friends, which I was hoping I might find within it.
  
  Do not misunderstand me, it is a fine cookbook, I was just hoping to find more authentic Italian receipies in it and the structure is a little odd.
  
  P.S. The polenta receipe is simply WOW!
  
  
• What a trip!
  By A2C7NUC921K9GP on 2007-01-09
  This book is more than just a cookbook! It does have some really great receipes, but it is also lets you explore Italy along with learning new ways to prepare food. It is very entertaining reading.
  
  
• Beautiful Picture Book
  By AX979GIIF9J08 on 2007-01-15
  This book was beautifully done. The stories Jamie told as he traveled through Italy made me feel as though I was with him in the small towns. The recipes look mouth watering. Can't wait to start cooking
  
  
• Enjoy this book!
  By A2MZ8TWSK7OQ24 on 2007-02-10
  Beautiful pictures and DELICIOUS recipes. It is a great mental vacation, when you are not able to go to Italy.
  
  
• Wonderful Recipes!
  By A50Q7W4IDZ3WP on 2007-03-25
  This is a great, simple book. If you desire additional pesto recipes, try Mary El-Baz's "Simply Elegant and Easy Pesto."
  
  
• A True Celebration...
  By A2BMX8B7OVQCSB on 2007-11-03
  This book is a true celebration of Italy, Italian food and the person who is Jamie Oliver. I read through 3/4 of it in my first sitting, have made a dozen different recipes from it and every time I look at it I feel more kinship with the coolest chef on the Planet. He just DIGS food, people, travel and life. This is a MUST HAVE.
  
  
• Jamie's Italy
  By A3N577RSROR4L5 on 2008-01-12
  Awesome book! Well written stories with the recipe's that share personal experiences and travels. Ingredients readily obtained and photo's that entice you to get cooking. Much more than a cook book. . . . outstanding read!
  
  
• Simply Amazing!
  By AM67HX3NPV7N5 on 2008-02-25
  I bought this book after I flipped through it at my Aunt's home. I thought it looked interesting, but after looking at the cookbook as an actual book, rather than a place for recipes I was astonished to find that I was perfectly happy sitting down and just reading it. The pictures are beautiful and the recipes that I have tried are delicious! My grandfather, a very proud Italian man was impressed with this book, and together we have tried some recipes and loved them! This book is full of Italian dishes that are fun to try with a bunch of family or good friends over for a Sunday dinner. Just great!
  
  
• Naked (of course)
  By AZN6SKPJNACKH on 2007-01-09
  The Naked Chef is at it again. This is a treat of a book with exceptional photography and very useful recipes. I love the heavy paper too. Jamie appears throughout the book and it is worth every penny. I didn't know he and his wife own so many restaurants around the world until I read it here.
  
  
• great cookbook
  By A2B8MEXTH7G16E on 2007-03-22
  We love this cookbook, it's easy to read and it's a delightful addition fo our cookbook library.
  We love all kinds of food and especially Itallian food. This is not your average Italian cookbook!
  
  
• Set a spell with Jaime
  By A3LGXXOEJPLDHR on 2007-08-13
  This book is as beautiful to look at as it is to read. Excellent recipes, too. Try the mushrooms stuffed with goat cheese.
  
  
• Grazie, Jamie
  By A1GD5FHH95BFYT on 2008-01-12
  How can I not recommend this book? It is one of the best of my vast Italian cookbook collection, of which I have over 1,000. Having been raised in an Italian and Sicilian home and having cooked in Italy's Piemonte and Sicily, plus owning an Italian restaurant at one time--also a culinary columnist for an Italian newspaper in California for eight years--I well know the soul of my people's cookery. I've ALWAYS felt, and written in my articles, that one had to be born to my kitchen, that a non-Italian couldn't grasp its essence, well I was proved wrong with Jamie's book JAMIE'S ITALY (and his TV cooking shows)... In this his latest book he has proved he is more connected to the heart of Italian cooking than most Italians. I've cooked about 15 recipes from JAMIE'S ITALY and not one has been a disappointment. Amoungst the many things I like about this newest book is that it is a good read, the recipes are authentic, well explained and not complicated... It is the cookery of the true ancient kitchen, nothing experimental, all well proved over the ages, all healthy. Thank you Jamie. Gian Banchero, Berkeley, California
  
  
• simplicity italian style
  By ATDKRBF0Z07T1 on 2008-05-24
  In keeping with his philosophy that cooking should be about minimal preparation of the freshest seasonally available ingredients Jamie Oliver has given us a treatment of Italian cuisine that shows the reader how easy it is to create delicious authentic Italian dishes. His writing style is relaxed and funny, (if you've ever seen Jamie on television you'll hear his charming voice as you read), and the photographs are gorgeous. Most importantly, the reader comes away not only with a catalog of wonderful recipies, but an understanding of the basic principles of Italian cooking that will let the reader create his or her own Italian dishes using whatever is seasonally available at his or her own local market. I was able to do just that a few days after finishing the book. I took one of the book recipes for silk handkerchiefs with pesto and used fava beans, (which had just come into season), fresh thyme, and parmigiano reggiano instead of pesto. The result was one of the best meals I have ever cooked. Jamie Oliver gives you the confidence to modify his recipes according to the principles of Italian regional cooking, (or simply invent you own!), with wonderful results.
  
  

• Cook with Jamie: My Guide to Making You a Better Cook
• JAMIE'S DINNERS: THE ESSENTIAL FAMILY COOKBOOK
• Jamie's Kitchen
• The Naked Chef
• Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life