Jamie's Italy

by Jamie Oliver

Used-Good

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Italy, Food and Drink

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

James Trevor "Jamie" Oliver, sometimes known as The Naked Chef, is an English chef and media personality well known for his growing list of food-focused television shows, his more recent roles in campaigning against the use of processed foods in national schools, and his campaign to change unhealthy diets and poor cooking habits for the better across the United Kingdom.

Reviews

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even if the recipes weren't wonderful, I love the photos and commentary. But ohmyfrikkingod, the pizza dough alone is worth buying this book.

My review over at 101 Cookbooks Library (yes, I am too lazy to retype it):

May 12, 2010

This is one of my favorite cookbooks, hands down. The photographs are beautiful, the recipes are easy to follow, and you can feel Jamie's passion for this food emanating from every page. This is also one of my toddler's favorite cookbooks - she will thumb through and gaze at each page slowly, taking great care to pick just the right recipe for that evening's meal.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much better than I ever imagined. This adorable guy actually writes an amazing and easy to follow cookbook. His take on italian was inspiring and I am so glad I was introduced to this book. His measurements are not exact and when he advises seasoning to taste, make sure you do.

Here are the once I've tasted and the cookbook club cooks who made them:

Sheela - funghi al forno ripieni di ricotta: *sigh* Mushrooms stuffed with ricotta. Say no more.

Gretchen - Pollo alla cacciatora: This chicken stew was a matter of starting way ahead of time and monitoring the slow slow slow cooking. Seriously delicious. Of course it wouldd be since it bathed in 1/2 bottle of chianti.

Me - Risotto Bianco: I wasn't sure the celery would be welcomed but it was delightful. I had no idea I could actually like something with cooked celery. It was my first but not my last risotto-cooking experience.

Molly - Semifreddo con cioccolato e riso: Rice pudding with chocolate and pistachio nuts. Icy, delicious, cool. Recomend making it a day in advance so it can freeze until firm.

Additional review:
On a Friday night my husband and I decided to have italian night and watch goodfellas. We made the linguine alla carbonara di salsiccia and it was mind-blowingly good. Don't be shy with the pasta water to thin out the cream sauce. High quality sausage is the key.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jamie's Italy

Gorgeous and delicious!
Yummy pizza's and pasta's! Great cookbook for the Italian cuisine fan.

[Kecia · Rating 4 out of 5]

My grandparents came from Sicily and most of the dishes in this book are the dishes I grew up cooking and eating. These are the dishes I just throw together from habit not from a recipe. But there were two recipes in this book that I decided to try and they were both OUTRAGEOUSLY delicious! They were so good that I could not believe that I cooked them. The first one I tried was the pasta with anchovies in tomato sauce. It took 3 different pans but it was simple to prepare and had me almost howling with pleasure. Then I tried the bruschette with eggplant and mint. OMG!!! So simple, so delicious. This will be a recipe that I prepare weekly this summer.

I've only seen Jamie Oliver on television one time so I was not that familar with him or his cooking...but now I am sold, I am a fan. I really like the layout of this book, I like his philosophy on cooking, and I like the simplicity of his style.

Funny story to go along with this review. One day my sister said she didn't understand why anyone would want to go out to eat Italian food, because she said, you eat it so often at home why would you want to eat it at a resturarnt?! She really didn't understand that not everyone eats this food on an almost daily basis. lol

Some family favorites featured in this cookbook are 1. caponata....this is the bread and butter or chips and salsa of the Scilian diet. No family get together is complete without it; 2. pasta alla Norma...I didn't know this dish had a name. It's just always been pasta with eggplant at my house...but a rose is still rose; and 3. my favorite ribollita...again another dish I did not know the name of, I make this without the fennel and use (veggie for me) Italian sausage instead. It's a wonderful dish that really hits the spot on a cold rainy spring day.

If you are looking for a cookbook full of authentic real life recipes, this is it! If you are looking for a cookbook with dishes full of the WOW factor, this is it too. I'm picking up another Jamie Oliver at the library tonight.

[Belinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jamie pasta's, pesto's and mutch more.

[Lua Limaverde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Na época em que este livro estava em seu auge aqui no Brasil, acredito que entre 2007 e 2008, eu não o comprei, mas fiquei com ele na cabeça por inúmeros elogios que aqui e ali eu ouvia. Quando uma livraria na cidade fechou as portas, fazendo antes uma grande promoção de livros, este foi um dos que escolhi para levar para casa.

Ele tem um estilo de edição parecido com alguns outros do mesmo autor, com fotos incríveis do David Loftus e um texto de entrada em cada receita, bem informal. A divisão do livro praticamente obedece ao serviço de um banquete italiano, começando pelos antepastos e terminando nas sobremesas, mas antes com uma introdução sobre o que seria essa “Itália de Jamie”, ou seja, a experiência gastronômica e cultural do autor no país.

E o legal do livro é exatamente este relato pessoal, como se fosse um diário de viagem de tudo que ele encontrou por lá: lugares, pessoas, ingredientes. Não se trata de um livro de receitas italiano autêntico, é claro, mas como ele próprio deixa marcado no título do livro, é a maneira como ele experimenta a Itália, assim como cada um de nós pode conhecer um pouco de um lugar através de sua comida. Até porque, e isso é um assunto constante no livro, cada família italiana tem um jeito muito próprio de fazer as coisas.

O ponto forte de A Itália de Jamie é a conversa do autor com o leitor, já característica do Jamie Oliver, tanto em seus livros como em seus programas de TV, lembrando muitas vezes um texto de blog. De ponto fraco eu apontaria apenas algumas escolhas da diagramação (dispensaria algumas páginas pretas com texto em fonte branca) e da tradução (o tradutor chega até a debochar de uma dica do Jamie Oliver), além disso, achei muito estranho não ter receitas de pães, mas no geral o livro é muito bonito e estou com várias receitas marcadas para fazer.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite cookbooks, surprisingly written by a non-Italian. Jamie Oliver immerses himself in the Italian culture and brings out the best parts of their cooking...simply prepared foods made with the best and freshest ingredients. I'm a vegetarian, and though the book includes meat recipes (and one really gross picture of a lamb being slaughtered), there are ample meat-free recipes that are extremely tasty. The book's highlights: a fantastic pizza recipe, and Spaghetti Alla Trapanese. I still have many recipes to try!

[Jasmin McGuire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who doesn't love Jamie? I used to love watching his first show, I think on BBC, and he was amazing! Never measuring anything, always fun, and totally stunning concoctions :-) This book is no different, he is exactly the same as he always is, and he is perfect! Get the book!

[Madeleine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the journey of this book. Hooked me on Oliver and the narrative driven cookbook. I love a good story! The pizza dough recipe is now a home standard.

[Black Heart Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Jamie. He, like Bittman and Pepin, is also focused on fast and healthy meals, but he's a bit sloppy when it comes to measurements. What constitutes a "small bunch"? How much is "some"? I mean, once you've got your bearings in the kitchen, you can probably sort it out, but if you're a new cook you might be intimidated by this "cooking by feel" method. However, I mainly checked this one out of the library for the amazing-looking Italian pizzas, and I'm looking forward to trying some of his unusual ingredient pairings. Plus baking your own pizza is cheap yet impressive. (Just gotta find me a damn marble slab... gah!)

Oh: If you like Jamie, I would also highly recommend his iPhone/iPod Touch app. It's only $4.99, and totally worth it for the videos that'll teach you how to not be afraid of buying (and eating) fish, and how to work your knife skills, and that kind of thing, along with some of his fast, fresh recipes. He'll also convince you that you MUST HAVE a mortar and pestle. Really. (P.S. You can download it here: http://www.jamieoliver.com/20-minute-...)

[Kristen Northrup · Rating 3 out of 5]

The usefulness of this book depends in large part on how many Italian cookbooks you already own. I previewed this via the library and fortunately so, because I already have most of these recipes, or close enough. But if this will be your first, second, or third Italian book, it could still be quite worthwhile and the instructions are straightforward with plenty of photos. It does seem to be about 50% Sicilian, which isn't what everyone expects from an Italian cookbook. A recipe for fresh tuna meatballs in tomato sauce inspired me to check this book out, but the dish is also on his website. The other new ideas were roasted squash with cinnamon and chile and a sort of spumoni rice pudding. A $35 cover price requires a little more, however. Some of the photos will be offputting to some. He shows recently-butchered animals, and not just fish. They also used unripe tomatoes in several shots (the recipes did call for ripe), which aren't at all appetizing.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The photography and recipes in this cookbook really captures what I call "everyday Italy." Yes, the famous sites and dishes are great (and worth seeing and eating if you go), but Jamie focuses in on what it's like to live in the country on a day to day basis. It's simple and delicious food using the best ingredients you can get your hands on; it's focusing on getting off the beaten path and trying something new/something you never thought you could make successfully at home. I enjoyed this cookbook before I ever set foot on Italian soil, but love it even more after spending my honeymoon traveling around the country.

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 for the non-Italian, almost perfect. The only reason I did not give it five is the same issue others have mentioned, the lack of specific measurements on certain things: "glug of oil"... Is that a tablespoon? I normally wouldn't have a problem with this as I tend to cook by feel and mood, but some ingredients, like eggplant, are sensitive to the amount of moisture added so I can see this becoming a problem. Even if you have other Italian cookbooks do give this one a shot. Jamie's passion for the people, the landscape, and the food are so exciting, he really draws you in. Oh, and not to mention the photos are probably the best I have ever seen.

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

From the worlds richest chef his worst book as a follow up to his worst TV series.
To me Oliver was totally out of his depth, perhaps he hadn't researched enough before his visit.
Maybe his increasing wealth made him drop his standards.
I found the TV show almost embarrassing and the book does little, if anything, to change my mind.
To cook Italian, get a cookbook by someone who cooks the cuisine regularly and knows what they're talking about. This applies to any cuisine.
Keith Floyd who made TV series and wrote cookbooks on many countries cuisines never purported to be an expert on any of them, but an amateur learning on his and our behalf and showing what he'd learnt.

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

For Oliver's 30th birthday a few years ago, he took a food excursion through Italy and then wrote a cookbook about the experience. This was a great read. The essays sprinkled throughout really do provide a glimpse at a different way of looking at food. The message came across loud and clear that Italians care deeply about food and that it is an activity worth putting your time into. I was inspired to try the potato, rosemary, and thyme pizza from scratch last night and it was delicious. Many of the recipes are way over the top and I would never attempt them, but quite a few really are simple and look wonderful.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

liest man ein kochbuch eigentlich??? XD

nun ja, ich hab 'genial italienisch' nun schon seit letztem jahr und ackere immer noch bestimmte rezepte durch. es ist einfach super! zu meinen liebsten rezepten gehören spaghetti mit rucola und garnelen. das ist schon zu meiner leibspeise geworden und ich habe dieses gericht mittlerweile perfektioniert. :P
das buch war auch überhaupt seeeehr hilfreich in hinblick auf bestimmte zubereitungsarten von gemüse etc..
aber kochen ist wie das leben, methinks, man lernt/kocht nie aus.

wirklich empfehlenswert!

[Ashleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of cookbooks and italian food in particular I definately would recommend this book to friends and family. I use this all of the time, even just as inspiration. Jamies pizza dough recipe has become a staple in my household and paired with a pizza stone it creates a authemtic italian pizza experience! Our household is vegetarian and although there are many meat dishes in this book I find it gets more use than some of my veggie books. I love reading this and thinking of ways I can adapt a meal to make it vegetarian. If you like italian food buy this!

[Lisa Wuertz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I painstakingly hand copied a ton of excellent sounding recipes from this book. I wish I owned it, but the library copy will have to suffice for now. I especially loved all the little stories in there and definitely gravitated to wanting to try out recipes from my Sicilian heritage as not much has been passed down to me from my family. Also, kind of funny, but several pictures of the Sicilian men totally have some of my dad's facial characteristics including his nose. So now I know where that comes from.

[Alexis · Rating 1 out of 5]

First of all, I have not read all of Jamie Oliver's cook books. I have read a few. This is by far his worst I would reckon if I was to hazard a guess. Brutal. The only areas of interest in this book are the fresh salads. I am not Italian, but I know I personally have better Italian recipes in my head than what I found in this book. To me, the whole book seemed like Jamie was camping in the hills of Italy, grabbing whatever was lying around and making feasts which were not even fit for a hobo. Too rustic and too much desperate foraging for me! Come on Jamie, you can do way better than this.

[mstan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't not like this book. While I wouldn't describe myself as a fan of "the naked chef", Jamie's beliefs about food do resonate with me. And the fact that he goes bumbling around Italy appropriating the recipes of grandmothers and fishermen makes his cooking even more endearing - it reassures me that my amateurish efforts may not be half as laughable as I think they are.

Oh, I do love Italian food too - and the gorgeous pictures! So I went into the reading experience already naturally biased.

[Max Rocca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro da tenere sempre in cucina, come sempre Jamie Oliver ci riporta a scoprire in questo libro antiche ricette e street della nostra Italia e ci ircorda con brio e simpatia come ogni piccolo paese, cittá e regione abbiano le proprie ricette ed i propri prodotti, in questo libro, facilissimo da seguire ci aiuta con ingredienti semplici a creare cene per i nostri amici, dagli antipasti ai piatti unici! Belle le immagini e simpaticissimo lui. Consigliato alle donne senza idee in cucina e agli uomini che vogliono mettersi per la prima volta ai fornelli! Indimenticabile

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Makes a mean minestrone soup. His little tips and summaries are better than the recipes themselves.

The goal is simple, good food in lieu of any fancy, ornate stuff.

I also cooked the risotto, eggplant parmesan and a butternut squash pasta dish. They were all good, but the minestrone worked the best for me.

This is probably worth a spot on my cookbook shelf, but until then I'll just renew my return date from the library.

[Brooklyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

How can you not love Jamie Oliver? From his pinchable cheeks to his amazing food to his food politics - he's got it all. I really admire what Jamie has done for the sustainable food movement: he focuses on local, sustainable food without hitting you over the head with his politics. The food and the photography in Jamie's Italy is something special. I just can't say enough good things about this guy. Jamie, are you listening?

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I FINALLY got a library card ;-) and this was one of the first books I checked out as I am trying to trin myself that I don't need to own every cookbook out there. (Baby steps!) This book is full of delicious-sounding recipes and great photos as is typical of Jamie. I have only tried the Eggplant & Mint Bruschette so far but it was simple and tasted great. Here's the link to the recipe and photos: http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...

[Danny Hooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

My not-so-secret passion is cooking, and I can while away countless hours leafing through a good cookbook, preferably one with lots of Pavlovish photos. My favourite? Jamie Oliver’s Italy. Filled with fabulous photographs of the man grilling rabbit, lamb, and quail over smoldering vine clippings and olive wood, the makings of a rustic kitchen stuffed in a beat-up vintage Coleman cooler…mmm. This book speaks to a simpler way of life that holds great appeal to me.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

YUMMMM. Jamie Oliver presents more authentic Italian cuisine (a relieving departure from Americanized ethnic cookbooks) without pretension to being the authoritative "last word" in Italian food. The recipes are a mix of the simple and the complex, providing a range of meal possibilities that can actually be used in daily cooking.

[Kimberly Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous book with wonderful photographs that accompany even lovelier recipes:

Fried ricotta w/ a little tomato salad, Pizzas to die for, Ribollita (Tuscan bean, cabbage, bread soup), Fazzoletti w/ pesto, Roasted mushroom risotto, Pan fried squid w/ lemon & breadcrumbs, Leg of lamb stuffed w/ olives, bread, pinenuts & herbs, & Quick tiramisu!

Ok, have to go eat again!

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

been loving watching jamie on tv for quite a while (even naming my unborn child 'olive' after his surname 'oliver')
sooo looking forward to read his books. my copy of this jamie's italy is still in US, waiting to be handed to the rightful-antisipating-owner ;p
herbayu, kapan pulang...?

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't made anything from this one yet, but it's very pretty - and in parts gruesome. Jamie Oliver believes that you should know where your food comes from, and makes no qualms about showing the animals that you're eating. Those parts can be difficult - but the cookbook is great.

[Jane G Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband is the capo chef in this house, so my information is only second hand, but he cooked out of this book for about a month straight and had a blast. Plus, the baby loves the cover, pointing to it often saying, "spaghetti and wine tonight, mama?"