Jamie's Food Revolution - Jamie Oliver

Jamie's Food Revolution: Rediscover How To Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals
Jamie Oliver
Hyperion Publishing
Copyright: 2009
9781401323592

The publisher's blurb:

Welcome to my Food Revolution. This book is inspired by all the people I've met who thought they could never and would never learn how to cook. Of course, that kind of thinking is like a red rag to a bull to me because I believe that simple home cooking is one of the most basic, primal skills that every single person on this planet should have in order to look after themselves, their families and their friends.
So I've written this book to empower you (or the person you're buying this for) to learn how to cook as easily and as quickly as possible. I've done this by picking a whole load of recipes that we all love to eat and giving you my easy versions of them, using clear instructions and step-by-step pictures to hold your hand and open up a whole new world of great food. Whether you're a reluctant beginner or a good cook who just appreciates simplicity, allow me and this book to help you cook some truly delicious, crowd-pleasing meals.

I've featured Jamie's Food Revolution a couple of times now on All Booked Up - there's the review I wrote last February, and it also has a spot in my Top Five Cookbooks list from before then. That, by the way, is a spot this book still holds today.

Jamie Oliver is one of my "go to" chefs, along with Michael Smith and Mark Bittman, and of his books that I own, this is my favourite. The recipes are simple, mostly affordable, and the ingredients are easy enough to find for the most part.

I keep finding more and more delicious recipes in this one book.

1. Macaroni And Cauliflower Cheese Bake
2. Frozen Fruit Smoothie
3. One-Cup Pancakes
4. Vanilla Cheesecake With A Raspberry Topping
5. Cracking Burgers
6. Cherry Tomato Sauce With Cheat's Fresh Pasta
7. Mini Shell Pasta With A Creamy Smoked Bacon And Pea Sauce
8. Chicken Fajitas

The above recipes are the ones I keep coming back to on a regular basis - the most recent addition to the list was the Cracking Burgers, which we had last week. The best burger I can remember ever having. Definitely something we're doing again, and the recipe doubled well. Other recipes I've tried doubling successfully include the Macaroni and Cauliflower Cheese Bake and the Chicken Fajitas.

There's a bunch more recipes I want to try as well, like the fruit scones and the roasted potatoes, parsnips and carrots dish.

A few random tips I've discovered with this book:
first, add an onion to the garlic in the Cherry Tomato Sauce With Cheat's Fresh Pasta dish. It's absolutely delicious.
Second, where most of the serving amounts Jamie Oliver gives with each recipe are correct, with the cheesecake recipe it's going to serve far more than he said. I've taken it to a potluck a couple of times and come home with more than half (there were about a dozen people or more there).
Third, with the dishes that have how long it takes to make them, don't be at all surprised if it takes you longer. I've never been able to make the Chicken Fajitas in less than about a half hour. He says it can be done in 19 minutes. Maybe if you're a professional chef like he is. For the rest of us? I'd say give them a bit longer.

Definitely one of my favourite cookbooks. Don't be surprised to see it pop up with another review in the future once I've tried a few more of the recipes.