Jamie’s Italy
Jamie Oliver
Hyperion (2006)

by Nicoletti Nocketback

Italian for the Masses, or the Proletariat’s Prosciutto

This 320 page hardback is one dash travel log, two parts Italian history, and one sprinkle food memoir—oh, yeah, it’s also a cookbook, I guess. I’ve admired Jamie Oliver for a spell now, and respect his intellect and humanitarian efforts. Given that he’s rich, one expects that of him, but instead of saving whales or forests, he’s chosen a more immediate cause: school cafeterias. Oliver has championed healthy foods in England’s public school system for some time and has been met with much criticism—even a bit from Bush’s underling, T. Blair. Bureaucracy aside, he’s put together a very useful book for those who may feel overwhelmed when cooking Italian, or, if you’re Brian McNally, cooking period.
The book is as functional as it is aesthetically appealing. Striking images give way to original, easy to read and hard to ignore prose—and I thought all chefs were stupid, or was that dental hygienists? Regardless, Oliver has pieced together a book with meals steeped in tradition and culture. Jamie offers insight into the everyday life of the Italian and Sicilian proletariat: the sheepherder, the fisherman, the grape picker. The regions covered are sundry and each locality seems to have a unique cuisine all its own.
The utility of the book begins with its order. Meals are stationed chronologically throughout the book. So, it opens, of course, with antipasti (starters). These include some beauties like eggplant and pesto chutney bruschette. Or, one of my favs, ricotta fritta con piccola insalata de pomodor. Don’t let the title deceive you, it’s basically fried cheese—the finest fried cheese I’ve had in me ever.
One of the more attractive sections is Oliver’s street food segment. When traveling, I normally eat out or picnic. This makes it oftentimes difficult to dine like a native. Perhaps you’d like a traditional pizza slice and find nothing but the Damn Tasty slices counter (I’m thinking of the Netherlands here). A traditional margherita pizza is a combination of tomato and cheese. Jamie provides the instruction to piece together a fresh simple dough, tomato compote and fresh mozzarella— effortless.
Other courses include soups and salads; I suggest the pappa al pomodora. This traditional Tuscan dish is an amalgam of tomato and bread with fresh herb. There are also plenty of pasta and risotto dishes for you timid eaters as well. A fish dish I’ve produced a handful of times for my colleagues is called pesca spada alla griglia con la salsa di Giovanna. This is a grilled swordfish with a fresh fricassee from this Sicilian woman—Jamie introduces you to many different laborers and their dishes from around the country. What’s really enjoyable is the fact that these meals are what keep the average Italian moving day to day—their Taco Bell, if you will.
We finish with dolcis; the superlative being the gelato con olio esale: fresh vanilla ice cream with premium olive oil and sea salt—no words will work for this one.