Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last decade you probably own a Jamie Oliver cookbook. Or at the very least you’ve used his Essex catchphrases while sprucing up your beans on toast: “Splash of Lea & Perrin’s… Pukka!” Now a household name, Jamie first appeared on our screens sixteen years ago. He has educated the people of Britain in healthy school dinners, encouraged us to cook in thirty minutes, then fifteen minutes, and has scoured the countryside of Italy to bring us authentic and rustic Italian food.
At the root of this passion is Jamie’s Italy. This cookbook is not just a collection of recipes. With stunning photography of the people Jamie Oliver met, of the Italian scenery and of course of the mouth-watering food, this book is more tasteful (excuse the pun) than most.
Yet the recipes are not simple, and they don’t especially match up to your idea of Italian cuisine. There’s no recipe for spaghetti bolognaise for example. But what it does offer is something a little special to place in front of your expectant and hungry guests; a dinner party extravaganza which doesn’t involve chips or Chinese take-out (as per usual…)
Jess cooked:
Fried ricotta with a little tomato salad
Jamie says: ‘When cooked, the cakes will be thin, crispy and golden on the outside with a lovely, fluffy, silky ricotta inside. I’m sure that once you’ve tried them you’ll be making them all the time – they are incredibly quick and easy.
Jess says: ‘Perfect for a starter. They took about five minutes to prepare and ten minutes to cook. The only downside was that I had to cook everybody’s separately so we couldn’t all eat at the same time. They tasted delicious though.
Sausage and beef kebabs
Jamie says: ‘This is an incredibly simple, gutsy, authentic Italian kebab. Italian sausages are plump, coarsely ground and have cured meat in them, but if you can’t get them, a good-quality meaty Cumberland will be very acceptable.’
Jess says: I used good old Cumberland sausages and streaky pancetta which worked brilliantly. I also swapped the beef for chicken as a couple of my guests weren’t keen on beef. It’s best to prepare these in the morning as the meat has to marinade but the extra effort is worth it. They were a hit with the guests and they look much more complicated than they are!
Aubergine parmigiana
Jamie says: This classic northern Italian recipe is a great way to serve aubergines. Great served with all sorts of roasted meats and with roasted fish as well.
Jess says: I needed something to go with the kebabs and this seemed like a great side dish. The tomato sauce and the aubergines really complimented each another and grilling the aubergines made them smooth and soft.
Blackberry tart
Jamie says: ‘This is such an easy dessert to make, especially if you have a couple of tart shells in your freezer. You can make it with any soft fruit – raspberries, blackberries, strawberries or blueberries. You’re in for a real treat!’
Jess says: ‘I cheated massively with the dessert, buying my pastry base from Morrisons… However once the filling was in you could hardly tell, and in the end it only took about 10 minutes to make, and tasted delicious!’
RECIPES
Fried Ricotta with a little tomato salad:
Serves 6:
455g good crumbly ricotta cheese
2 tbs freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
1 ½ tbs flour
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg
A large handful of mixed ripe tomatoes
2 sprigs of fresh basil
1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
Good red wine vinegar
Olive oil
Nutmeg (for serving)
Mix the ricotta with the Parmesan, flour, a good pinch of salt and the egg. Season with a little freshly ground black pepper and place in the fridge.
Halve the tomatoes, squeeze out the seeds and discard them. Chop the flesh up into small chunks and drain off any excess liquid. Chop the stalks of the basil finely and tear the leaves up roughly, then add to the tomatoes with the chilli. Season with salt and pepper, a glug of extra virgin olive oil and a small swig of red wine vinegar.
Put a small pan on a medium heat and add a splash of olive oil. Drop a small spoonfuls of the ricotta mix into the pan – the pieces shouldn’t be touching. Fry the ricotta cakes for a couple of minutes or until golden brown, then turn them over for a further minute. Serve at once with salt, a little nutmeg and a good spoonful of the chopped tomatoes.
Sausage and beef kebabs:
Serves 4
12 x 2.5cm cubes of beef fillet or pork
4 large good-quality Italian or Cumberland sausages
4 thickly sliced pieces of pancetta or streaky bacon
18 fresh sage leaves
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 lemon, zested and halved
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 skewers
First marinate your meat. Put your pieces of beef into a bowl. Get your sausages and gently twist and pinch each one to give you three smaller round sausages, then use a knife to cut them apart and add them to the bowl. Slice your pancetta into 2.5cm pieces – 4 or 5 out of each slice – and add to the bowl. Put 12 of the sage leaves into the bowl and bash the rest up with the garlic cloves and lemon zest using a pestle and mortar, until you have a pulp. Drizzle in about 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and the juice of half a lemon. Stir well and pour the meat in the bowl. Leave to marinate for 1 to 3 hours in the fridge, but you can cook the meat straight away if you don’t have time.
Preheat the oven to its highest setting. Now skewer the kebabs, starting with a piece of pancetta, then a folded sage leaf, then a piece of sausage and finally a cube of beef. Do this three times for each skewer, finishing with a piece of pancetta. Put the kebabs on to an oiled tray or pan and place in the oven. Immediately turn it down to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Roast for about 20 minutes until the sausages are golden. Squeeze over the remaining lemon juice and serve.
Aubergine Parmigiana
Serves 6
3 large firm aubergines
Olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
½ a bulb of spring garlic, or 1 clove of regular garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 heaped tsp dried oregano
2 x 400g of good-quality plum tomatoes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
A little wine vinegar
A large handful of fresh basil leaves
4 large handfuls of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 handfuls of dried breadcrumbs
A little fresh oregano, leaves chopped
Optional: 1 x 150g ball of buffalo mozzarella
Remove the stalks from the aubergines, slice them up into 1cm thick slices and put to one side. Get the griddle pan really hot. Meanwhile, put 2 or 3 glugs of olive oil into a large pan on a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and dried oregano and cook for 10 minutes, until the onion is soft and the garlic has a bit of colour. Break up the tin tomatoes and add to the pan. Give the mixture a good stir, then cover and simmer slowly for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, grill the aubergines on both sides until slightly charred – you may have to do them in batches. As each batch is finished, remove them to a tray. When the tomato sauce is reduced and sweet, season it carefully with salt, pepper and a tiny swig of wine vinegar, and add the basil.
In a dish put in a small layer of tomato sauce, then a thin scattering of Parmesan, followed by a single layer of aubergines. Repeat these layers until you’ve used all the ingredients up, finishing with a little sauce and another good sprinkling of Parmesan. Toss the breadcrumbs in olive oil with a little oregano and sprinkle them on top of the Parmesan. Sometimes the dish is served with torn-up mozzarella on top, which is nice too. Place in the oven and bake at 190°C/375°F/gas 5 for half an hour until golden, crisp and bubbly.
Blackberry Tart
Serves 8-10
1 x shortcrust pastry
For the Filling
1 vanilla pod
500g mascarpone
100ml single cream
3 tbs sugar
3 tbs grappa or vin santo
310g blackberries (or other fruit)
3 tbs blackberry or raspberry jam
A small handful of fresh baby mint leaves
Grease a 28cm loose-bottomed tart tin with a little butter. Make your pastry and then place the tart case in the freezer for an hour. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4 and bake the pastry case for around 12 minutes or until lightly golden.
To make the filling, split the vanilla pod in half lengthways and scrape out the seeds by running a knife along the inside of each half. Put the mascarpone, cream, vanilla seeds, sugar and grappa into a large bowl and whip until shiny. Have a taste – you should have a rich, fluffy and lightly sweetened cream. If you can’t get grappa you can do without.
Once the pastry has cooled, get yourself a spatula and add the sweetened cream to the pastry case. Smear it all around, then cover it with the berried – place them lightly on the cream. In a small pan, melt down a couple of tablespoons of jam with 3 or 4 tablespoons of water. Stir until it becomes light syrup, then, using a clean pastry brush, lightly dip and dab the fruit with the jam. Sprinkle with the baby mint leaves before eating.
Jamie’s Italy is available now from Penguin
words: Jessica Baggaley