Um, buy this book… can I just say this? I know, I know, it’s ANOTHER Jamie Oliver cookbook – what’s so special about this one, I hear you asking…
- Do you want to cook more real food meals but think you don’t have time?
- Do you want a simplified meal planning process every week?
- Do you want to streamline your pantry ingredients?
- Do you want to learn new techniques you can apply to other dishes and meals?
- Do you want to be eating really good food, every night of the week?
If you answered “yes” to all of those questions, this is the book for you.
Jamie’s Quick & Easy Food has been a bit of a revolution in my kitchen to be honest. After a year’s hard work on my own book, developing recipes, testing, then re-testing them countless times for months, then months of hard work writing the words, I’ll admit that I haven’t always been cooking (food other than the cookbook recipes) as much as I should. I’ve just been too tired (ok, I’m human too!). This fall, I was determined that, along with making sure I was upping my activity, I was cooking and eating more real food. And this book came along just at the right moment.
Since August 30th when the book arrived from the UK (I couldn’t wait until the October 24th pub date here in Canada and also I wanted a metric version of the book), I’ve cooked close to 30 dishes from the book, many of them multiple times and many of them with my boys’ cooking clubs (and you know we only have an hour, right?). I can’t say enough about this fabulous book (I know, I’m gushing here but it’s all deserved!).
Based on the concept of actual FIVE INGREDIENT recipes (supplemented with pantry staples: olive oil, red wine vinegar, sea salt and pepper), this book has you sitting down to a meal in well under an hour (in most cases). The equipment needed for the recipes is scaled right back (there’s a shortbread you make entirely by hand that is honestly one of the best-tasting shortbreads I’ve ever had), proving you don’t need fancy equipment or tons of ingredients to make a great meal. There are recipes for Salads, Pasta, Eggs, Chicken, Fish, Veg, Beef, Pork, Lamb, Rice & Noodles and even a few Sweet Treats. And once you’ve made a few of these recipes, you’ll be in the “five ingredient” mindset – I’ve found myself cooking off the cuff very differently recently. These recipes often use store-bought ingredients like sauces (chutney, hoi sin, harissa etc…) which, once you have them in your kitchen, you’ll spot endless possibilities for their use. As I say, it’s changed the way I’m cooking these days.
So, what exactly have I cooked from the book? Take a look!
Watermelon Radish and Feta Salad
Carrot and Grain Salad (made by my Grade 3/ 4 cooking club boys!)
Harissa Squash Salad
Lemony Courgette Linguine
Aubergine Penne Arrabiata
Easy Sausage Carbonara
Easy Rustic Gnocchi (made by both my Grade 3/4 cooking club and my Petit* Chefs!)
Super Green Pasta (made by my Grade 3/4 cooking club)
Pear and Gorgonzola Farfalle
All-Day Mexican Breakfast
Smokey Mushroom Frittata
Speedy Spinach Curry (made by my Grade 3/4 cooking club)
Flaky Pastry Pesto Chicken
Harissa Chicken Bake
Crispy Garlicky Chicken
Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken Noodle Stir Fry
Creamy Mustard Chicken
Rendang Beef and Cauli Rice
Bangin Beef Stew
Ginger Shaking Beef
Hoisin Pak Choi Rice
Chocolate Orange Shortbreads – so good I’ve made them multiple times with both my cooking clubs!
(irresistible)
Chocolate Mousse (made by my Petit* Chefs)
Chocolate Rye Cookies
Apple Crumble Cookies (again, so good I’ve made them with my Grade 3/4 cooking club boys!)
To be continued…
Proof enough that I love this book?
Proof enough that you can eat well even during a very busy month (hello back-to-school)?
What was it I said before? Oh, that’s right, buy this book!
Purchase Quick and Easy Food for yourselves on Amazon (this link should bring you to the Amazon store closest to you). Or for free worldwide shipping, buy from The Book Depository.
Please note: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This post also contains affiliate links from The Book Depository. This means that if you click over and purchase something, I will receive a very small percentage of the purchase price (at no extra cost to you). Thank you in advance!
Disclosure: I am a sometime contributor to JamieOliver.Com, and a Food Revolution “Super Ambassador” for Canada, though I was supporting Jamie’s cause well before I was doing any of those things. If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you’ll know how much of a Jamie fan I am and how strongly I believe in his message. I was not asked to write about this book, I purchased it myself.
