Jamie Oliver – 5 Ingredients, a review.

Hello again!

Today I finally wandered into my local branch of Waterstones and picked up this long-awaited prize. Now, as this is my second ever post, you may not know how much of a fan I am of Jamie O. I watch the shows, I buy the books and I occasionally “wazz” things up with a blender.

I do credit his books with teaching me how to cook, use a knife properly and learn to build layer upon layer of flavour.  His 30 Minute Meals and the successor 15 Minute Meals are some of my most used cookbooks.

However, I feel like the last few offerings have lacked the distinct wow factor that I was expecting.  Everyday Super Food  especially felt like a disappointment, flicking through the beautifully shot pictures of glorious food failed to get me excited, and really, I found some of it incredibly patronising.

This again, feels like a disappointment. The book itself is incredibly beautiful,  its minimalist and  really well structured with stunning shots but, unlike his other books, each recipe has no individual blurb so to speak, no introduction at the top of the page,  which makes the book feel rather rushed, it also feels very impersonal considering the passion Oliver has about food.  The meals feel incomplete and I was expecting to have suggestions at the bottom of the recipes to mix and match food from different sections of the book.

Even watching him cook on-screen in the Channel 4 show of the same name, failed to get my mouth-watering; out of four dishes, only one really piqued my interest, namely the almond pastry tart.

Now, I’m not saying I won’t be cooking from the book, in fact it seems unfair (and a waste of money!) for it to look pretty on my bookshelf, but part of me feels like it will be more of a chore than a pleasure.  On the other hand, making a healthy-ish speedy meal from five ingredients that tastes delicious is a task in itself, so I absolutely applaud him for doing so. Although I am disappointed, my love for Jamie has not waned, but probably grown, I love the variety of recipes, the flavours he hones and especially his cheeky chappy approachability and his passion for good, honest food.

Expect some new posts soon!

Happy cooking as always!

Chelsea

Black Pepper Chicken Curry

Who would think that the humble black peppercorn would could reach the heights of curry? As a curry fiend,  I never would think to use this as a main flavour, and would just use instead as a seasoning along with my beloved cumin and garam masala.

I don’t know if anyone actually remembers the show on Channel 4 called Spice Trip but it was first aired in 2012 and I immediately fell in love with the idea of using a sole flavour for  a curry. It however has taken a shameful five  years for me to actually cook it.

Overall the process is really easy; it doesn’t really involve a lot of chopping or preparing, especially if you use the ready pureed jars of garlic and ginger that have become an absolute game changer for us in our kitchen (more on that in another post!). I was uncertain at first as the curries I usually cook involve using the entire spice cupboard but this just uses black pepper, chicken and onions with a touch of turmeric, ginger and garlic.

 

 

The resulting curry is fairly spicy, the peppercorns being toasted gives it a savouriness that I didn’t expect especially due to the lack of stock/broth in the recipe. My fiancee (chief taste tester) is a massive lover of spicy heat, but he found this curry on the warming side.  The spice seems to linger at the back of your throat and may make you cough a bit, definitely a curry to warm you and nourish you if you feel poorly.

 

 

I would not only cook this again, but I can feel that this recipe will become a firm favourite in our household and whilst I understand that my pictures are awful and made it look like something unmentionable, I urge you to PLEASE cook this!  We served ours with rice and a sprinkling of leftover peppercorns on top and it was definitely a winner.

If you do cook this, leave me a comment down below with how you got on!

Happy cooking!

Chelsea x